ERAGON

Title: Eragon
Author: Christopher Paolini

I saw this book in MPH, Midvalley, while running around after my son. The cover of the book caught my attention - with a huge picture of a BLUE dragon... I love the cover... it proved to be a good conversation material between Ayman and myself! :)

Anyway, almost similar to the LOTR, Eragon is apparently the first series. I saw the sequel of Eragon, Eldest (which featured a RED dragon), but didn't get that copy yet, as it is still expensive. MYR 79.90 maaa!!! isk isk isk...

Eragon, the first novel in the Inheritance Trilogy, is a story about a farm boy who finds a dazzling sapphire-blue stone which, as it is revealed later, is in fact an egg that hatches a blue-scaled dragon. The dragon, Saphira (duh!! wut else??!), establishes an unbreakable bond with the young man who learns that he is the only dragon-rider to have come into existence in many years. Many of the dragon-rider are either dead, hiding from the evil king cum dragon-rider, Galbatorix (whose names does not make me shiver with fright... rather reminds me of a robotic king. Kinda like from Sonic the Hedgehog!)

Eragon will have to choose whether to resist the evil king/dragon-rider Galbatorix or surrender and join him. With his home destroyed and his uncle murdered by the Ra’zac (evil dragon hunters employed by Galbatorix) Eragon sets out on a journey with his mentor, Brom, to learn the dragon riding craft and enact his revenge on the Ra’zac. In essence, Eragon has all the traditional ingredients that make a fantasy novel enjoyable.

While Eragon is a very entertaining story, Paolini’s writing is at times a little immature. I mean come on, he wrote this story when he was at the age of fifteen and published it through Knopf at age nineteen. However, he does have a gift storytelling. You'll notice though that Paolini borrows a bit obviously from the authors that inspire him: For example, his mimicry of Tolkien’s proper names (“Mithrim,” “Farthen-Dur,” “Beor Mountains,” and “Urgals”) is a bit distracting at times.

The novel’s pace is quick and exciting throughout most of the book. Packed with action and magic, Eragon is a fun read. The only lag was the 40 page, desperate last-leg of Eragon’s journey. Not a lot actually happens during this time with the exception of the group worrying about their situation, and this has the unfortunate effect of turning the reader into critic. However my suspension of disbelief was restored once the travelers reached the Varden and new adventures ensued.

Paolini shines at creating interesting characters without a great deal of depth. In particular, Eragon is rather flat, vacillating between being heroic, cocky, reckless, and petulant - typical boyhood material. Saphira, Murtagh, Solembum, and Arya yield the promise of further development, and hopefully their characters will reveal more complexity in the later novels of the trilogy.

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Eragon to me is a good novel. Deep, yeah... but not too deep. Fun and exciting at parts... and go grab a copy!! :P