Arise, Dragon Rider! (Eragon - Christopher Paolini)

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	Eragon - Christopher Paolini
Date:	16/09/09 (29 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well created and written, characters

Disadvantages: Long descriptions at points

Eragon is the first book in what was originally the Inheritance Trilogy, written by Christopher Paolini. Having now written the third book, Paolini has realised that his saga needs a further book, and thus it will now become a quadrilogy.

In terms of describing the saga, and its setting, it is set in a fantasy world not dissimilar to that of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, an old world where magic and elves and dwarves and other monsters and creatures feature heavily, with importance given to destiny and lore. The tale starts off rather innocently with farmboy Eragon, as he stumbles across a strange, purple stone.

This is the beginning of the adventure for the young Eragon, as the stone turns out to be a dragon egg. When it hatches, Eragon becomes the latest Dragon Rider, a legendary title, and one that could decide the fate of others as well as himself. As Eragon struggles to adjust to his new life, and to his new links with a dragon, he finds a mentor, loses a loved one, and must grow up extremely quickly as he soon finds that he could be the key to the fate not just of people, but of the whole of the land of Alagaesia.

Paolini was in his teens when he started this, but it reads with maturity. The tale is as appealing as Tolkien's epic saga in many ways, with characters and events far enough removed for it to stand in its own right as a powerful and effective opening to a group of books, no matter how many there end up being. The author's characterisation is effective, and you not only get a true feel for everyone he mentions, but you also associate with Eragon as a person. Paolini captures his youth and innocence and doesn't let these fade away despite the growing up that Eragon has to do.

The other characters are equally powerful in their construction, and the writing is relatively easy to read. There is quite a bit of description at times, as Paolini attempts to explain to us his wonderfully created world, and there are certain parts of this that become essential as the various plotlines converge towards the end. I recommend giving this one a go, and even if you find it slow going at the start, it is worth sticking with it, as it is a fantastic tale that manages to include a lot of the appeal that Tolkien had, but ensures its own identity at the same time.

Eragon is currently available for around the £7 mark as a new book. I have seen it in a couple of second hand bookshops for considerably less, and it is well worth seeing if you can get the second book in the series (Eldest) and/or the third (Brisingr). I am halfway through Brisingr at the moment, and am thoroughly enjoying it. A recommended series of books, with a very powerful start in 'Eragon'.

Summary: Great start to a great saga