Eragon
From AwardAnnals
 | |
| Author(s) | Christopher Paolini |
|---|---|
| Series | Book 1 of Inheritance |
| Publisher | Knopf Books for Young Readers |
| Honors | |
| Eragon’s adventure begins when he is out hunting one day in the mountainous region of his world known as the Spine. His aim is disturbed by a polished blue stone that explodes from the sky and narrowly misses him. The oval shaped object, cool and frictionless to his touch, weighs several pounds and it turns out to be his only reward from his day’s hunting session. Eragon’s unsuccessful attempts to exchange the stone for meat for his family begins a run of bad luck that will eventually force him to flee his place of birth and find a new destiny. | |
There’s always room for another fantasy quest trilogy—as long as it has distinction, originality and a cracking plot. Eragon has. This is the first book in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Trilogy, which he began writing when aged only 15, is an amazing debut that demonstrates a written maturity beyond its creator’s years. Any rough edges borne through inexperience are quickly forgiven as his story takes the reader on an imaginative journey by way of a host of likable and interesting characters and several breathtaking and dramatic sequences of high fantasy.
Eragon’s adventure begins when he is out hunting one day in the mountainous region of his world known as the Spine. While eyeing-up a tasty deer with his bow, his aim is disturbed by a polished blue stone that explodes from the sky and narrowly misses him. The oval shaped object, cool and frictionless to his touch, weighs several pounds and it turns out to be his only reward from his day’s hunting session. Returning to his home town Carvahall, Eragon’s unsuccessful attempts to exchange the stone for meat for his family begins a run of bad luck that will eventually force him to flee his place of birth. This heralds the beginning of a new destiny for him.
The stone is in fact a dragon’s egg and it hatches in Eragon’s company—making him the first new Dragon Rider for many years. Suddenly, the fate of the Empire rests in his hands and he must navigate a dark and dangerous terrain, and some formidable enemies, to challenge the might of a king whose evil is limitless.
Despite its classic quest format there are enough new ideas and twists and turns to make it stand out among its legion of competitors in the genre. Eragon begins a bigger story that continues with the follow-up Eldest. Suitable for readers aged 12 and over.—John McLay
Honors
Reviews
Amazon.com
Here’s a great big fantasy that you can pull over your head like a comfy old sweater and disappear into for a whole weekend. Christopher Paolini began Eragon when he was just 15, and the book shows the influence of Tolkien, of course, but also Terry Brooks, Anne McCaffrey, and perhaps even Wagner in its traditional quest structure and the generally agreed-upon nature of dwarves, elves, dragons, and heroic warfare with magic swords.
Eragon, a young farm boy, finds a marvelous blue stone in a mystical mountain place. Before he can trade it for food to get his family through the hard winter, it hatches a beautiful sapphire-blue dragon, a race thought to be extinct. Eragon bonds with the dragon, and when his family is killed by the marauding Ra’zac, he discovers that he is the last of the Dragon Riders, fated to play a decisive part in the coming war between the human but hidden Varden, dwarves, elves, the diabolical Shades and their neanderthal Urgalls, all pitted against and allied with each other and the evil King Galbatorix. Eragon and his dragon Saphira set out to find their role, growing in magic power and understanding of the complex political situation as they endure perilous travels and sudden battles, dire wounds, capture and escape.
In spite of the engrossing action, this is not a book for the casual fantasy reader. There are 65 names of people, horses, and dragons to be remembered and lots of pseudo-Celtic places, magic words, and phrases in the Ancient Language as well as the speech of the dwarfs and the Urgalls. But the maps and glossaries help, and by the end, readers will be utterly dedicated and eager for the next book, Eldest. (Ages 10 to 14) —Patty Campbell
—
There’s always room for another fantasy quest trilogy—as long as it has distinction, originality and a cracking plot. Eragon has. This is the first book in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Trilogy, which he began writing when aged only 15, is an amazing debut that demonstrates a written maturity beyond its creator’s years. Any rough edges borne through inexperience are quickly forgiven as his story takes the reader on an imaginative journey by way of a host of likable and interesting characters and several breathtaking and dramatic sequences of high fantasy.
Eragon’s adventure begins when he is out hunting one day in the mountainous region of his world known as the Spine. While eyeing-up a tasty deer with his bow, his aim is disturbed by a polished blue stone that explodes from the sky and narrowly misses him. The oval shaped object, cool and frictionless to his touch, weighs several pounds and it turns out to be his only reward from his day’s hunting session. Returning to his home town Carvahall, Eragon’s unsuccessful attempts to exchange the stone for meat for his family begins a run of bad luck that will eventually force him to flee his place of birth. This heralds the beginning of a new destiny for him.
The stone is in fact a dragon’s egg and it hatches in Eragon’s company—making him the first new Dragon Rider for many years. Suddenly, the fate of the Empire rests in his hands and he must navigate a dark and dangerous terrain, and some formidable enemies, to challenge the might of a king whose evil is limitless.
Despite its classic quest format there are enough new ideas and twists and turns to make it stand out among its legion of competitors in the genre. Eragon begins a bigger story that continues with the follow-up Eldest. Suitable for readers aged 12 and over.—John McLay
Barnes and Noble
Teen author Christopher Paolini breathes fire into the realm of fantasy—whisking readers to a world of dragons, magic, and legends—in his first impressive entry in the Inheritance trilogy. Following in the footsteps of J.R.R. Tolkien and Terry Goodkind, Paolini recounts the harrowing adventure of Eragon, a peasant boy who one day discovers a strange rock that happens to be a lost, coveted dragon’s egg. Eragon finds himself raising the highly intelligent creature (which he names Saphira) and bonds with her both mentally and soulfully, but after a team of marauders sent by the land’s conniving ruler destroys his family home and kills his uncle, the boy sets out to hone his skills as a Rider and claim his vengeance. Paolini pays meticulous attention to detail and to the characters’ actions in the book, letting readers travel eagerly with the young hero along every step of his journey. Sure to sit memorably with lovers of the genre and worthy of every bit of praise it gets, Paolini’s foray into fantasy writing will transfix and entertain. —Shana Taylor
Related works
In his homeland of Alagaesia, a farm boy named Eragon finds a dragon’s egg. Subsequent events propel the young Dragon Rider into a world of magic and power where he discovers his destiny: to defend his home against an evil king.
