I think Paolini could have accomplished the same things in a book half as long. Many times the story meandered off course and didn't find it's way back for quite some pages. In fact, quite a few things seemed completely unnecessary. It was too "graphic". Much of the book is spent describing gruesome scenes of carnage. It is NOT a series for people younger than 13.

Much of the book seemed like a game of chess for lack of a better desription. I could feel the author striving for things to make sense, trying to counter the reader's skepticism. I had a hard time believing in the magic system a few times. For example (spoiler), if Brisingr is really the true name of Eragon's new sword why can't other people control the blade if they also know the name? One person doesn't have possession of "rock". Knowing the true name of someone elses weapon would be a deadly advantage in combat.

A lot of this criticisms could be put to rest by some simple edits here and there. Other would be more difficult to amend, but maybe those things are subjective.

I must say that it was entertaining. Enough so that I didn't stop reading it until it was done. I needed to know how things turned out. There are many creative ideas that had me fascinated. I love the Dragons. That's the best part about this series I think. Christopher has potential. He has good ideas. But like some people have said, he lacks a good editor.

In summary, the good things are all too often overshadowed by the flaws. Such as plot, excessive description, "dithering" politics, etc...

I hope that the fourth book will be better, because in all truth I'm "attached" to this series and will see it to the end. For his own sake, and for the sake of his readers, I hope Paolini reads these reviews and remembers them when he writes the next book. This series could still end well!!

After reading the first 2 books I am very disapointed with this book. I am listening to it on audio and have skiped disks just so I can keep listening. my advise just ask someone who has already read the book what happens. way to much information that is not needed. if there is an abridged version I would buy that before you try to read the entire book.

Despite their flaws, I enjoyed the other books in the Inheritance series. Paolini is creative while clearly paying homage to many other fantasy stories. However, this book is painfully slow and poorly written. Pages are spent, Moby-Dick style, exploring details that have no bearing on the plot. It's as if the writer did a lot of background research (on swords, for instance) and then couldn't manage to let any of it go. Similarly, he seems to want to explore the post-traumatic stress soldiers experience, but is unable to create scenes that express the characters' personal experiences realistically. Instead he dwells on the gruesome violence of battles while the after-effects on characters is all very similar and bland. The only thing that kept me reading Brisingr was the fact I'd already spent time on the other books. This one needed more editing.

As a fan over the 1st 2 books and the story in it's entirety, i have been eagerly awaiting the release of this book. The book starts and ends at an excellent pace, with an epic battle with the Razak to start and another interesting war at the end. I felt that Christopher did a good job at taking his time in this book and really developing the characters. Extending the series to 4 books really allowed him to dig deeper into the story line. At times i felt like the plot took a while to develop, however in the end, knowing the characters in detail really allowed me to feel the storyline as it intensified.

Without risking any spoilers i will simply say that if you were a fan of the first 2 books, you will enjoy this one. If you are a die hard fantasy reader, well you may be a little put off. Christopher is a good author, whom i believe continues to get better. He's no Tolkein, but there is potential.

Pick this up if you enjoy a nice long read... 748 pages isn't a joke :-)

My 13 yr old daughter loved this book. It was a great gift for her.

Paolini is overrated. So grossly overrated. Yes, the guy is incredibly young and wrote a very good story at an age when your chiefest concern should be which zit to pop first. He should have stopped there. If anything, his skills have deteriorated throughout this series to a point where the effort to turn each page in this book feels like I'm lifting a station wagon.
I won't go on and on as it is apparent that this book has turned enough people against St. Christopher of Paolini, but I just want to get something off of my chest:
I hope Saphira dies.
Every time that dragon opens her mouth I just want to set the book on fire. Why Paolini made the choice to create this awesome character and then fill her craw with the most cliche, unoriginal dialogue is beyond my reasoning. She speaks like a romance novel.
Alright that's it. Don't buy this book.

I enjoyed Eragon, thought that the second book was plodding ... and am deeply, deeply, deeply disappointed in Brisingr.

Like many others, I slogged through 100's of pages of Brisingr. When Eragon went to Tronjiheim and, sounding like an American tourist, started to whine about participating in a culture that views time differently from his own ...

.. I simply gave up and stopped reading.

