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Eldest (Inheritance) | 
| Author: Christopher Paolini
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Category: Book
Buy New: $7.99
Rating:  1519 reviews
Sales Rank: 1457
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 1056
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.7
ISBN: 0440238498
EAN: 9780440238492
Publication Date: August 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Amazon.com Review
Surpassing its popular prequel Eragon, this second volume in the Inheritance trilogy shows growing maturity and skill on the part of its very young author, who was only seventeen when the first volume was published in 2003. The story is solidly in the tradition (some might say derivative) of the classic heroic quest fantasy, with the predictable cast of dwarves, elves, and dragons--but also including some imaginatively creepy creatures of evil. The land of Alagaesia is suffering under the Empire of the wicked Galbatorix, and Eragon and his dragon Saphira, last of the Riders, are the only hope. But Eragon is young and has much to learn, and so he is sent off to the elven forest city of Ellesmera, where he and Saphira are tutored in magic, battle skills, and the ancient language by the wise former Rider Oromis and his elderly dragon Glaedr. Meanwhile, back at Carvahall, Eragon's home, his cousin Roran is the target of a siege by the hideous Ra'zac, and he must lead the villagers on a desperate escape over the mountains. The two narratives move toward a massive battle with the forces of Galbatorix, where Eragon learns a shocking secret about his parentage and commits himself to saving his people. The sheer size of the novel, as well as its many characters, places with difficult names, and its use of imaginary languages make this a challenging read, even for experienced fantasy readers. It is essential to have the plot threads of the first volume well in mind before beginning--the publisher has provided not only a map, but a helpful synopsis of the first book and a much-needed Language Guide. But no obstacles will deter the many fans of Eragon from diving headfirst into this highly-awaited fantasy. (Ages 12 and up) --Patty Campbell
Meet Author Christopher Paolini
 Christopher Paolinis abiding love of fantasy and science fiction inspired him to begin writing his debut novel, Eragon, when he graduated from high school at age 15.
"Writing is the heart and soul of my being. It is the means through which I bring my stories to life. There is nothing like putting words on a page and knowing that they will summon certain emotions and reactions from the reader. In my writing, I strive for a lyrical beauty somewhere between Tolkien at his best and Seamus Heaneys translation of Beowulf." --Christopher Paolini Paolini talks more about the series, and about what inspires him in this video clip.
Watch the video (high bandwith)
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The Eragon/Eldest Boxed Set
Want to learn more about the series? Check out our review of Eragon: Here's a great big fantasy that you can pull over your head like a comfy old sweater and disappear into for a whole weekend. Christopher Paolini began Eragon when he was just 15, and the book shows the influence of Tolkien, of course, but also Terry Brooks, Anne McCaffrey, and perhaps even Wagner in its traditional quest structure and the generally agreed-upon nature of dwarves, elves, dragons, and heroic warfare with magic swords. Read more
Order your copy of the boxed set today
Learn the Lingo
 Our quickie pronunciation guide will help you get to know some of the names and places in the Inheritance series.
| Ajihad | AH-zhi-hod | The Leader of the Varden | | Argetlam | ARE-jet-lahm | Elven word to describe Dragon Riders meaning "silver hand" | | Arya | AR-ee-uh | A powerful elf who is both beautiful and a master swordswoman | | Eragon | EHR-uh-gahn | A Dragon Rider from Carvahall | | Ra-zac | RAA-zack | Evil creatures | | Saphira | suh-FEAR-uh | Eragons dragon | | *Art copyright 2004 John Jude Palencar |
Product DescriptionDarkness falls…despair abounds…evil reigns…
Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon Rider: magic and swordsmanship. Soon he is on the journey of a lifetime, his eyes open to awe-inspring new places and people, his days filled with fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and nothing is what it seems. Before long, Eragon doesn’t know whom he can trust.
Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle–one that might put Eragon in even graver danger.
Will the king’s dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life. . . .
