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.

This turned out to be a superb young adult fantasy adventure. I awoke very early so I could finish the book in a couple of days. I can't wait for my grandsons to be old enough to pass this book along to them.

The book starts off clunky and that despite the good intentions of CP, it sets a bad tone for the rest of the novel. The narrative seems mostly forced, mechanical, severely lacking the magic that weaved its way through 'Eragon'. The dramatic scenes in the book were cheasy, hell even the death of you-know-who was melodramatic. It's as if CP said "Well how can I beat some life into this dying horse? mmm...I know lets do so and so, to you know who!"
Some good points of the book:
- Another part of the prophecy that herbalist Angela foretold comes to fruition.
-The complex interactions of Nasuada and Eragon leaves me to wonder if Angela's prophecy was referring to Arya or the new Varden Leader.
-We learn how Galbatorix has become so powerful.
-The writing style was good. However, at times I thought CP was taking lessons from A. Rice, with how convoluted some of the sentences got.

Thats my 2 cents.

I've read through some other reviews and they pretty much cover the flaws in this book. I just wish I had done that BEFORE I bought this 'final installment' in the series. I kept reading and looking at the pages left in the book thinking, 'how are we going to get to the end of the series in this book?' Well, guess what? You don't! You spend hours reading and nothing really happens, and then you find out that nothing IS going to happen until the next book. Did the author have a deadline and couldn't figure out his own ending in time, so they published this 'holder' book instead? Sure seems like it. I think Paolini is over praised as a writer. His series is readable. I would like to have finished it. I get the feeling the author would like to have finished it too, he just wasn't sure how to. I don't think he has any idea who Galbatorix is, or how to defeat him, so he is metaphorically wandering around his pretend country hoping something will come to him. Had I know this wasn't the final book, just the third book, I doubt I would have purchased it. Very clever, of the publishers, really, to squeeze a little more out of their little baby cash cow. I thought the 'plot review' at the beginning was horrible and read just like a freshman's book report of the series. And I thought the writing in general was over blown with verbiage and so empty of plot or substance it was surprising the book didn't just float away. Don't waste your time on this book, wait for the fourth one

This book starts off almost exactly where Eldest left off. Eragon has oaths to fufill and starts off by helping Roran StrongHammer. The majority of this book is filled with going to the dwarves and intermissions inbetween. Towards the end the storyline picks up while leaving you wanting more. This book felt like a placeholder- I can see why this book was split up in two books. One, to make more money, and to leave a dramatic ending book with a marvelous conclusion. If this is the case I am most pleased with Brisingr because it fit that role. If this were to be a stand alone novel of the series, 400 pages of random adventures struggling to keep in line with overthrowing Galbatorix wouldn't reach the line of my expectations.

This book had more action scenes than eldest and that helped spice up the storyline a bit. Roran was more deep and you actually didn't mind reading about him unlike in book one.

The one stand alone thing in Brisingr is further character development. At one point, I felt like I could see the characters. They were so real to me. They have flaws like humans but qualities that make you truely admire the character.

Paloni leaves some strings untied that will undoubtedly be resolved in the last book. [Interesting additions were added to the story line juicing it up even more.] Depending on how long those strings go and the quality of those strings turn out to be, will be an exicting adventure for all Eragon lovers. Brisingr succesfully left me wanting to know the end, and feeling a bit nostaligic thinking about everything Eragon has gone through and what he still has to accomplish. (No spoilers but at some point in this book I think you will feel the same.)

Yes, it's a brilliant dust jacket - well done! However, the book leaves me sorely wanting - it's like it got past an editor somehow; a proper editor would have slashed this book in half at least. First, let me say, I thought Eragon was great (not the movie), Eldest less so, but still a fine achievement, and kept me satisfyingly on edge for the next one. Brisingr is verbose, long-winded and kind of sappy. You simply start to not care about these characters, which is a deathblow. Pages and pages and pages and pages go by that could have been compressed into far fewer - the Varden's still encamped and STILL getting ready. Sure, that's war, but I don't want such the granular feel of it. I want a story that draws one in - things need to happen for a purpose or get rid of them. This has a lot of Eragon and Saphira pining for each other and Eragon regretting the life he's taken from bugs and shrubs: yes, the concept's nice, but it seems like a self-indulgent melancholy rather than a moral struggle. This book feels rushed perhaps with contract deadlines, or that the writer, such a young brilliant writer, was perhaps pushing his art - Paolini's presence is felt in this one, and decidedly wooden. I respect the effort, but, simply put, this feels like an unfinished manuscript - a river without banks!

