Search - Eragon (Inheritance, Bk 1)

Eragon (Inheritance, Bk 1)
Larger
Eragon (Inheritance, Bk 1)
Author: Christopher Paolini

Book Information
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Book Type: Paperback
Rating:

ISBN-13: 9780375826696 - ISBN-10: 0375826696
Publication Date: 4/26/2005
Pages: 528
Reading Level: Young Adult


Other Versions of this Book: Hardcover, Audio Cassette (Unabridged), Audio CD (Unabridged)

Book Description:
ONE BOY... ONE DRAGON... A WORLD OF ADVENTURE.

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. When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy as old as the Empire itself.

Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands.

Members who requested this book also requested:

Similar books to this author and title:
Dragon RiderThe Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Bk 1)


Genres:

Top Member Book Reviews

John J. (schiffer) wrote on 11/26/2007...

7 member(s) found this review helpful.

I admit that “Eragon” strike a chord with me when I first came upon its summary on the newspaper during my last year of High School. I finally obtained a copy during my freshmen year of college (I actually printed it out of the College Computer Lab, all 200 pages of it). However, I put it aside after several chapters when I was sidetracked with something else. Recently I acquired a copy (the actual book) via Paperbackswap.com and it all came to me that the novel contains numerous of clinches that it should be sue for plagiarism.

Obviously Paolini was imitating Tolkien’s style when he attempted to create languages and elvish, however it obviously couldn’t compare to Tolkien’s Sindarin or Quenya. Upon reading other reviews from the web, I also noticed that Paolini copy large amount of “Starwars” too. The writing style is also dull and dry, with childish solutions to seems impossible tasks (such as rescuing Eragon from the prison of the Capital City).

Understandable, the author wrote most of the story while he was 15 and 16 (as the book proudly stated), however I failed to see how it gain so much fame and there is actually a large database for him. Aside from that, it seems that the fame had gone over the young author’s head, in a interview he said that he “strives to achieve Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf and Tolkien at his best” in his “Eragon” as quoted from Anthony Tardiff, owner of “Hard Sayings”, while he also statement “that one of the pleasures of reading Harry Potter is getting to see Rowling mature as a writer”. Such arrogance. Pity.

The book seem overly boring after I have read many other great novels, I actually skipped last 90 pages or so.

Stacy S. (extinctosaurus) wrote on 8/22/2007...

6 member(s) found this review helpful.

I heard this book was extremely popular so I bought it during one of my vacations. Needless to say, I was not very impressed. The characters failed to draw me in and the story is only so-so. I finished the book not even caring about what would happen in the sequel. Still, it's not absolutely terrible; it's just not all that great either.

Kristina R. (crazybluegirl) wrote on 3/22/2007...

6 member(s) found this review helpful.

This is a great book to read. If you liked Harry Potter then I believe that you will also like this.

Elizabeth F. wrote on 4/25/2007...

5 member(s) found this review helpful.

When Earagon finds a plished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy. Little does he know it is a dragon egg and he will become the last of the dragon riders, destined to save the world. Filled with fantasy and imagination this is a very enjoyable book.

Yuki M. (Yuki) wrote on 3/19/2008...

4 member(s) found this review helpful.

When I first read this book I thought it was pretty good. Then I stumbled upon a website (http://eragon-sporkings.wikispaces.com/) that made me realize how bad it really was.

Besides the rather (I admit) charmingly clichéd plot(a farm boy finds a dragon egg and realizes he's the last of the dragon riders), it "borrows" heavily from other books or series, and some parts just don't make any kind of sense. Eragon himself is also a very "mary sueish" character who seems to be able to do whatever whenever because it's what he NEEDS to do. The other characters--even Saphira!--seem to have minimal characterization at best and are basically just there to reflect Eragon's glory.

After I read someone else's criticisms of the book, I began to realize how often I'd gone "what?" or "but that doesn't make sense...well, okay, whatever" while I was reading it; in short, it's not worth the credit.

Zoey H. wrote on 10/8/2007...

4 member(s) found this review helpful.

One of the reasons I think that 15 year olds shouldn't publish what they write. I ended up finishing the book only because I was having a perverse sort of fun naming where all his ideas came from. "Oh, hey, that's one from Earthsea!" "Oh man, look, Dragonriders of Pern." "...LoTR much?" Yeah. Not really very good at all, I wasn't in any way motivated to read the rest of the series. "Poor farmer boy discovers his magical destiny to save the world" is only good when everything else in the story didn't come from somewhere else, too.

Heather R. wrote on 4/4/2007...

4 member(s) found this review helpful.

This was a great story, and very formidable for such a young author. The book (ask usual) was soooo much better than the movie. A worthy, and entertaining read! (it'll make you want to follow the continuing story)

Barbara B. (amethystrose) - Tallahassee, FL wrote on 2/18/2009...

3 member(s) found this review helpful.