Praise for Eragon:
“Unusual, powerful . . . fresh and fluid. An impressive start to a writing career that’s sure to flourish.” –Booklist, Starred
“Christopher Paolini make[s] literary magic with his precocious debut.” –People
“The new ‘It’ book of children’s lit.” –U.S. News & World Report
“An auspicious beginning to both career and series.” –Publishers Weekly
A #1 New York Times Bestseller
A #1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A USA Today Bestseller
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller
A Book Sense Book of the Year
A #1 Book Sense Selection
From the Hardcover edition.
| Customer Reviews: Read 1514 more reviews...
 sadly predictable and flat September 28, 2006
115 out of 183 found this review helpful
I read _Eragon_ because I found it on a "Border's Recommends" list while I browsed the store. It was okay - clear that the author was young, but had worked hard to create this world (even if it's a mix of Middle Earth, Pern, and Star Wars). So when _Eldest_ was nominated for the 2006 Quills Book Award, I decided to give it a try. I'm sadly disappointed. There was so much potential for this story, but it dwindled into predictability with flat characters.
I wanted to know more about the injuries Durza inflicted on Eragon, but those were magically taken away. I wanted to see Eragon fight and really earn his way to become the warrior he needed to be, or at least discover the short cut for himself. But even that was magically given to him. I wanted to know more about Solembum, the werecat, but he was the same as he was in the first book. I wanted to know more about the little girl Eragon blessed, but even her story wasn't resolved - and it could have been. The one thing I knew (even as I was reading the scene), and wished I didn't know, was who had killed the Varden leader, that he wasn't dead, and how he was related to Eragon. Sadly predictable.
But the most difficult aspect was the writing. Verbose and drawn out, it felt as if the author was trying to either make this book as long as possible, or sound like Tolkien. I've been a fan of Tolkien and fantasy since I was twelve, and it's clear Paolini is as well. But there's already been a Tolkien. Paolini needs to find his own voice.
I think much of this book could have been cut, and the rest combined with the last book. There simply isn't enough story here for it to stand on its own.
Part of me wonders if the success of _Eragon_ has taken away some of the author's drive to improve his writing. I hope not, but it seems that way.
Pathetic January 1, 2007
81 out of 130 found this review helpful
Eldest is the sequel to the debut book Eragon by Christopher Paolini. Eragon, while committing every writing sin in the book, still managed to be enjoyable, as all first (FIRST, I mean, not first published) novels are. It was derivative, had mediocre writing, had an intensely annoying main character, an overused storyline, and even more unforgivables, but people still liked it. Though the plot was Star Wars, the setting Middle Earth, the characters were stereotypes, and the dragons screamed "Pern!" it was still enjoyable. Almost everyone agrees on that. There was nothing really new, except maybe the combination of dozens of old ideas into one story.
Eldest, though. Pity the poor editor who never again will be trusted by her colleagues. In Eragon, what I was wondering was how "`I'm sorry,' apologized Brom" made it in. In Eldest, I was wondering how half the book made it in. Eragon's lessons on pointless philosophy could have been shortened to "In the time that Eragon was not learning swordfighting, philosophy, and history from Oromis, he...", followed by maybe one lesson. Not every - single - stinking - lesson. And the preachy bits were unbearable - "He felt as though he had killed another human being" (or something to that effect.) First, rabbits aren't humans. They just aren't. They aren't even sentient beings, as Paolini's Urgals are, and Eragon kills off thousands of Urgals without feeling a twinge of remorse.
Paolini also needs to learn pacing. He kills off Ajihad in a paragraph (with one of those ever-annoying Noble Deaths that I have come to hate) and then treats his readers to a step-by-step journey with Eragon, Arya, and Orik to Ellesmera. Oh, that was thrilling.
Oh, yes, I nearly forgot. Eragon and Arya's "romance". Ahem. Let's not talk about that, shall we?
The stupid "Healing Gift of the Dragons" was over the top, even forgetting that the elves were wearing nothing but a tattoo. But that bit's nothing compared to Eragon watching Oromis bathe. Can you say "unnecessary"?! (Not to mention the character of Oromis himself - wise old annoying preachy elf who teaches Eragon all the Paolini-elven concepts, most of which are presented as solid fact - and anyone who might disagree with those concepts would be an unenlightened, superstitious person. Please.)
