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Eragon/Eldest Trade Paperback Boxed Set (Inhertitance) | 
| Author: Christopher Paolini
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $23.94
Buy New: $16.28
You Save: $7.66 (32%)
Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 14310
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.3 x 2.8
ISBN: 0375842403
EAN: 9780375842405
Publication Date: March 13, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...
 Now, what are you waiting for? April 1, 2007
20 out of 25 found this review helpful
Has someone ever given you a book you just can't find time to read? That happened to me with "Eragon" and "Eldest". I liked the story, as summed up in the cover, but a lot of the reviews I had previously read about the series were awful, mostly criticizing the style of its author, Christopher Paolini, or saying that these bookS were just an imitation of others, for example the books in the "Lord of the Rings" series.
I must confess that I let those comments get to me, and I always found something else to read before tackling the books included in this box set. That is, until I watched the movie, loosely based on the book of the same name written by Paolini. It wasn't spectacular, but it had something special that made you care for Eragon, a young man like many others that ends up discovering a dragon's egg, and changing his destiny and that of Alagaesia.
"Eragon", the film, was a good introduction to Paolini's world, a world of magic and dragons, elves and strange creatures. All the same, I wanted more, so I went straight to the source. I picked up the book that had been waiting patiently for me and started reading. I read it in a day, without stopping, enjoying the fact that Paolini's story was much, much better than what the film had allowed me to glimpse, and that I was on holidays and could allow myself the luxury of reading the whole book without having to stop and go to work :)
Of course, reading "Eragon" was not enough, and immediately after finishing it I started reading "Eldest". Truth to be told, I liked it just as much or more. "Eldest" picks up where "Eragon" ended, and allows us to know what is happens with Eragon, Saphira and their friends, and what they need to do in order to survive the wrath of king Galbatorix.
All in all, I can say that I loved "Eragon" and "Eldest", and that I strongly recommend it to others, specially those that (disregarding their age) have lots of imagination. On the practical side, buying this box set is a good idea because it is cheaper, and will save you some time you could spend reading. Now, what are you waiting for?
Belen Alcat
PS: To Christopher Paulini --> Please hurry up with the last book in this triology, I really want to know what happens next :)
 Too predictable. June 21, 2007
17 out of 24 found this review helpful
While the first two novels of the Inheritance Trilogy, Eragon and Eldest, are a decent first attempt of a budding young author, they certainly cannot be considered masterpieces of fantasy and likely would never have been published had Paolini's parents not owned their own publishing company.
I found the tale predictable as the author adheres far too ridgedly to the classic hero's journey. Unlike with Tolkien's epic, which Paolini is obviously attempting to imitate, or the Star Wars Trilogy (Episodes IV-VI), there is no real sense of tension troughout these works. I was never surprised by anything that happened in the story, nor have I any real doubt about the ultimate outcome. Furthermore, though Paolini's world, Alagaesia, comes with it's own distinct races, cultures and liguistics, it lacks the profound sense of history that is one of the wonderful hallmarks of Tolkien's Middle Earth, leaving one with a gnawing impression of deficiency. Moreover, I found the characters rather two-dementional: lacking in depth and generally uninteresting upon the whole.
All this is understadable. Unlike Tolkien, who was a professor of ancient languages and mythology, as well as WWI combat veteran, when he wrote The Lord of the Rings, Paolini was still an adolescent at the time these books were written and his novels evidence inexperience throughout their length. Having yet to embark upon his own life's quest, Paolini's insights into the causes of human behavior and its effects on others are more theoretical than precise. Consequently, I have real doubts about his ability to develop Eragon into a grown man by the end of the third book, as he himself has yet to fully mature.
One might feel that my comparison of the Inheritance Trilogy to the Lord of the Rings is unfair, but since Paolini clearly set out to mimic Tolkien, I believe such treatment to be fully justified. That said, Paolini admittedly possesses raw literary talent, but reminds me of a minor league ball player who has advanced to the majors too soon. Wisdom would have waited another thirty or forty years before attempting to tackle the grand master of fantasy.
Stop making baseless comparisons April 7, 2008
8 out of 12 found this review helpful
How does one imagine comparing Paolini, the young author of "Eragon" with the likes of Lewis and Tolkien. However, it continues to happen, unfairly, I think. The members of the Inklings were powers in their right, in other fields, before they delved into the Narnia Tales and "The Lord of the Rings".
Eragon is a typical "hero and his dragon" tale. However, I was taught that there are probably only five original plots and all stories are based on one of those five. Although it has all the elements of the usual tales of this type, it is well written and exciting. There is also a morale deep within this story, greater than the hero fights the bad guys and almost gets the girl and keeps his dragon in the end. The idea that the dragon cannot live if the rider is killed seems to be an analogy for the idea of freedom which would die if the believer of the idea dies. Perhaps it would be better for those who are criticizing this book to read it with more depth than they would play a video game. I'll bet they would find quite a few more hidden messages.
Excellent story; good read. I am buying a copy for my grandchildren and perhaps I'll read it again before I pass it along to them.