I wanted to like Brisingr, but I got lost in Tronjiheim.

I can add little to the excellent reviews of Brisingr by Christopher Lintel and racapowski (When is Amazon going to allow links to other reviews within reviews? ;-)

So I'll content myself with adding my one star vote.

Note to Christopher Paolini: Please, sir. Find yourself a decent editor who will challenge you to become a better writer. You have potential.

Eragon and Eldest have seen mixed reviews. People praise them for being good and well-written stories, but the story model bears a striking resemblance to, say, Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. But despite that, both books manage to be great fun to read and remain engaging despite the obvious sources of inspiration. Brisingr fares about the same as Eldest; Paolini still needs to learn how to not pointlessly ramble on about stuff we don't care about, but the book is still a good read for anyone who liked the other two.

(WARNING: some minor spoilers are in the following paragraph) Brisingr's story continues right where Eldest left off with Eragon and his brother Roran about to attack the Ra'zac at their lair. After an epic battle (one of the absolute best scenes in the entire series in my opinion), Eragon decides to stay behind for a little while to take care of some business. Then we wait for possibly 100 pages for the story to take off. It's strange, because by the end of the book you feel like only a few major events have occurred. This is really because Paolini just rambles on and on too much about random things about the fantasy world the story is set in. In a fourth book I would hope for more events and less description or pointless conversation.

So to keep it not-too-long, Brisingr is a great book if you liked Eldest, if not then do yourself a favor and leave it alone. As a fan of the series, I heavily enjoyed the book despite the long rambling. If you want to read this book then you definitely need to read the other two in the series to get the full idea of the story as well.

I'll admit, the Rider Trilogy (supposed Trilogy), should be a little juvenile for my taste, but I got emotionally invested in the world and people that Paolini has created. For those that thought this book was the end to the trilogy, it's not. In the afterward he tells you he had too much material to wrap it up in three and I tend to slightly disagree with him there. Brisingr is long, but still engaging in parts, but it feels like he might've been stretching this one for the sake of extra paychecks. We'll see.

As a teacher, I am shocked that some of my students read this. Child self mutilation is not cool! Brisingr is characterised by moments of explict violence - which seem to have no other purpose than shock value - and hundreds of pages of boredom. If Christopher Paolini wants to make this a book for adults, not children, that's fine, but make sure everyone knows that. With so many other great children's books out there, I hope that children will close this book and open something better written.

Brisingr is the third installment of Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle and is well worth the wait. It moves the story along very nicely and the character development is great. Eragon is no longer a boy trying to do a man's job but is now a man doing what is needed of him. Facing challenges and accomplishing deeds that were beyond him not too long ago.

Once again, Paolini writes an entirely predictable book. And does so with absurd language. "Wet blotches quickly sullied the virgin cloth" (p. 3). "A beatific smile graced his face" (p. 5). And so on. It's painful to read. After slogging through his first two books, I give up. With so many great writers out there, I can't bring myself to endure any more of this torture of the English language. My hope for Paolini is that he finds a real editor some day who cuts out all of his junk language, calling him on all of his cliches, while sharpening his plot. When I read evidence of that, I might read him again. But I'm not holding my breath.

I am very pleased with my purchase. It is in exactly the condition I desired and is worth every cent. Thank you and merry Christmas!

Considering the size of this book, not all that much happens in it. Seems like the author really went out of his way to stretch this into two books. All that happens in this book could easily have been told in 150-200 pages and it would have been much more exciting to read even if it would have been relatively short. The author is a good writer, but if continues on this trail I won't be reading future books of his after the end of this series.

I won't bother summarizing the novel, as you can find that for yourself. I have to say that I really enjoyed Brisingr. Sure it drags in the middle but I never got bored or tired of reading it. There could have been some parts that could have been removed to shorten the book, but the length did not bother me too much. The ending was great and it definitely left me wanting more. I want to see how the story unfolds as Paolini finally revealed the true nature of Galbatorix's power. I'm definitely buying the next book and can't wait to read it.

My daughter has been waiting months for this, and it's all I could do to keep her from buying it for herself before Christmas. She'll love it!

