| Product: |
Eldest - Christopher Paolini |
| Date: |
09/07/08 (46 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Shocking ending, full of twists and turns, hard ot put down
Disadvantages: None
Eldest is the second book in the inheritance trilogy and the sequel to Eragon, with the third book titled Brisingr set for an autumn 2008 release, around October. Eldest was first published in august 2005 and the Inheritance trilogy was first aimed to span over three books but recently Paolini has stated that it will now in fact be a four book trilogy.
Much like Eragon, the front cover of Eldest depicts a dragon, be it a red dragon this time instead of a purple one. This immediately gives away the fact that the book will feature another dragon but this is not of major significance. The book itself is far larger than Eragon, spanning over approximately 700 pages which is by no means bad as the quality is maintained throughout this large book. Although it is highly recommend that you read the first book in the Inheritance trilogy called Eragon, as it sets the scene, characters, and most importantly lays the foundations for what is to come in the series, Paolini has includes a prologue which provides a clear, concise summary of Eragon covering the key aspect and events of the book.
No Misconceptions
For those of you who have seen the film Eragon, I must assure you the film was awful in comparison to the book. This has in fact become quite common with books being made into films being rather poor with the exception of The Lord of the rings. If you read Eragon and disliked it so be it but do not put the book down just because of the poor film production.
The Author- Christopher Paolini
It must also be stressed of Paolinis age, which is remarkably under 20 years old and to produce two high quality books, Eragon and Eldest, spanning over 400 and 700 pages respectably is a feat in itself. Eldest does not seem as if were written by a young author which is a testament to his ability as it accompanies aspects of major fantasy stories such as Lord of the rings. For instance his version of Ra'zac similar to that of the Orks which Tolkien created and both books featuring a young protagonist on a mission. Paolini stated that his Inheritance trilogy was putting his dreams of flying dragons and fighting monsters onto paper which though an exaggeration is implemented very effectively in Eldest.
Characters
The main protagonists and other major characters remain from Eragon such as Eragon himself, his dragon Saphira, the Varden and the Elves. This is with the exception of storyteller Brom who died in the first book. However this book also features many new characters such as the Elven queen Islanzadis, the Dragon rider Oromis and various other Elven, Dwarven and Varden characters. Paolini makes the world in Eragon seem realistic through the use of Elven, Dwarfish and Ancient language with a glossary at the end with the meaning of each world.
Audience
The readership is for readers of all ages. So do not assume that just because it is written by a young author it is only suitable for young readers as this is not the case. I know many adults who have taken a great liking to this book as well as many younger readers. It is very similar to Lord of the rings in the style and aspects of the plot with distinct differences so could be read by more or less anyone.
Plot
The first book in the series, Eragon told the story of a young boy who stumbles upon a blue stone which turns out to be a dragon egg. Most of the book is about Eragon becoming familiar with his dragon Saphira and improving his fighting and magical powers. There are very few battles, apart from the odd skirmish with the Urgals and the Ra' The first book mainly centred around a great deal of storybuilding and building up the character of Eragon with not much action apart from a few skirmishes with the Ra'zac (King Galbaltorixs' army) until the end of the book where the big battle between the Varden and the Urgals take place. The Eldest is different which is why I believe it improves greatly on its predecessor. The book is action packed right from the start and what is most suprising is that Paolini is able to maintain his quality of writing throughout the whole book, all of just over 700 pages.
The plot as to this book is concerned begins with a frantic opening with very early death of the Varden leader, Ajihad and the disappearance of Murtagh (Eragons friend from the first book), who we presume is dead.
Eragon furthers his training by going to the Elven city called Du Weldevarden and here, Eragon meets the Elven queen Islanzadi and finds out that Arya (who he met in the last book) is Islanzadis son. Eragon also befriends another Dragon rider called Oromis who trains Eragon to learn new magical skills to ready himself to battle with the Urgals and Ra'zac (army of King Galbatorix)
The war between King Galbatorix and the Varden seems imminent as the armies of the Varden and Elves stand opposite to the army of King Galbatorix. As expected a big battle rages and those Eragon fights valiantly, the army of King Galbatorix begins take control. This is soon halted with the emergence of the dwarves with their king Hrothgar. However in the latest twist, Hrothgar is killed by a mysterious dragon rider (I will not say who as this is a major point in the book). I found this part of the book to be brilliant with all the twists and turns, with each army taking turns to seize the iniative. I will not say how the battle ends, but it ends stunningly.
The battles end spectacularly with a huge twist which I shall not reveal as it is a major part of the book. I felt this book improved significantly on Eragon which I found to be an enthralling book in its own right. Eldest ends on a shocking note which left me craving to read the third book in the sequel and was somewhat annoyed to find out that I would have to wait till October of this year for the book titled Brisingr. I was rather apprehensive at first when I saw the length of the book at just over 700 pages as usually length sacrifices quality but in this case, Paolini maintained the quality of his writing throughout with many twists and turns, leaving the reader unsure before dropping the bombshell at the end of the book.
Price
As this book was release quite some time ago, it can be picked up fairly cheaply at about £4.89 for the paperback version on Amazon and £9.89 for the hardback version. If your not one who re-reads books then the paperback would be the best bet but I bought the hardback version because I find my paperback books end up all bent and worn after a while. For just over 700 pages the book is definitely worth this price as the book is a true gem.
Summary: A brilliant book that displays quality throughout its 704 pages
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