I am a huge fan of Christopher Paolini's writing and I had been waiting for his third installment for quite some time. Other people have been reviewing the book, but I don't think that's what Amazon.com is for. Amazon.com was extremely quick with the shipment and the books were in perfect condition. I was able to surprise my boyfriend with it the day after I ordered it! Amazon is extremely efficient and I always go to their site to find anything and everything. Thanks again, Amazon!

I had trouble with the first book (Eragon) getting into it. However, after much time I finally got the good parts of the book. And the movie was disappointing. Eldest was much better I thought, I didn't have too much trouble getting enthralled in it.

With Brisingr I choose the Audiobook version. So far, I've been listening at work for 3 days now and I'm bored to tears. The reader makes Saphira sound, to me, like Yoda on a bad day. This isn't a bad thing since the story is sooo slow, it gives the listener a touch of interest.

I too feel that this book has alot more gore in it. I don't think it's a bad thing as those are really the only parts I can remember from the audiobook. It doesn't feel like anything really happened. And where's the evil emperor. He's mentioned over and over but no sign of him. The other thing I took note of, it seems Eragon spends 90% of his time healing himself or someone else.

This book feels like there is way too much filler, like there was a page quota to be met. I don't recommend the audiobook unless you are having trouble sleeping. And this is really a shame as I was really looking forward to this book. I'm not sure I can finish the Inheritance cycle if this is any indication of the final book.

If you like fantasy, this series is great. Paolini does a wonderful job continuing the story in Brisingr. Obviously, if you like the first two, you have to read this one.

No, this book is perhaps the worst fantasy book that I have ever read. I actually thought the first book Eragon was a decent read, a nice story. Eldest was the beginning of the end. Paolini started making some terrible choices in writing style, vocabulary, and motive. The entire story got lost in the drivel.
Brisingr picks up where Eldest was clearly headed, into a complete writing disaster. It was too much too soon for this young Author. He started with a good story then started trying way too hard. This book is everything that you don't want a novel to be. It has absolutely no voice, no flow to the story. It is explained and not told.
I love the story of Paolini, homeschooled and with his family throwing all of their love and finances into his writer's dream. And they had a good story and a fairly decent world. Brisingr is just a disaster. Is it wrong of me to hate this book? I'm sorry to say I do. It's awful. Nice cover though.

I have to say that the this series is getting worse with every new book. Every weakness of Eragon gets amplified in Eldest, and amplifed more in Brisingr. The writing style is boring. It's too verbose. The characters just talk too much and unnaturally. If Paolini could write this same book in half the number of pages, it would be excellent. It's a book that I just could not read for more than an hour or so. I just had to put it down because the reading was just too boring--too many words (or pages) used for a simple idea. But the story line is the saving grace and is what kept me coming back every couple of days to see how the story progresses. And the cycle repeats: too boring, must put down, then curiosity made me pick it up again some later time. Sometimes I had to resort to skimming through the pages just to get through the boring part.

In short, 4 stars for plot, 1 star for writing.

And it makes me want to go back and re-read The Lord of the Rings one more time (now that's good writing).

My 12 year old loved this book. Kept him busy and reading which is always a great thing. Even turned off Madden 2009!

I had no idea that so many people hated this book until I read all these 1-2 star reviews. It wasn't the best of the series, but it was all right.
Many people have complained about the gore. But if Brisingr were made into a movie, it would be so much more bloody. I have seen plenty of bloody movies and read plenty of bloody books, and they were a lot worse. Although it was a bit much at times, it didn't give me nightmares or make me think morbid thoughts.
I was happy to find out that Brom was Eragon's father, not that I hadn't suspected it. Paolini strayed off the path that Star Wars set, and the revelation mostly came as a suprise.
I liked the parts from the dragons point-of-view. It proved their inhuman-ness, in a good way.
Some parts frustrated me though. Roran went from hating killing to slaughtering 200 men in an hour. In the middle, the dwarf politics dragged forever. And nothing happened between Eragon and Arya.
Overall, though, I enjoyed the book and I will buy the fourth one happily.

I, like many others, eagerly awaited what was to be a thrilling tale of magic, dragons, and merciless plajorism of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. I even found the book while I was in Budapest, for goodness sake (just to put my devotion in perspective!).

Well, I was totally jazzed when I was almost immediately rewarded with some healthy blood and gore in the course of enemy slashing. I read on, waiting another thrilling plot development....