A bit stiff at times, but overall very enjoyable. The politics, intrigue and plot we're well done. The cast of characters are still compelling, well written, and believable. Definitely worth it if you've read the previous entries in the series.

I really can't say more than what was already said in the reviews by Christopher Lingel or racapowski.

I have been reading fantasy and science fiction for the better part of fifty years, and I have seldom not wanted to finish a book. this is one of those times. I started this series in the hopes of finding something new and different, but it wasn't too long before it was clear that the races, places, and plots were borrowed from truly notable fantasy titles, and only given a very thin veneer of originality.

I was really done with this series before the end of the second book and never intended to buy the thirdr. as luck would have it, a well meaning friend gave me this third book as a present, and I felt slightly obligated to at least open it. i should not have bothered. its either insane violence where religious fanatics are cutting off pieces of themselves, a long litany of roran's hammer blows to various body parts, or page after page after page or Eragon's navel gazing.

when this book isn't disturbingly violent, its depressingly dull as we spend close to a century learning how the dwarves choose a new leader. the author must have watched the newer star wars movies too often; eragon is the masterful rider one moment and a whining teenager who hasn't learned even the simplest lesson the next.

random characters are inserted in equally random places, unnecessary subplots clutter the landscape, and the dialogue is about as clear and interesting as urgal grunts. when i realized after the 300 pages covering the trip to the dwarves that this was NOT going to be the last book in the series as we were led to believe, i closed it for the last time about 150 pages from the end. it now resides in a box for donations to the local library.

its obvious that paolini's true talent is in sales and marketing- it took a true genius at both to get this published.

I dont need to state what most people allready have that the first 600 pages were boring and there was no real plot or climax to this book. Paiolini could have done alot better at this one. The first two books were much better but it was a boring read.

The book was good, but i think that Eldest was better. There were some slow parts, but overall it was a great book.

Don't get me wrong. I am not mad at the storyline. The storyline is still good. It is a creative story which draws on past success but most greats do. My problem with the book is the fact that he decided to turn it into a 4 book cycle instead of the original trilogy because he could not tie up all the loose ends in just one book. I can not figure out why. This third installment of the book was easily 300-400 pages of fluff. Over half the book could of been cut out or condencesed and the parts of book four could of been added maybe the book would of been 100 pages longer at the end then this one but it would still of been smaller then one of the Harry Potters and smaller then most of the Wheel of time series.

Travel was a good part of this book with nearly 100 pages devoted to one or both of the two stars traveling yet other then that nothing happening. I found myself wanting to skip entire pages and just skim over them to find out when they reach there destination since nothing else was going on. It was getting kinda irksome by the end.

Just as with the first two installments, Brisingr is an enjoyable read. The story is compelling and the level of detail is impressive. My only criticism is that Paolini (on a few occassions) focuses a bit too much on meaningless details when he should be pushing the plot. Other than that, Brisingr is a very satisfying read and I can't wait for the fourth and final book.

As for the negative comments, everyone is obviously entitled to their opinion, but it will be interesting to see how many of those who left less than positive feedback still read the fourth book. I have a feeling that (just like those who left negative reviews for books 1 and 2) they will be back again with more comments the next round --which is telling. Why do some people continue to read these books if they don't like them?

I love this series of books, they're always great reading. The movie Eragon (the first book) didn't do the book justice, so if you've never read it because of the movie don't hesitate, I highly recommend reading the book Eragon. The author uses a made-up language, which just like any foreign language can be hard to pronounce and understand, so he puts pronunciations and meanings in the back. It makes it much more enjoyable reading. I was really excited to find out that there will be one more book for this series. I can't wait to read it. Thanks Christopher Paolini, keep writing.

Brisingr does not let you down, keeps your interest running high. Keep writing stories such as these. Thank you for your creativity.

I thought this was to be the last book of the "trilogy" but nope, it's now a cycle. It took me to the last couple chapters to realize that it was going to be hard to wrap up, pretty frustrating. I hope the next book doesn't take so long to be released. I questions the author's motives for not ending it with this book. He claims it's because there is so much more to write about, but could it be that there is so much more money to be made with another book. The story itself is intriguing and it leaves you wanting more.

