Eragon – review

Eragon by Christopher Paolini is remarkable in the fact that it was written by a teenager. It is fairly straightforward story about a young man and his dragon as they journey in a kingdom that has fallen into sinister hands.

However, the story was not the most fluid nor was it the most original. There are themes that touch on some other famous fantasy stories.
* A boy who possesses untapped power is being mentored by a warrior whose class was all but destroyed by a similar, but evil warrior class (Star Wars – including a fancy sword that the boy is hesitant to use preferring other weapons). There are other parallels as well; if you read the book, they should be obvious to you.
* The setting is in a world of fantasy that is strangely reminiscent of Middle Earth (just look at the map). Plus the assumptions about the races, the use of poetry, and the development of other languages seem to be copies of Tolkien as well.

Since this book reminds me of those and other stories, it was hard for me to simply enjoy the story Paolini was telling. It seemed to be a bit choppy in parts and some of the dialogue was not the greatest. Some of the tension created in the story was resolved in an unsatisfying way. While there is detail in certain parts, other portions are just thrust upon you with little or no explanation.

Some positives are that the book is easy to read and I can see why it is wildly popular among young people. The young hero and his dragon all struggle with issues common to us all. Plus there’s a cat that seems kinda cool. I got through it in a few sittings so it was captivating – I may even read the rest of the series. But if the movie doesn’t follow the book, I won’t loose any sleep over it.