Eragon by Christopher Paolini

REVIEWED BY JUSTIN BANCROFT

‘Eragon’ is the first book in the fantasy series called ‘Inheritance’, written by Christopher Paolini. The story is set in the world of Alagaesia, ruled, by the devastatingly evil King Galbatorix. ‘Eragon’ is not only the title of the story; it is also the name of a fifteen-year-old boy, who lives on a farm with his uncle and cousin.
Eragon and his cousin, Roran, treat each other like brothers. They would always go out hunting to supply enough food for the trio. But one day, Eragon decided to go out alone. It was then, when it all started. Bow and quiver in hand, Eragon was cautiously seizing up his prey.
Suddenly, something caught his eye, and next to Eragon, laid an elegant, perfectly shaped, sapphire blue rock. Little did he know, that the stone in his hands, was actually an egg, and inside it lay a dragon; a dragon that King Galbatorix has been craving for years. Sooner than later, the egg hatches for Eragon, and he becomes the second dragon rider at the time.
But then tragedy hits Eragon, in probably the worst and most upsetting ways possible. It is then up to Eragon, to avenge who or what has done this to him. He his dragon, Saphirra, and Brom, the local storyteller must journey throughout the land of Alagaesia, from Carvahall to the Beor Mountains, and even cross the Hadarac Desert. On this journey, however, they encounter elves, dwarves, other humans, the Ra’zac and even the unforgiving Urgals.
The main characters are Eragon, Sapphira, Brom, Murtagh, a man who Eragon meets whilst journeying, and Ajihad, ruler of the Varden.
Eragon does not have any morals, more unexpected twists and turns, which completely blow you away. At one stage, you may assume something is going to happen. The next thing you know, the opposite has happened. This is what I thoroughly enjoyed throughout the whole story.
Christopher Paolini began writing this book at the age of fifteen. It ended up taking him almost three years to complete his masterpiece, after many drafts. At one stage, Paolini could only write a few words, as he had ‘no idea’ where to begin. But once ideas formed, creative descriptions and shocking turns followed.
After a few more years of writing, ‘Eldest’ and ‘Brisingr’, followed, and soon to come, the final book in the series, rumored to be called ‘Inheritance’.
The title, ‘Eragon’, does fill the criteria needed in terms of titles, but I personally would choose something else. I do not exactly agree with naming a book with the name of the main character. Paolini has only used single worded titles, but in my opinion, another possible title for this particular novel could be ‘The Stone’, or even ‘Rider’, as these also do not give any hints away.
Eragon would have to be one of my favourite fantasy novels I have read yet. It is so cleverly written, that you want to stay up all night, reading, and finding out what happens next. The characters are extremely well described, and that causes you to imagine the characters exactly the way Paolini wanted you to. I would definitely recommend Eragon to any fantasy-lover, or anyone who wanted a book full of unthought-of happenings.