700 pages later, I was brutally disappointed. I like character development as much as the next person, but not when we dispose of insignificant things like, um, THE PLOT, to do it. Why on Earth Paolini decided that he HAD to have a four book series is beyond me. The characters were already a tad flat - all Paolini really accomplished in this book was glue a few cliched problems to every character, give them ALL magical immunities, and fail to reward us with some well earned plot arc.

I await the fourth book. I pray that it has a plot, and Galbatorix doesn't turn out to be a misunderstood, moody sorcerer who lost his mind when trying to provide for the poor.

But it is not. There will be a book 4. That's ok though, the books are entertaining so I will gladly read another one. Very entertaining!

I couln't wait for this to come in the mail. It was a gift for my husband and he was surprized to get it. He read it in less than a week!

This book was quite entertaining, although some parts were a bit boring and "hard" to read.

I have like all of the triliogy/cycle books so far. Reading them all in less than 3 weeks most of the time. This book I actually read in 12 days. I've always loved dragons, so these books are simply great. I can't wait for the last book and last fight.

Just for all to know, the movie Eragon doesn't do the book justice. The movie is pure crap.

If youhave a kid who really doesn't liek to read, these 3 books would make a great gift and look great in anyones library!

This is the third book in the story. I was unable to put down
book one, two and now three. Easy to enjoy

This purchase was smooth and very fast. I will continue to use Amazon to purchase future Christmas Items.

I purchased this for my 10 year old son. He has read the other books by this author so was very happy to get the new book. He finished it in 5 days - and he was at school during the day! He loved it and is looking forward to the next book.

I am reading this third book about Eragon and his dragon. I love the story line and the characters. Sure hope this young author keeps writing about this dragon rider.

I just finished reading this the other night and even though it was extremely long...... I still really liked it! I'm not going to go over the story because there are alot of other reviews with that on there. I've read the first two books and absolutly loved em'! I just thought that it was a little longer than it really needed to be. I found myself thinking "Goodness get to the point!" in certain chapters. But I still found myself not wanting to put it down! If you have read the first two books in this sequal and you liked/loved them, then you will really enjoy this book.

This might be the best book so far in the series. Once you start reading the book, you can hardly put it down, I read the entire book in a weekend. I am not sure what to say about those who gave the book less than 3 stars, I have read far worse books. I can't wait for book 4, it should be even better. I read a book about every other week, so I think I have a better than most feel for a what a good book is and what a bad one is, and this is a good read.

Brisinger is excellent. Paolini continues the Earagon saga with another great edition. I think his books are maturing at a incredible rate. He has done a great job with this book, continuing to build the plot and characters for the final conclusion in the last book, which I will be impatiently waiting for. Brisingr (Inheritance, Book 3)

Paolini does not seem to have improved much since the first book. His dialog remains stiff and formal, his prose is as purple as ever, and really this book could have been shaved down into the finale.

After reading the book, you can clearly tell that this author has come a long way in improving the tale. After a choppy Eragon and a slow Eldest I wasn't sure I wanted to commit to finishing the series. Brisingr was a pleasant surprise. It kept me hooked, but there really was not that much in the way of action (I'm referring to epic battles and the like.) Paolini used the revelation of secrets and plot instead of sword play to keep the tale moving and it worked. I highly recommend the book.

Brisingr was amazing! Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just participated in a huge battle on the Burning Plains. They travel to the city of Tronjheim, deep within the Beor Mountains, and then to the far north forest of Du Weldenvarden. They fly to Feinster to take part in the siege. My favorite scene in the book was when Eragon made his sword catch on fire and it didn't burn up. The fire was bright blue. The description was amazing! This was my favorite part because Eragon needed a sword, and he got one. Saphira is one of the most important characters in the story. She flies Eragon around and makes a huge difference in battle. She is my favorite non-human character in the book. She has many good traits that contribute to the plot of the book. This book was great and I can't wait until the next book comes out. This is a book I highly recommend to anyone who loves fantasy or needs a good dragon book to read.

I eagerly waited for this third book to be released and bugged the sales staff at the store every week in anticipation.

I really did enjoy the book, but feel as many others do that it is very long winded and also too violent. I want to be entertained, not feel my stomach lurch. Paolini can suggest the violence and our imaginations would do the rest. We don't need graphic details.