 Rip off of JRR Tolkien May 17, 2007
6 out of 13 found this review helpful
Tons of hype, NYT best seller and a movie; boy did I expect more! Its nothing more than a rip off of Lord of the Rings, without the cute little hobbits. Dwarves live underground, make elaborate cities in mountains, bond with stone. Graceful Elves have pointy ears, live a long time, are aloof and above mere mortals. Protagonist is a young male-on-a-mission. Long trek with protagonist at center, elf and dwarf in-tow ensues. Sound familiar? It should. Its a re-invention of the characters and even sub plots of the LofR trilogy, only not nearly as well written or clever. Tired, familiar, and predictable, I'd like a refund. Time better spent rereading the original Tolkien. Pass on this.
 The "eldest" story in the book July 5, 2008
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
Mix together equal parts "Star Wars" and J.R.R. Tolkien, then add a generous helping of Anne McCaffrey's dragon-riders and a few random shreds of Garth Nix.
Obviously originality is not Christopher Paolini's strong suit, since the dual-pack of "Eragon" and "Eldest" is brimming over with fantasy cliches. But the biggest weakness of Paolini's two books is not his stilted dialogue or numerous cliches, or even the slow-moving pompous slog of "Eldest's" endless elf training -- it's his cardboard cutout of a self-insert hero, Eragon.
The titular character is lucky enough to stumble across a strange blue stone while hunting. After failing to sell it, Eragon finds that it's actually a dragon egg, and the baby blue dragon inside selects him -- yes, him -- to hatch for and remain with forever. All the Dragon Riders were killed off by Evil King Galbatorix long ago, but for the weird old recluse Brom, who becomes Eragon's mentor. And Luke, I am your father... wait, wrong story.
When Galbatorix's men destroy Eragon's home and family, Brom and Eragon flee to find the mysterious rebels known as the Varden, and rescue the beautiful elf Arya who is haunting Eragon's dreams. But while Eragon and his dragon Saphira learn many things -- and make new allies -- the journey to the Varden brings them a terrible (and totally predictable) loss, and leads them to Eragon's first battle.
"Eldest" picks up immediately afterwards, with Eragon badly wounded and the leader of the Varden murdered. But despite the rebels' turmoil, Eragon is told that he has to accompany Arya back to her home city of the elves, to train as a proper Dragon-rider. But when he arrives, Eragon finds that his new master is an ancient, crippled elf named Oromis, who has a lot to teach him before he inevitably expires.
Unbeknownst to Eragon, his hometown of Carvahall is being ruined by a band of Galbatorix's soldiers, and his newly-engaged cousin Roran may be their only hope. And our hero's truncated training leads to strange new changes in his body and mind, as he prepares for a devastating new battle against Galbatorix -- and a horrifying new discovery. Yes, you can probably see it coming.
Lofty elves, kings-in-waiting, humble farm boys, ghastly goblinesque creatures, mystical women, special swords, evil tyrants who are evil because they just are, wise mentors, and telepathic dragons in a variety of colors. Christopher Paolini never met a fantasy cliche that he didn't like. And as a result, both "Eragon" and "Eldest" are dripping with Tolkien and Lucas-style trappings, right down to the hero's suspiciously Tolkienian name.
Paolini paints these typical sword-and-sorcery stories with rather stilted but promising prose, at least at first. "Eragon" has some raw rookie potential, and you can detect Paolini's enthusiasm as he explores his invented fantasy land, much the way many other teenagers have done after reading high fantasy and yearning to explore their own made-up worlds. There's just not much that is new or unique about this story.
But things go way downhill with "Eldest" -- Paolini's prose becomes bloated, sluggish and painfully smug, with dialogue that becomes more painfully wretched with each chapter ("I walk between the candle and the dark"). The story is wrenched out into three different storylines, two of which deal with the Varden's lace-making and Roran's engagement woes. Neither is terribly interesting, and the battle at the finale feels as though Paolini slapped it on to give it a suitably slam-bang ending.
Worst of all, the book's bulk is devoted mostly to Eragon's uneventful dragon-riding training with Oromis, which consists mostly doing yoga and watching insects, and occasionally whapping each other with swords. Yes, it's every bit as boring as it sounds. And the hilariously homoerotic moments with Eragon and Oromis only liven it up a little.
The biggest problem with Paolini's writing is that Eragon is portrayed as a noble, brave, compassionate soul with a brilliant destiny ahead of him. Well, frankly he shows no nobility, bravery or compassion, and the many characters who gasp in admiration of him does not make him any more impressive. He's a glaring self-insert, with all the dimension of a cardboard standee.
The supporting characters are not much better -- Brom is too brief a character to make much of an impact, and while Oromis has a certain fascination, we hear too little of his past. And the love interest Arya is glorified only for her looks -- which is all she has, since her personality is chilly at best, snotty and autocratic at worst.
Christopher Paolini's not-terribly original fantasy series starts off with the flawed but readable "Eragon," before sliding down into the painfully bloated carcass of "Eldest." Lightweight fantasy at best, but a painful salad of cliched preaching at worst.
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