This book is pathetic. There is no other word.
Rating: Terrible
Alas, Alagaesia, I did love thee, once . . . May 7, 2006
81 out of 112 found this review helpful
Well, that's a bit melodramatic, but you get my drift.
"Eldest" is the second book of the "Inheritance" series, and is a sequel to Eragon (Inheritance). In "Eragon," we meet the title character, a fifteen-year-old boy, being raised by his uncle in a rural area (but his name isn't "Luke"). Eragon happens to find a dragon's egg, and a beautiful, blue dragon hatches, and chooses him as her Rider (but this is not Pern). The egg had been magically hidden by a beautiful Elven princess, Arya (not Arwen), just before the servants of the evil king Galbatorix (not Sauron) catch her and imprison her. Eragon does his best to care for the young dragon, but the king's men come and burn down his home, and kill his uncle (whose name isn't "Owen"). Eragon leaves his home village, to draw the king's men away, with an old story-teller, Brom (not "Obi-Wan") who is really a dragon Rider in retirement (and never was a Jedi Knight). Eragon makes many friends, and ends up living in a stronghold of those who oppose the Empire, er, I mean the King.
Now, on to "Eldest," which starts off right after the huge battle that ended at the end of "Eragon," and during which Eragon defeated the evil Shade, but was also wounded most grievously. Eragon is recovering, and the Varden (think "rebel fleet" without spaceships) are trying to regroup, but one last attack by the Urgals (think Uruk'Hai, but bigger) leaves the king of the Varden dead. His daughter, who is named "Nasuada" instead of "Leia", takes command, Eragon tries to form alliances with all the factions, and then sets off to finish his training as a Dragonrider, with the elves. He is accompanied by Arwen and Gimli -- no! wait a minute! -- by Arya and Orik the dwarf. They travel through the dwarf kingdom, Eragon finds allies and enemies, they cross the desert, they enter Du Weldevarden (the great forest where the elves, led by Queen Islanzadi, instead of Galadriel, live), to meet his trainer/teacher.
Yada yada yada, blah, blah, blah. There was more, but nothing interesting, or anything even equally uninteresting, but only more uninteresting. Really.
Christopher Paolini's first book, "Eragon," was highly derivative and unoriginal, but I still liked it. I especially liked the one original character, the werecat Solembum.
In "Eldest," there is no originality, and there is very little action. As soon as I saw the book, I knew I was in trouble (or it was), as it is twice as big as its predecessor. "Eldest" is bloated, inflated, and laden with endless descriptions of characters, characters' dress, facial gestures, buildings, languages, customs, rituals, history, traditions, and other minutiae. Nothing happens.
Also, someone must have suggested to Mr. Paolini that he should beef up his vocabulary. His response appears to have been to ingest a thesaurus whole and, like some nauseated seagull, regurgitate indigestible words in a rather random fashion.
I'm not done! The characters have almost all been flattened by steamrollers, leaving totally one-dimensional cardboard cut-outs of archetypes and stock fantasy-epic-story generics. Only Roran, Eragon's love-struck but heroic cousin, comes off as a real person. No one else is likable, realistic, or interesting.
Well, now I might be done. I sold my copies of "Eragon" and "Eldest," with the money going to charity. In this way, those books will accomplish some good for someone. I hope that Eragon, Saphira the dragon, and their friends can go on without me. If they can't, too bad.
 (2.5 stars) Luke and Leia meet again...well, sort of. March 28, 2006
72 out of 95 found this review helpful
Warning: This review contains mild spoilers (for those of you who haven't seen STAR WARS or read THE LORD OF THE RINGS and don't know what to expect).