Great story on the continuing tale of Eragon and Saphira. Book 3/4 of the series

Slow paced and boring. Not anywhere near the level of either of the first two books. In fact, if it this had been the first book of the series, I know I would never have finished it or started the series.

I know that he must set up the fourth (and hopefully final) book with some new characters and anticipated plot twists, but this book gives us very little of anything else. Even the small amount of foreshadowing is lost in the hundreds of pages of drivel that is written.

I think that when the last book comes out, we will find that it could have stood alone with the first two as a complete trilogy, eliminating the need for "Brisingr" altogether.

I loved this book. It's great for all ages. Can't wait for the next one.

I read the first book and really liked it. I read the second book and thought it was okay, though a bit uneven. I forgave it because the author went from a kid to an adult in that time and there are many forces at work there.

I got the third book and tried to read it. I stopped. I waited. I tried again after a few weeks. I slogged through nearly 400 pages before I said to myself "if you have to SLOG through why read it" and thus I stopped.

The book's writing is not as good as the previous two. Oddly, it's TECHNICALLY better but the result lacks something. I think it's, oh, self-indulgent more than anything.

It's sad. I'm sure the book sold lots of copies. And it's getting lots of good reviews here, but the people I know who've read it are all let down, though most made it to the end and then were irritated to find out the this Trilogy is going to be a foursome. None plan to read it.

wasnt expecting it to be so great!
so, i got the book just cause i hate not having finished a series i have started. it will irk me to no end. but oh my, what a surprise, the first chapter had me and for the rest of the week i read it eagerly. i was especially loving the morbid parts for some reason, especially that first chapter, it really hooked me.
... shame on me, i had forgotten how much i had enjoyed eragon and eldest.
i am very pleased with 'brisingr'. paolini does not dissapoint.
i loved reading nasuadas and rorans storys, i was very surprised to see that the book did have more than eragons perspective, i dont recall if the other books did that or not?... and i enjoyed the snippets of a dragons view!
hmm, i do believe that harry potter 7 has somewhat wounded me. when i found out that roran had his own storys throughout the book 'brisingr' i pleaded with each of his storys 'please dont kill him. please dont kill him. NOT LIKE FRED, DONT DO IT PAOLINI!'
well, youll just have to read to find out if roran lives or not.
Oh, yes! probally like many of you, i watch 'the seeker' on sundays. and yes, it does remind of eragon very much, there are similarities. but im not nettled by it. their just influences. eragon is great and original in its own right.
and i enjoyed the authors note at the end. very endearing. and the dictionary was a bonus!
oh, and i thought eragon the movie was ok. no, i admit it, i liked it alot! but, yes, it left parts out that play out in the second and third book, but i believe they can still make the second movie...
i hope they do.
anyways, enjoy brisingr!

If you want to finish the story, it's a given. But the writing continues to be kind of immature in its character and plot development. And now the series is being extended to a fourth book. Lucrative surely; necessary, no.

"Brisingr," the third in the "Inheritance Cycle," is yet another example of the Devil's plot to corrupt the minds of everyone on Earth. As ludicrous as this might sound, it is true. The Bible specifically says that Satan works to deceive people, especially in the Last Days, in which we now find ourselves.
"Brisingr" is a bad book that does no one any good by reading it. Like my reviews said of the previous two books, it hurts people who read it. Maybe not right away or in ways you can tell, but certainly in eternal ways and in the long-run. Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing!

Another good story that leaves you hanging waiting for the next book to come out. If you can't stand to wait for the results, wait to buy this until the last one comes out.

Honestly first off if you have not read this series and are thinking of starting it I suggest not wasting your time.

Eragon starts off interesting enough. yes the story is recycled versions of other stories but done in a fresh way. The pacing of the first book of Eragon was great. The second book was a little slower but it kept my attention.

The third installment Brisingr is so slow I would read a few pages and have to sit it down out of sheer boredom. It usually takes me a week to read a novel like this but Brisingr took me over a month to finish, I ended up putting it down twice to read two whole books in between trying to finish this one.

All in all if you enjoyed the first two books get this one to finish the quadrilogy(which if Paolini decides to make it longer then four I will give up on ther series all together)otherwise do not bother picking up this heavy, slow paced novel that is really only about glorifying Eragon and worshiping the ground Paolini's character walks on.

