Eragon

by Christopher Paolini
Author's Description:
“When fifteen-year-old Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.
Overnight his simple life is shattered, and, 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.”
My Review - Rating - 8/10 Honestly, I have conflicting thoughts about Eragon. Five years ago, when I first read this book, I thought it was the best series I had ever read. Nowadays, I enjoy it a lot less. It can be slow in some spots and sometimes focuses too much on excessive character development for my taste. The book is engaging, and I’ve always been invested in the characters and interested in the outcome no matter how many times I reread Eragon, but the plot is little more than Star Wars in a fantasy setting. The story is pretty predictable, the ideas almost entirely unoriginal, and the characters all fit into one archetype or another. Still, Paoloni does a great job of making the characters relatable, understandable, and compelling, and the fact that he wrote this book when he was fifteen years old is incredible. While the story may not be original, the descriptive language, impactful character development, and engaging style of the book make it a good, possibly even great quest story. Because of that, I’d recommend this book to anyone between 12 and 16. Overall, I’d say that Eragon and the entire Inheritance series have some flaws but are still more than worth a read. Find the book here