At the beginning of ELDEST, the second book in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance trilogy, Eragon and Saphira have survived the battle at Tronjheim and have defeated the Shade Durza, but their problems are just beginning. Alagaesia remains under the control of the evil King Galbatorix, who is regrouping from his losses in Uru'baen and continues to wreak havoc throughout the Empire. With the shocking asassination of their leader, the hopes of a victory for the Varden rest solely upon the shoulders of Eragon, the last Rider in Alagaesia, and his dragon Saphira. Since Eragon still has much to learn of gramarye (magic), he upholds the oath he made at the end of ERAGON: to go to Ellesmera, the elvish city in the depths of the forest of Du Weldenvarden, and seek out the Cripple Who Is Whole to complete his training.
Meanwhile, back in Carvahall, Eragon's cousin Roran is being hunted by the vengeful Ra'zac, who have been ordered by King Galbatorix to seek out Eragon, the traitor who wishes to supplant him. When Roran refuses to comply with the Ra'zac's wishes, his decision proves disastrous for the people of Carvahall: The Ra'zac attack their village, burning buildings and killing (or eating) all who stand in their path. When attempts to fight the Ra'zac fail, and when the evil creatures kidnap Roran's fiancee Katrina, Roran knows he must take drastic action. Becoming the surprise leader of his people, Rorn devises a plan: to leave Carvahall forever and travel to the coast, in hopes of finding a ship to carry him and the rest of the village South to Surda, where he hopes the independent state will offer them protection from the Empire.
In Surda, the Varden are preparing for war. Nasuada, the young leader of the rebels, is devastated to learn that Galbatorix has amassed an army a hundred thousand strong, who are at that moment advancing on Surda. Nasuada is desperate for allies, desperate for Eragon to return from Ellesmera and offer a glimmering hope of victory. A young girl named Elva, the cursed result of a blessing from Eragon gone wrong, does nothing to allay her fears...
Ahhh, another epic adventure from young Master Paolini. It seems I'm in the minority when I say that I wasn't a big fan of ERAGON. I know most fantasy stories have the same overlying theme--our young hero learns he's not who he thought he was and embarks on a quest to rid the world of evil--but Paolini's tale was just a bit *too* derivative for me. [...] The themes of all the masters--Tolkien, George Lucas, LeGuin, McCaffrey, even the unknown author of BEOWULF (Hrothgar, anyone?)--are all present and accounted for in Paolini's works. ELDEST continues this trend; similarities between Paolini's novel and the works of the greats abound. Paolini's Ellesmera is a dead ringer for Tolkien's Lothlorien, right down to the homes within trees and hypnotic singing. Islanzadi, the elvish queen, says at one point in the novel, "I am diminished," which, as we LORD OF THE RINGS fans will know, is quite similar to Galadriel's "I will diminish." English majors such as myself will recognize "In the kindom by the sea," a line in a poem Eragon writes, as the beginning of a poem Edgar Allen Poe wrote a hundred years ago entitled "Annabelle Lee." There are countless other examples of this...
But, even though the similarities are still there, they didn't bother me as much in ELDEST as they did in ERAGON (perhaps because I was expecting them to be there, thus the shock factor was absent). In ELDEST, Paolini is getting to the meat of his story, and, while the overarching themes are still derivative, I have to admit that many of the details are much more original. No, no, what really bothered me about ELDEST was that, despite its incredible length of nearly 700 pages, it is actually an incredibly empty novel.
What do I mean by that? Well, Paolini takes pains to describe every person, place, and thing (every noun) in his novel using exquisite detail (and tons of adjectives); yet, his efforts don't effectively paint a picture of what he's trying so hard to describe to his readers. Now that the rights to the Inheritance novels have been sold to Hollywood, Paolini's technical descriptions read as though he's merely trying to descibe things for a set designer who's going to recreate his world on film.
And his characters are just as hollow as his descriptions, exceedingly one-dimensional creations. The elvish city, the elves themselves, their culture and practices, are all Tolkien's vision, with one thing lacking: the life that Tolkien breathed into his creations. Paolini's elves don't have the vibrancy, the sadness, the luminosity, the etheral wisdom, that Tolkien's had. I'm not saying that I expect Paolini's storytelling to be as good as Tolkien's (I don't); but I have to say that, since Paolini did such a good job of emulating Tolkien in other parts of the narrative, I had high hopes for the elves.
