| Product: |
Eragon - Christopher Paolini |
| Date: |
01/10/07 (71 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: So morish that you won't want to put it down
Disadvantages: The not-so-great film adaption might put people off this book. DON'T let it.
Eragon is the story of teenage boy of the same name. Skilled at hunting, he is tracking some deer one day in a mountain range called "The Spine" near his home in carvahall, but instead of finding the dear, he stumbles on a large sapphire stone. Curious to what it could be and where it came from, he approaches it for a closer look and takes it home with him. The stone appears to be just that; a stone, that is until it's occupant begins to hatch. Eragon has found a dragon egg, the dragon has chosen him to be his "Rider" and he is now thrown into one of the greatest adventure stories ever!
Eragon is an excellent book. The story follows Eragon as he takes up his role as the first dragon rider in decades. Many years ago, the evil king Galbatorix, a Rider himself, killed every other Rider in order to be the only one and so that no one else could oppose him. Eragon, guided by an old story teller from his village, must travel the land of Alegesia in order to find the Varden, a rebel group who oppose Galbatorix, in order to carry out his task as a Rider and restore peace to the land.
The relationship between Dragon and Rider in this story is very close. They communicate with each other telepathically and instinctively feel an overwhelmingly strong connection to one another. His dragon, Saphira, is only a baby, yet she treats Eragon as a loving parent would their child.
I initially started reading this book in November/December 2006 when the film adaption of it was soon to be released at the cinema. I wanted to read the book before I seen the film and so it was a little daunting to read so much within about a week. After a couple of chapters, any doubts i had that i would have time to do this had vanished. The reason? This book was so good that I couldn't put it down. I would likely have read it within a week or two even if the movie hadn't have been about to be released. It is excellent! The way that the author, Christopher Paolini, writes has been described as:
"Paolini writes like someone gripped by his own story"
Now I take no credit in making this statement but I FULLY agree with it. Each chapter has clearly been written with such enthusiasm, as if he one day had the idea to write this story and wanted to get it on paper as soon as possible so that he could read it himself, without ever sacrificing quality. In no way does the story seem "rushed". Paolini writes in a style that is quick-paced and keeps a steady rhythm which is certainly what made me keep reading "Just one more page" before i could put it down. 30 pages later i found myself giving in and settling in for a whole night of reading.
The book is aimed at a young audience, around the ages of 14-21 but i could well imagine older people enjoying this book and it would make an excellent book to be read as a bedtime story to younger children. The book was a new york times best seller and spent 26 consecutive weeks in their best sellers list. Most critics seem to enjoy the book, describing it as a "must-have" for readers of fantasy novels, which is what I am and i absolutely agree. Some have likened the story to being too much like "The Lord of the Rings" novels and even say that it has parallels to "Star Wars". To this, i would agree that that the whole persona behind a dragon rider is similar to that of a Jedi from star-wars but this book has been written for a younger audience and, though there are similarities, the book is different enough for me to disagree that it is the same story repackaged. As for it being similar to "Lord of the Rings", I don't think ANYONE will EVER make a story set in a fantasy world that is not our own and NOT have it compared to LOTR. This is because LOTR was one of, if not the first, fantasy novel of its kind. I feel that it was the first in what it made, a new genre and other fantasy stories such as Eragon are not "rip-offs", they are just in the same, amazing genre.
In Conclusion:
Eragon is one of my favourite books and it can barely fail to be in the top 10 of any lover of fantasy stories. The book is excellently written in a natural flowing and enthusiastic way that keeps you reading it. The story, though reminiscent of others, is unique and worthy of a film being made from it. On this note, if you have seen the film and weren't overly impressed with it, please don't let that sway your opinion on Eragon the book. In my opinion, the book was excellent and the film was a complete let down. It does the book no justice and was so compacted and rushed that it was a shadow of the story that you will find in this book. Likewise, if you HAVEN'T seen the film yet, read the book first in order to fully appreciate this awesome story of a Rider and his Dragon coming of age. Flawless!
Summary: A wonderul, touching story full of adventure, magic and endless exhiliration.
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