A Review of the Book Eragon

Synopsis of the book

Here is a review for book one of the Inheritance saga: Eragon.

It starts out with Eragon tracking a herd of deer in a mountain ridge called the Spine. In the Spine Eragon finds a shiny blue stone which he thinks might change the fortunes of his family. It turns out that the stone is actually a dragon egg after the dragon hatched. Not long after Eragon gets whisked through adventures and goes to places he never dreamed of going.

The verdict?

What I like about this book is that it is very well written. Its author, Christopher Paolini, is a true master of his trade. He started the Inheritance series when he was fifteen!

This was one of the best books I have ever read- and I’ve read lots of books. I would really recommend it for all ages –ten and up that is.

Thebius Reviews “Eragon” (Book Review) – A Second Look

About the book and its author

Eragon (first edition coming out in 2002) is the first book of the Inheritance Cycleseries written by American author Christopher Paolini. As indicated earlier, he was only fifteen years old when he started to write the stories. Paolini’s parents, who own a small book printing business Paolini LLC, found his manuscripts and decided to publish these themselves.

In order to promote the book, Paolini traveled to schools and libraries in many parts of the United States. The young author’s efforts paid off handsomely.

In 2003 Eragon‘s second edition was printed this time by another publisher Alfred A. Knopf, who also acquired the rights of the rest of the Inheritance Cycle series. On the strength of generally positive reviews towards Eragon, Paolini became a bestselling author when he was not yet twenty years old.

The subsequent books in theInheritance Cycle series are as follows (in order):

Eldest (2005)
Brisingr (2008)
Inheritance (2011)

While Eragon and the other books were criticized for its derivative nature, drawing comparisons similar to Star Wars, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings from the scenes, the dwarf characters down to the language, other critics were pleased by Paolini’s body of work. Some of the critics commend such great literary achievements considering Paolini’s youth.

Because of Eragon‘s success and popularity it was adapted into the big screen in 2006. Like the book, the film Eragon received mixed critical reviews. It performed well at the box-office.

There are many lessons to be learned in this film — such as friendship, trusting your instincts, and believing in yourself.

Eragon and all other novels of Inheritance Cycle shall appeal to all lovers of fantasy, although these are primarily geared for juvenile readers.