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Eragon (Inhertitance) | 
| Author: Christopher Paolini
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Category: Book
Buy New: $7.99
Rating:  113 reviews
Sales Rank: 3691
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 768
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0440240735
EAN: 9780440240730
Publication Date: June 12, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
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. Eragon, a young farm boy, finds a marvelous blue stone in a mystical mountain place. Before he can trade it for food to get his family through the hard winter, it hatches a beautiful sapphire-blue dragon, a race thought to be extinct. Eragon bonds with the dragon, and when his family is killed by the marauding Ra'zac, he discovers that he is the last of the Dragon Riders, fated to play a decisive part in the coming war between the human but hidden Varden, dwarves, elves, the diabolical Shades and their neanderthal Urgalls, all pitted against and allied with each other and the evil King Galbatorix. Eragon and his dragon Saphira set out to find their role, growing in magic power and understanding of the complex political situation as they endure perilous travels and sudden battles, dire wounds, capture and escape. In spite of the engrossing action, this is not a book for the casual fantasy reader. There are 65 names of people, horses, and dragons to be remembered and lots of pseudo-Celtic places, magic words, and phrases in the Ancient Language as well as the speech of the dwarfs and the Urgalls. But the maps and glossaries help, and by the end, readers will be utterly dedicated and eager for the next book, Eldest. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell
Product Description
Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy—until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire.
“An authentic work of great talent.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Christopher Paolini make[s] literary magic with his precocious debut.”—People
“Unusual, powerful, fresh, and fluid.”—Booklist, Starred
“An auspicious beginning to both career and series.”—Publishers Weekly
A New York Times Bestseller
A USA Today Bestseller
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller
A Book Sense Bestseller
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 108 more reviews...
 Spare your child and get them a real book instead. February 8, 2008
47 out of 60 found this review helpful
Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. This book is a trainwreck. Where do I even begin?
I'll start with the most obvious and egregious issue: Many, many concepts, character names, and place names were lifted straight from other and much better fantasy writers' works quite shamelessly. Not even "inspired by" type theft - blatant copying. A plucky female character named Arya, a mountain range called the Spine of the World, "Urgals" who are described suspiciously like the Uruk from Tolkien - all these and far more to list here were taken directly from much better fantasy works by the author. But most disgustingly ripped-off of all was the scene where Eragon touches the magical "stone" (dragon egg) and his palm becomes marked with a silver-white circle, thus proving that he is destined to become a great user of magic. Hello, Paolini: David Eddings called; he wants his original idea back. This book is a smorgasbord of stolen works. Paolini should be ashamed of himself for thinking that such intellectual-property theft is acceptable, and he should thank his lucky stars that other fantasy writers aren't more angry over his "borrowing" of their ideas. The professional editor who offered him a contract should be tarred and feathered. And he should refrain from selling fantasy if he's not already familiar enough with the staples in the genre to know when his clients are stealing ideas.
Right, on to the next point.
The language in this book - ugh, atrocious! The prose is clunkier than a pair of cement boots. I can't say whether Eldest and Brisingr are more palatable than Eragon in terms of narrative voice, believable characters, and non-embarrassingly-awkward dialog. I will certainly not be reading those books to find out. All I know is that Eragon is one of the most awkward books I've ever read. Paolini never deigned to use a serviceable word where a two-bit, fancy-pants, multisyllabic one could be found instead. This book was obviously written with thesaurus firmly in hand, and it suffers for that fact. It is not easy to read, even for an adult who reads for hours every day. I can't describe it with any word other than "awkward." Some of the words that were shoehorned into Eragon can actually be found in another eternal fantasy classic, "The Eye of Argon," although I believe they were used to better effect in that story. Enough said.
Finally, everybody seems to psyched over the fact that this was written by a nineteen-year-old. So what? There are ten-year-olds out there who are/were more accomplished and more mature writers than Paolini is/was. Yes, it's great when any teenager decides to apply his mind to something other than smoking pot or playing video games, but that doesn't mean that the results will be gold, as Eragon shows. I am just mystified as to how this book ever managed to sell so many copies, being as poorly constructed and as blatantly stolen as it is. But then, the McGriddle is one of the most popular menu items at McDonald's. There's no accounting for taste. My point is, this book needs to receive less "OH WOWs" from critics and readers alike over the author's age when it was written, and more actual critical exposure. It does not stand up well as a work of literature - not even as *genre fiction,* which some critics feel has lower standards than that nebulous and vaunted "literature." It is terrible, through and through and on many levels, and the fact that it is praised so widely because Paolini was relatively young when it was written is an insult to talented young writers everywhere. Kids can - and do - do much better than Eragon.
I am giving this an extra star only because it has encouraged many extremely talented young authors to take their writing more seriously, and to look at writing genre fiction - or any kind of fiction - as a real and worthy career choice. Otherwise, I would give it zero stars if I could.
