Search - Brisingr (Inheritance, Bk 3)

Paolini knocks it out of the park! I am so grateful this is a cycle and not a trilogy; many questions get answered in this volume (and a few more get asked). As with any good series, the ending leaves me wanting more and wanting it NOW, but I am quite sure this brilliant young author will not disappoint us when he brings it to a close in a few years.

As with Eragon and Eldest, race relations are portrayed honestly, giving the adult reader many things to reflect upon even as the storyline progresses for the young adults the series was actually geared toward.

May this young man continue to write and inspire us all, not only with his original fantasies but in any genre he chooses.

Okay, I loved the first two books. I couldn't put them down, the action and character development in both just drew you further into the tale. That being said, I wish Mr. Paolini had finished this series. The first two novels set him up for some epic battles and conflict. Instead, the author chose to develope his characters further - some may like this, personally I felt it was a waste of time. There was much in this book that could have been left off. The ending, while not terrible left me feeling empty. Get on with killing the emperor already!!!

It took me nearly a month to finish Eragon, and then Eldest took me a mere 2 nights. This one, I figured, would fly much faster than either of them, since Paolini's style seems to be improving.

Well, I can't say much for his writing style, because I wasn't paying that much attention. I was too wrapped up in counting pages and wondering when the next chapter would end, and how much more I would have to suffer through. I discovered that I did not really care what happened to any of the main characters, the plot was dragging and the fact that there will be another book to end it all is mind-boggling. Perhaps it has simply been too long since I picked up its predecessors. Whatever the case, reading this book felt like I was combat-crawling through a foot of mud on a rainy day when its ten degrees below zero.

Book three continues the amazing adventure of Eragon and Saphira as they fight their way across Alegesia working towards a final battle with the evil King, Galbatorix. All the readers can do is hang on for the ride, and root for the heroes of the story, as they face odds one would wonder if they could over come. :P

My son and I loved it.

Once I start a series of books, I remain faithfully stubborn in my pursuit to see the series to its full conclusion. However, if The Inheritance Trilogy-turned-Cycle was any longer than the proposed four book length, I might have to break my own cycle and give it up.

This was an incredibly long book filled with a gratuitous amount of meaningless filler and pointless fluff. The story meanders a great deal. By the end of the book you realize that the story ends up not all that far from where it started.

One issue I have with this book is its identity crisis. I think that it is far too long and tedious for children to plow through, and yet not grown-up enough for adults to truly enjoy. Paolini's efforts to delve deeply into philosophy, morality, ethics, politics, and love mostly fall flat. I am normally not aware of an author as I read a book, but I kept being reminded of the author in this book. I kept thinking about how he was writing this story through the ignorance of observation and not from the wisdom of his own experiences. In short, I found most of the "deeper" parts relatively unbelievable.

I am also getting tired of Eragon. Instead of believing that he is this incredibly powerful warrior and magician that everyone claims him to be, I find him weak-willed and something of a prolific whiner. In this book I found Roran to be more of a true hero and more worthy of attention. He is also far less annoying.

The book is entertaining enough and did contain some interesting elements. I cannot say that I hated it, but I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone not yet invested in the series. This is not another Lord of the Rings. As long as everyone remembers that (Paolini most of all) then people should be able to enjoy it for what it actually is...a children's book playing dress-up as a sweeping epic of the ages for adults and connoisseurs of epic fantasy.