I would have preferred spending much less time with the dwarves and more time with the elves. They have much more to offer in my opinion. Story lines were started and went nowhere (perhaps they'll be addressed is the fourth book)and after the big build up of the other secret dragon, it was incredibly dissapointing that he was killed off so easily in a battle.

It's worth the read, but could have been better. Paolini has talent and imagination but needs to concentrate.

Definitely "Exceeded Expectations" with this book. I enjoy seeing how the writing matures from book to book and, with it, the characters. I cannot wait to read the last book in the series!

the story starts off great with a lot of meaty action. however when smoke clears, and the dust settled and all is calm agian, it takes a little too long to get to more action. i love the inheritance trilogy and couldn't wait for this third addition(see nissanzfin3st.blogspot.com), my expectations were set on high because of the second book Eldest (Inheritance) but i may just be an impatient person but i think certian scences took too long to get over with. though, when they do get to the meaty scences the book kicks it up ten notches. the ability Paolini has to drag some one into a book is amazing. you will feel everything, hear everything, and see everything with all your own five senses.
all in all, this is a masterpiece, and i recommend it too all who seek thrill, adventure, and- OH YES- DRAGONS!

The book was a little drawn out, and the action scenes were a bit lacking. Not the best book in the series but hope the next one makes up for it. All in all a good read.

Like Eragon, the child wonder, Christopher Paolini saw his greatest moments in the first book. Apparently, the hype and praise of "Eragon" got to the authors head, because he seems to think that he can single handedly re-invent the formula for a good novel/trilogy. Of course, the other explanation is that Paolini, likely a D&D gamer at heart, thinks that the rest of us care to hear his intriquitly designed and completely monotonous Dungeon Master scenario. This may work for a bunch of pimply-faced teens with nothing to do on a Saturday night, but for his educated audience, he just lost us.

There is a third possibility. It's the Tolkien syndrome that so many writers of today seem to think they can copy, even plagiarize believing the rest of us are too stupid to take notice. Since "Eragon" it was obvious that this was an adolescent attempt at the newest "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. But Christopher you are no Tolkien. Tolkien wrote his "trilogy" over a few decades, was trained in linguistics and called among his friends one of the greatest writers of all time, CS Lewis.

Ironically, Paolini's re-make lacks a Gandalf figure, and it is obvious that his writing team lacks one as well.

As excited as I was to be reading book three I was caught by surprise at the revelation that the trilogy is going into book 4. I found that book 3 did not have as much character development as book 2. I look forward to book 4.

Paolini's writing is improving; I'll give him that much. Brisingr, the third installment in what was supposed to be a trilogy but now has become the Inheritance Cycle, is definitely an upgrade on Eldest. Though it lacks the childlike excitement of the first book Eragon, it most certainly trumps the quality of Eldest. Paolini is more than nine years removed from when he commenced writing this series, and it really shows within his writing. His writing has surely matured since the first book, but he is still too smart for his own good.

Having graduated from home schooling at age 15, Paolini is indeed an intelligent fellow, yet he needs to understand that his largest intended audience is a group of teenage boys whose vocabularies are no where near as complex as his own. If Paolini doesn't abuse his thesaurus then I'll eat my socks. Yet despite his overuse of six syllable words in the foremost pages of his novel, his story starts to gain speed and flow after the first hundred or so pages. Of course, instead of advancing the plot, Paolini instead chooses to put his hero, Eragon, through a moral quandary, so that we can learn more about his character. So, instead of giving his readers what they want-battle scenes, romance, dragons-he decides to let Eragon battle with his conscience in isolation. Great idea Paolini, show your readers how righteous your hero is at the expense of advancing the plot. At this rate, we are going to be stuck with a Wheel of Time sized series, only with about a third of the substance.

Even though Paolini has his problems-and they're numerous: hacked plot, flat characters, cheesy love story, unoriginal creatures, wooden dialogue-his story is entertaining. I felt myself compelled to continue reading into the early hours of the morning. I just kept that midnight oil burning. I don't know why. I do really like Roran's character. His love for his wife, and how he comes to here defense, is portrayed in a really legitimate way. I also like his battle scenes so much more than Eragon's because he is unaided by magic. He has to fight his enemies with his bare hands, or with his hammer. Unlike Eragon, he can't pull some lucky magic trick out of a bag, and he doesn't have a fire-breathing dragon watching his back. (This is where I begin to see that Paolini never had much of a social life. The character he sees himself as is obviously Eragon. He always wished he found a dragon egg which allow him to harness magical powers. He never wanted to do things for himself, unlike Roran. I don't know though, I've never grown up in the boonies of Montana before.) I just wish Paolini would dedicate more to tree to his hero's much more likeable cousin.

