On My Bookshelf: Eragon

One boy….

    One dragon….

          A world of adventure.

When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.

Overnight, his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds.

Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands…

By Christopher Paolini

Young Adult

Genre: fantasy



My thoughts:

A cruel king.

A dragon hatchling.

A boy with an unknown lineage.

And a battle of good vs. evil.

Sounds like a novel to me. 

Eragon: a creative writer’s masterpiece.

The actual writing behind Eragon might be a bit plain and primitive. The main character might be cliché and a little too brilliant at times. But one thing is for sure. This is a story, a tale, that leads you on an adventure of a lifetime.

I picked Eragon up off the shelf with one goal in mind. I have read little fantasy, still less popular books, and I felt I had a need to fill in a bit of that void. And Eragon did not disappoint me.

Of course, you all now know my disdain for magic. {Found here} I knew beforehand that it would be everywhere. It is used, frequently, in Eragon and the following series. It is a drawback that will probably mean the Inheritance series will never nestle comfortably on my bookshelf. I borrowed them. And I will probably always only borrow them.

 

BUT, I do not regret reading Eragon. It is a masterful story, done so well, made so intriguing, that you tend to forget that Paolini had yet to develop a very compelling style. Story was all you needed. And story he gives.

Do you want to read Eragon? I don’t know. It is HUGE. And I mean, big. But if that doesn’t daunt you, and you want a good story, and you don’t mind magic, I’d say you’d enjoy it very much.

And if you are writing a fantasy, read it. I will honestly say that Eragon taught me a great many things about writing a fantasy novel. Things I will never regret learning. From creating a magnificent landscape to developing assorted people groups to starting a world off brand new, yet making it ancient, I gleaned so much I could never write it all down.  And that is a double plus! ++