This is a great book. It was as good if not better than Eldest. I personally thought Eragon was a great book, however it had parts in it that were a bit boring to me causing me to lose interest. but Eldest was great all the way from start to finish. Just like this one, It is a ride from start to finish.

I just hate to have to wait for the final chapter. I cant wait to read it! Hopefully it will come out soon!

Still a boy and not yet a man, he is one of the greatest Dragon Riders and bravest of warriors. Eragon is on the edge of many discoveries and great changes. Though his sword has been taken by Murtagh, he still fights with the Varden against the madness of Galbatorix as they try to save the kingdom of Alagaesia. Shamed by the knowledge that he and Murtagh are brothers (both share Morzon for their father), he longs to understand more of his past. As a Dragon Rider, he continues to learn, to test himself and to push all of his limits with the help of Saphira. The beautiful, dangerous Saphira is only one of four dragons left. She is his constant companion. Without her, Eragon knows that he, like Galbatorix, would go mad. There is nothing they do not share --- or so he thinks.

"To know that you were with one who cared for you, and who understood every fiber of your being, and who would not abandon you in even the most desperate of circumstances, that was the most precious relationship a person could have, and both Eragon and Saphira cherished it."

On the battlefield, always the unexpected happens. Sometimes his spells, his magic, his strength are enough to save them. Sometimes the soldiers of Galbatorix are more demon than man, and in one battle with his ally, King Orrin, they encounter the following:

"The man was a soldier of medium height, with a purple birthmark on his neck and brown hair plastered flat by the helmet he had been wearing. His shield was a splintered ruin. His sword was notched, bent, and broken, missing the last six inches. River mud caked his mail hose. Blood sheeted from a gash along his ribs. An arrow fletched with white swan feathers had the shaft buried in the hard dirt. From the man's throat, a horrid gurgling laugh emanated. It rose and fell with a drunken cadence, pitching from note to note as if the man were about to begin shrieking with horror."

Though his cousin, Roran Stronghammer, has united with Katrina, he remains one of Eragon's true friends. Roran is not only brave but a natural leader. He proves himself time after time to be indispensable to Nasuada's armies. Still playful as boys, both Eragon and Roran are ready to sacrifice anything for their love of Alagaesia.

Despite all his successes as a great warrior, Eragon is in need of his most important weapon: his own sword. Not until a number of battles are fought, much blood shed and many sacrifices made does Eragon finally meet one of the most renowned of sword makers --- Rhunon-elda. This is where another story begins:

"A sword should feel like an extension of your arm, as if it had grown out of your very flesh. You shouldn't have to think about how you want it to move: you should simply move it as instinctively as an egret his beak or a dragon her claws. The perfect sword is intent incarnate: what you want, so it does."

In this third book of the Inheritance Cycle, more surprising secrets are revealed and readers get even better acquainted with Selena Black Hand, Eldunari, Tamerlein, Glaedr, Oromis, Fairth, Memoa Trees, Snowfire, Ra'zacs, Urgals, scrying mirrors, crossbows, Carn, Nasuada, Trial of the Long Knives, Shrrgs, Elva, Solembum, Angela, spells, Arya, true names, Thorm and brisingr --- and so much more.

Christopher Paolini has developed his characters more deeply and brought an even greater intensity to the action throughout. Very helpful information is given at the end of the book on the origin of names, a pronunciation index and listings of languages from the ancient, the dwarf, the Nomad and the Urgal.

When readers are finished with BRISINGR, not only will they be dying for the next installment (they will probably want to read this one again just for fun), they undoubtedly will want a dragon --- especially one like Saphira.

--- Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts

First off, Mr. Paolini lied to us. Trillogies are supposed to be in three volumes. He has decided to go for more money by expanding the series to four books. Secondly Brisinger has gone off the deep end in detailed descriptions of everything from every blade of grass that moves to each spatter of blood in the battles. The author has endevored to remove all imagination from the reader. He has even included chapters with no appearent purpose, ("Glumra") for instance. This was 748 pages which should have been reduced to about 350. Hopefully "book 4" will actually complete the series.

After much anticipation awaiting this book, I find the wait well worth it. The characters come to life again in this well written story. I highly recommend this book if you are into fiction and dragons and good vs. evil.