I actually saw the movie in the theater before I'd ever heard of the book. I thought that it translated so well to the screen that I was compelled to check out the book from my local library since books are usually so much better than their movie counterparts. I wasn't disappointed. I couldn't put it down. I was also very impressed by how young the author was when he wrote the book. I have since purchased a copy and added it to my permanent collection.

I will admit that my first attempt with Eldest did not capture my attention, but I recently checked it out from the library again and started over. For some reason, this time around I am totally hooked. I guess I just have to be in the mood for it.

I admit that it doesn't have fabulously intricate character and plot development like J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books where every tiny detail seems to have significance in later events. However, I still found it to be a very enjoyable read and I look forward to reading future creations by this talented author.

Margaret K. (homeschoolpeggysue) wrote on 2/20/2008...

3 member(s) found this review helpful.

We loved this book. Cudos Christopher Paolini!

Christina W. (cworks) wrote on 2/4/2008...

3 member(s) found this review helpful.

I loved this book. I could not put it down. Good story line


Please Rate these Book Reviews

Jian X. wrote on 8/26/2009...


As a avid fantasy reader I feel the the author just reused old fantasy ideas with creating anything new in it. I enjoy reading it but would not recommend to avid fantasy readers. This book to me was such a cliche that almost every fantasy stereotype was in this book. This book is meant for those reading fantasy for the first time.

Darlene S. (insanepoetxlx) wrote on 8/11/2009...


I picked this up at my High School library when the librarians told me about it. They often suggested books to me. Eragon was the first fantasy book I've read, that didn't contain a bunch of romance in it. I thought it was great and then learned he was so young when he wrote it.

In the past few days I've been reading reviews on how Paolini plagiarized. I've never seen most of the things mentioned but I think this is close to Cassandra Clare's deal.

Alejandra P. sl33pych13f wrote on 8/11/2009...


This book is disgustingly terrible. Paolini rips off his 2-dimensional characters and flimsy plot from his betters; writers such as J. R. R. Tolkian, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Anne McCaffrey to name but a few. Had he ripped off these authors and still managed to display a marked talent for creative composition, as many young writers that have not yet tapped into their talent are wont to do, one might be compelled to forgive him. Yet his writing is almost painful to read. The type of purple prose that makes most sensible people bash their heads against a wall in a vain attempt to get the words out of their memory.

It's garbage like this "novel" that causes the dumbing-down of society.

Patricia N. (KarisRR) wrote on 7/21/2009...


Very detailed in the beginning. This helps set the tone of the book and allows you to transport yourself into Eragons adventures.

Max S. wrote on 7/9/2009...


Eragon is an interesting, albeit bland, blend of a lot of the things that are considered the origins of contemporary fantasy. Unfortunately Paolini has little comprehension of what it takes to make a compelling character, and Eragon himself is not only obnoxious at most times, but often too perfect for anyone to feel any kind of connection toward. The world and it's people are shallow at best, which only heightens the sense that the lead character is some kind of untouchable fanfiction character that the author has created to enact his personal fantasies of being in Lord of the Rings, Dragon Riders of Pern, or Star Wars.

While this is decidedly children's literature, I think it has underestimated even it's target audience's intelligence.

One would be better served - if one is an adult that sometimes enjoys young adult fiction (as I do), by simply tracking down copies of the original works that inspired this.

Megan F. wrote on 4/9/2009...


Fun story from a novice writer.

Joseph C. (albannapoleon) - Palm Bay, FL wrote on 3/3/2009...


Great book. Read it even if you have seen the movie. It gives much more than the movie could possibly show. I really enjoyed the book.

Jocelyn E. (hoopridge) wrote on 2/8/2009...


Trite and simplistic in style and story. The author obviously read too much Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and bad D&D novelizations when he was younger. Obviously written by a teenager. Don't waste your time. Re-read the "Narnia" books instead. Even if you know how those end, you'll still have more fun reading those than this pap.

Alisha H. (mommyof5) - NC wrote on 1/26/2009...


You will never see my copy of Eragon on pbs because it, Eldest and Brisingr are now among my best-loved books along with Drangon Riders of Pern and other fantasy books of that genera.

Kathy K. (Hymn) wrote on 11/3/2008...


The connection between Eragon and Saphra, his dragon, makes this book worth reading. The random scenes of no particular importance make the book rather uninteresting and the shabby attempt to describe falling in love and being in love truly shows this author as a boy of fifteen. Christopher Paolini doesn't know the first thing about medieval mentality and fails completely as a Tolkien wanna-be. Still, this book has some merit. It's worth reading once, but does not compel me to read the other two in the series.


Book Wiki
Common Title
Series
Original Publication Date (YYYY-MM-DD)
People/Characters
Eragon (Primary Character)
Saphira (Primary Character)
Brom (Major Character)
Jeod (Average Character)
Real Places
Fictional Places
Important Events
Awards and Honors