Eragon

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Eragon
Christopher Paolini
2002

The Summary
Eragon has spent much of his life in the dense, sheltered forests and valleys of the Spine with his uncle and cousin, Roran.  With little interest in the empire, Eragon spends much of his days working on his uncle's farm and hunting.

But everything changes in an instant, when Eragon discovers a strange stone in the forest and watches as it hatches into a dragon, one of the last known in existence.  A secret to which the mysterious storyteller, Brom, appears privy.

For Eragon, life will never be the same.

The Good
For a first novel, especially given the initial youth of the author, Eragon is an exceptional novel full of detail and depth.  Much like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Christopher Paolini's novel is a fascinatingly complex and creative endeavor that encompasses all the best qualities of fantasy literature.

Full of action and adventure, Eragon provides an entertaining tale that chronicles the surprising turn of events in one boy's life and follows his growth as an individual, as a Dragon Rider, and a hero.  More importantly, it combines all the best ingredients for a fantasy novel:  dragons, evil kings, dwarves, elves, magic, mysterious friends and allies, rebellions, and a dash of political intrigue.

The Bad
Following in the vein of Tolkien's works, Paolini's novel emphasizes an enormous journey that incorporates various characters and treks across various lands and involves various cultures all sporting different languages, beliefs, social mores, and more.  While not a bad thing, this journey may never seem to end.

I mean, after all, this is only book one of four.  And it is important to note that every succeeding novel will have more pages, more characters, and more adventures to share, which means Eragon's journey has only just begun and Paolini has only just scratched the surface.

Again, not a bad thing, but not necessarily a project to undertake if you're short on time.

The Ugly
Once or twice, Paolini fabricates wonderfully developed characters - characters which you will sincerely enjoy and admire, maybe even adore - and makes the conscious decision to get rid of them. Admittedly, I couldn't see this story developing any other way, but I experienced a bit of disappointment at the loss of certain characters and a slight suspense at the disappearance of others.