If your child loves fantasy and science fiction, please buy them any of the better works that are out there. David Eddings' "The Belgariad" series always appeals to young readers; John Bellairs' "The Face in the Frost;" Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game;" Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time." The list goes on and on and on. Expose them to quality writing, not the awkward and self-aware prose of Eragon. Give them a true appreciation for excellence.
 God awful (a veteran fantasy fan) November 15, 2007
23 out of 29 found this review helpful
Though the book starts off slightly strong the book becomes weak eventually. I actually put it down half way through. The dragon rider idea was pretty great the first time I read it... when it was called "Dragonlance".
I enjoyed the dragon's growing and coming of age. The bond between Sapphira and Eragon was attractive at first, but the book then becomes basically a journal of a LONG journey to a SHORT distance. Like a "and then they walked. and then they slept. and then they walked. and then they fought." For a quest where everyone is supposedly looking for them, there is a remarkable lack of an antagonist after long chapter;s
This book is great for someone who is a novice writer about a subject that he adds nothing to. If you have a child who has no introduction to the realm of fantasy reading (and I don't mean Harry Potter; not that its bad, it's quite good, it's just a diffrent realm of fantasy), then sure, let them read Eragon. Otherwise, i'd recommend the Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The starting book is "Dragon's of Autumn Twilight". And if you want some grit to your fantasy, I recommend Icewind Dale trilogy by R.A. Salvatore. starting book is "The Crystal Shard". There's not alot of dragon's in the latter trilogy, though it actually adds a new dimension to the fantasy realm
Going dragon-riding July 25, 2008
23 out of 32 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 for good measure.
Obviously originality is not Christopher Paolini's strong suit, and it shows in his fantasy debut "Eragon," which was penned in his tender teenage years. It swims in fantasy cliches and stilted dialogue, but there's a certain awkward charm in Paolini's fantasy world. The biggest problem is, simply put, Paolini's cardboard cutout of a self-insert hero, Eragon.
The titular character is lucky enough to stumble across a strange blue stone while hunting on the Spine. After failing to sell it, Eragon finds that it's actually a dragon egg, and the baby blue dragon inside selects him to hatch for and remain with forever. All the Dragon Riders were killed off by Evil King Galbatorix long ago, except 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. But Eragon's dreams are being haunted by the beautiful elf Arya, and the little band sets out to save her. 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.
Lofty elves, humble farm boys, ghastly goblinesque creatures, mystical women, special swords, evil tyrants who are evil because they just are, evil minions, 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, "Eragon" is 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. "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, although Paolini throws in some attempted humorous quirks like a weird fortune-teller.
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, and about as sendearing.
The supporting characters are not much better -- Brom is too brief a character to make much of an impact, and he seems to exist mainly to get Our Hero up to snuff in information and ability. And the love interest Arya is glorified only for her otherworldly beauty... which is all she has. Eragon's adoration of her seems unfounded, because er personality is chilly at best, snotty and autocratic at worst.
Christopher Paolini's "Eragon" is pretty much what you'd expect of a teenage boy's fantasy novel -- plenty of Lucas and Tolkien echoes, and a style that hasn't yet gained a sense of humor about itself.
JRR JordEddings October 6, 2007
21 out of 29 found this review helpful
I read all the reviews about how this 15 year old wrote this "masterful" treatment, and how it was reminiscent of Lord of the Rings, etc. Now that I've read it, I'm sorely disappointed in others. Are we so starved for quality fantasy writing that this passes for masterful? I could have spliced pages from random Robert Jordan, Tolkien and Eddings books together and had as cohesive a story. Then have Alec Guiness star as Brom and you have as unoriginal a fantasy story as you could imagine (Hey! Look he made up words for the elves and dwarves to use and then wrote poems and songs!! Masterful!!!). The only difference is that I know that Tolkien and Jordan will wrap things up. This, i'm not so sure.
Look for my new book, Randagorn, about a boy from a small village who finds a dragon-shaped ring, is chased by MyrNazDrades across MiddleGesia, while learning to master fighting with a magical paring knife named "Poker" as he kills Snaruks and innocently masters aeoaeons of complex cultural context across dozens of ancient races who all eventually think he's awesome. Coming, probably to Knopf, and probably before book 3.
The Younger You Are the More Palatable May 27, 2008
18 out of 30 found this review helpful
Terrible piece of writing, a sign of the end times for good fantasy fiction - well, if you're a pessimist. If you're an optimist, than the book is a big, stinky publishing fart that will hopefully never repeat itself. Unfortunately, I see that the third is well on its way. I bothered to read the first two and let me say that that was more a sign of my sheer stubbornness than it was a sign that the book actually deserved reading. I literally had to sit myself down and refuse to get up until 50 pages were read to finish. I think it was morbid curiosity. What's got so many people actually spending money on it? I'd have to go with the formula for the story, as Star Wars meets Lord of the Rings with some Narnia and other stuff mixed in, for the why.
Still, great working formula or not, the book just sucks in a fanfiction type way. I'm not saying fanfiction is necessarily bad, but it should never be formally published. Changing names and scenes doesn't count. Save yourself the time and effort, and listen to the good people trying to save you money and time. Go get a real book.
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