Eragon – Christopher Paolini

Title: Eragon Series: Inheritance Trilogy Genre: Fantasy Author: Christopher Paolini

Ah, the first of the Inheritance Trilogy by Paolini. I grabbed this book in it’s original edition (when Paolini first published it himself) at a used bookstore. Why? Because I enjoy fantasy and am completely fascinated by different people’s takes on dragons. And I don’t regret for a minute picking this book up. There’s a reason Paolini was picked up by a major publisher and they re-released this book – it’s just plain good.

Some might criticize his classic themes of good and evil, but I think those themes are classic just because they’re so basic and foundational to mankind. And Paolini is just starting something in this book. The cliff-hanger at the end is one of the most abrupt I’ve encountered, and it really left me thirsting for more. I’d suggest at least getting your hands on the second before starting the first, that way you can just read them back to back without ever having to stop (like I did – it was two years before I got my hands on the second book!).

So if you’re in the least bit intrigued by or enjoy fantasy, pick this up. Paolini obviously has read and enjoyed Tolkien – and if there’s an influence I’ll never argue with, Tolkien is it. Enjoy!

Worldview: Atheistic, though there are a few theistic leanings.

Recommended Age: Middle School age and up; there is really no sexual stuff in this book, and though there is violence, it is not too explicit or extreme.

Additional links:
Inheritance Trilogy entry in Wikipedia
Inheritance Trilogy wiki
Shurtgal.com – a a fan site with all kinds of news, gossip, and other stuff about everything in the Inheritance Trilogy
TeenReads.com Author Profile
Inheritance Trilogy website
HubPages.com author profile of Christopher Paolini
BookBrowse.com interview with Paolini