Believe the other reviewers who are disappointed in this installment. When we last left our hero, the Varden were on the banks of the Jiet River preparing for the final confrontation with the Empire. 700+ pages later, they've moved about 50 miles and are preparing for the final confrontation with the Empire. In between . . . nothing happens.

Clearly the author and his publisher decided to stretch this "trilogy" into a "cycle" to make more money. Which would be fine if we actually got more than three books out of the deal. But Brisingr just provides filler, and bad filler at that. By the end of these 700+ pages, I'll guaranty you're less invested with these characters, even annoyed with them and their paper thin personalities.

A shame this author had to grow up.

Much like Paolini in this book, I have nothing original to add to what has already been written.

The difference is that I won't go on incessantly; I'll just tell you that I agree with most of the rest of the 1 star reviews here...

This is the third book in the Eragon series, following Eragon (#1) and Eldest (#2). This is a worthy installment, though not as good as the first two. My son, a reluctant reader, loves it as well.

book was received in excellant condition and quickly, contents are as great as I hoped they would be.

This continues the great storyline from Eragon and Eldest in what was to be the third and final edition. It turns out Christopher had too much to write so the trilogy will continue into a fourth book. Having now read Brisng I can't wait for him to finish the next book!

This was a great book and i can not wait for book 4 to come out.

I loved this series- this is book three, so you'll have to read them in order- Book one is "Eragon" and book two "Eldest". I guess I am a 56 year old child- but if you like fantasy books- dragons, elves, and adventures then this is great for any age. I am looking forward to the next book by Christopher Paolini.

because I couldn't take it anymore. I'm a quick reader and it's been 3 days getting that far. I skipped ahead 500 pages to read the final 100. Paolini's first book was pretty good though long-winded. The second I had to struggle to get through. The third, I just plain won't read the whole thing, btw I haven't finished those last 100 pages yet either. I'm just glad I got it at the library and didn't waste my money.

I decided to check out the reviews only to find out there will be a fourth book, oh great. Guess what? I won't be reading it. Paolini may have come up with a great idea when he was a voice-cracking fifteen year old but he needs some control. It seems publishers will put anything to print anymore no matter how bad it is if people are reading it, ie: they're making sales.

I hope Paolini is going to college or learning somewhere how to write like an adult. His writing style hasn't changed one iota and it needs to badly.

I thought that this installment of this series was well written, it brings alot of the elements from the previous books together. I enjoyed listening to this book the best. Just thought it took too long for it to come out, hopefully the last doesn't take as long.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the whole series and will look forward to the conclusion in Book 4. The books end leaving you with so many unanswered questions that you can't wait for the next book. Makes it much more interesting and likeable.
Is it the best book I have ever read? Probably not, but it is definitely worth reading.

I like that the author is writing in-depth about characters. I like big books. Keeps you from wondering "I wonder what happened to". It is hard to sum up a story completely with a flash and bang.

I think some of the reviewers are being a bit hard on the author complaining about similarities to other books. Three stars to anyone who can even write a book and get it published.

So if you like flash and bang and want it over quickly, this is the not books for you.

Brisingr and the whole series are a good read!!

I looked all over for the audio of Brisingr but was unsuccessful at locating it in any store, even the large book store chains. I found it at Amazon.com and in a matter of days received it in the mail. It was just what we wanted. It ended good but discovered there is yet another one in the works. We will be ordering that one too, when it becomes available.

If you enjoyed the writings of Christopher Paolini in his previous two fantasy novels, you will find his BRISINGR equally entertaining. The plot is well-crafted, tight, and full of action. For those curious about the title's name, brisingr is an ancient word from an ancient language which means fire. Without divulging the complex plot and excellent cast of characters, let me say instead that this book is definitely in the same league as the previous two, and the reader will not be disappointed.In this novel, the farm boy must unite the rebel forces to defeat the king, and thus the adventure commences! This is a well-written fantasy, one that entertains, and one that holds the reader's interest. Highly recommended dragon fantasy novel! This is a fine reading experience!

---Lee Prosser, Book Review Editor at www.Ghostvillage.com, and author of the nonfiction book, MISSOURI HAUNTINGS.