Eragon's storyline is completely worthless, of course. He gets to interact with some interesting acquaintances. The Varden's leader, Nasuada, has to deal with the fact that she is a woman and that that causes her to be constantly underestimated. Her character proves herself in this story, and that is a very fascinating scene. Eragon also gets to moon over the mysterious Arya, whose athletic feminine prowess provides the romance side of the novel with some intrigue. Eragon also has to deal with the super-orthodox Oromis, an ancient elf, who no one will miss. The dwarves are somewhat interesting though why Paolini dedicates hundreds upon hundreds pages to their politics is beyond me.

In conclusion, the book is very readable if you go in with an open mind. There are entertaining parts, and Paolini can write when he doesn't think too much about it. You can just tell he tweaks everything a little too much. But all in all, I think he will eventually be a more efficient writer; I just hope that he comes with some more original plot lines. I will be reading what will hopefully be the last installment in the series though, because I always finish what I start, and I am interested to see the outcome of Eragon's battle with Galbatorix, who I wish had a POV in this series.

freshumassstar.blogspot.com

Paolini's writing is improving; I'll give him that much. Brisingr, the third installment in what was supposed to be a trilogy but now has become the Inheritance Cycle, is definitely an upgrade on Eldest. Though it lacks the childlike excitement of the first book Eragon, it most certainly trumps the quality of Eldest. Paolini is more than nine years removed from when he commenced writing this series, and it really shows within his writing. His writing has surely matured since the first book, but he is still too smart for his own good.

Having graduated from home schooling at age 15, Paolini is indeed an intelligent fellow, yet he needs to understand that his largest intended audience is a group of teenage boys whose vocabularies are no where near as complex as his own. If Paolini doesn't abuse his thesaurus then I'll eat my socks. Yet despite his overuse of six syllable words in the foremost pages of his novel, his story starts to gain speed and flow after the first hundred or so pages. Of course, instead of advancing the plot, Paolini instead chooses to put his hero, Eragon, through a moral quandary, so that we can learn more about his character. So, instead of giving his readers what they want-battle scenes, romance, dragons-he decides to let Eragon battle with his conscience in isolation. Great idea Paolini, show your readers how righteous your hero is at the expense of advancing the plot. At this rate, we are going to be stuck with a Wheel of Time sized series, only with about a third of the substance.

Even though Paolini has his problems-and they're numerous: hacked plot, flat characters, cheesy love story, unoriginal creatures, wooden dialogue-his story is entertaining. I felt myself compelled to continue reading into the early hours of the morning. I just kept that midnight oil burning. I don't know why. I do really like Roran's character. His love for his wife, and how he comes to here defense, is portrayed in a really legitimate way. I also like his battle scenes so much more than Eragon's because he is unaided by magic. He has to fight his enemies with his bare hands, or with his hammer. Unlike Eragon, he can't pull some lucky magic trick out of a bag, and he doesn't have a fire-breathing dragon watching his back. (This is where I begin to see that Paolini never had much of a social life. The character he sees himself as is obviously Eragon. He always wished he found a dragon egg which allow him to harness magical powers. He never wanted to do things for himself, unlike Roran. I don't know though, I've never grown up in the boonies of Montana before.) I just wish Paolini would dedicate more to tree to his hero's much more likeable cousin.

Eragon's storyline is completely worthless, of course. He gets to interact with some interesting acquaintances. The Varden's leader, Nasuada, has to deal with the fact that she is a woman and that that causes her to be constantly underestimated. Her character proves herself in this story, and that is a very fascinating scene. Eragon also gets to moon over the mysterious Arya, whose athletic feminine prowess provides the romance side of the novel with some intrigue. Eragon also has to deal with the super-orthodox Oromis, an ancient elf, who no one will miss. The dwarves are somewhat interesting though why Paolini dedicates hundreds upon hundreds pages to their politics is beyond me.

In conclusion, the book is very readable if you go in with an open mind. There are entertaining parts, and Paolini can write when he doesn't think too much about it. You can just tell he tweaks everything a little too much. But all in all, I think he will eventually be a more efficient writer; I just hope that he comes with some more original plot lines. I will be reading what will hopefully be the last installment in the series though, because I always finish what I start, and I am interested to see the outcome of Eragon's battle with Galbatorix, who I wish had a POV in this series.

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