And it's not just the elves that are one-dimensional and disappointing. I was hard-pressed to feel any emotion for any character at all in this book--with the exception, maybe, of Roran, who stepped up to the role of rebel hero so endearingly to save the woman he loved. Eragon himself seemed flat to me. His transition from a novice magician to a master is unconvincing; Paolini ineffectively uses the power of the dragons as a scapegoat. Although--I may be in the minority when I say this--I very much enjoyed Eragon's attempts to woo Arya. They were so amateurish, so awkward and uncomfortable, that they rang very true to me when looking at the writer from which they came: a young man himself who probably has very little experience with females (especially since he lives in the Big Sky Country of Montana with his parents). Arya, however, is a thoroughly unlikeable character. Paolini tells us again and again how beautiful she is, how tortured by her past, but she does not incite sympathy; she's just needlessly frigid and cruel.
During Eragon's training, he and his teacher, The Mourning Sage (a.k.a. The Cripple Who Is Whole or Oromis), have a discussion about religion. Oromis is adamant when he tells Eragon that the elves do not believe in a higher power; instead, they believe that nature itself is the force that sustains the world. The point of view expressed is almost pagan, and such a discussion of atheism in a children's book was highly troubling to me.
But I guess that raises the question: Is the Inheritance trilogy really meant for children? Paolini is once again working his good friend the Thesaurus overtime in this outing, punctuating his rather elementary prose with words so sophisticated even I wasn't sure of their meaning at times.
Paolini's languages, though derivative, are admittedly creative; however, they are poorly utilized in his novels. It gets rather tedious having to flip to the glossary at the end of the novel every time someone speaks the Ancient Language, Dwarvish, or Urgal (which is often). A more gifted writer would be able to make the meaning of the foreign words inherent, using context to draw out the translations.
The bottom line is this: Paolini just isn't a very good writer. His dialogue is stilted and unrealistic; the world he's created falls flat under poor description; his characters are one-dimensional; he lacks that ability to draw the reader in emotionally. His success is a result of good timing, a clever marketing scheme exploiting his age and upbringing, and some heavy borrowing from writers who took years perfecting their craft.
The one good part about this novel was the end. And no, I don't mean when the book actually *ended*; I'm not trying to be sarcastic. The battle between the Varden and the Empire at the end of ELDEST is quite exciting, although a bit too long and tedious in coming. There is, of course, the final STAR WARS-esque twist (although not utilized as effectively here as when George Lucas did it). The ending is action-packed, something I'll look forward to seeing in a film.
And I guess that's really the point, isn't it? No matter how much I sit here and criticize Paolini, no matter how much I [...] dislike his prose, the fact is, he's sucked me in. I don't know what it is, but I have to admit that I'm eager to read the third volume in the trilogy, and to see ERAGON when it hits theatres this winter. In spite of myself, for some reason, I guess I actually liked this novel. And for getting me to admit that, ELDEST gets 2.5 stars instead of just 2.
Much more original than the first.... August 27, 2005
65 out of 87 found this review helpful
I'm tired of people complaining about the cheap Star Wars story line, or the horribly derivative Eragon (Aragorn) or (N)arya. Let's talk about this book, which by my account is much more original.
For example, I just loved references to places like Fornost and Melian. And heck, he sure outdid himself with the god of fire MORGOTHal. So glad not to see SAURONal. Personally, I was not surprised at all to see Eragon find a Jedi master named Yoda whom he ultimately leaves promising to return to finish his training. Whoops, I meant Oromis. I think it's wonderful that a large part of the story is centered around this man and female elf, and the obvious tragedy blocking their relationship. I mean, what's more original that the title 'Longshanks' or the line '"You'll keep an eye on her won't you?" "Two eyes, as often as I can spare them."' ????
We're just getting started. Paolini is a master of the original. I especially like when he goes to train in Lothlorien (or was it the Dagobah system again?). I think the book should have been renamed: "In the Land of Shadows, where Durza lies." Or was it "It in the Land of Mordor, where shadows lie?" I'm always confusing those two. Dang, I am so full of praise for the originality of this work. I'll stop now; you get my point...
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