Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Publisher/Imprint: Alfred A. Knopf
Publication date: 2003 (originally self-published 2001)
ISBN: 9780375826689
Source: Audiobook from library
Eragon is hunting in the woods one day when a blue stone appears in his path. With no idea of its purpose or value, he takes it home where a dragon hatches from it. Setting off a chain of events he little expects, Eragon and Saphira find themselves far from their home, without family, and training to become a dragon rider - a fierce warrior that will inspire the people suppressed by Galbatorix to battle his control. But which side should he be on?
Things I Liked:
I listened to this one on audio, so I could have everything fresh in my mind when reading the last book. The story is still just as exciting and intriguing as it was the first time. I love how Eragon is a flawed and still struggling teen who isn't quite sure what to do and how to do it. The high fantasy world Paolini created is full of depth and history and I'm excited to finally get to the end of the story!
Things I Didn't Like:
I was reminded again how ridiculously many adjectives and adverbs are used (an ironic sentence if ever there was one :). It was almost overwhelming at times. It does evoke some of the older epic fantasies such as Lord of the Rings, but also makes it feel a bit pretentious. Also, I wasn't enthralled with the voices used by the narrator, Gerard Doyle, particularly Saphira's, but I think he did well considering the sheer number of characters. I didn't much care for the growly deepness Saphira's voice. But, I listened all the way through and I'm planning to listen to the next two as well.
Read-alikes:
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (plenty of similarities - see this article)
The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a few here and there
mrg-factor: none
v-factor: ->->->
some rather gruesome descriptions of fighting/battle
Overall rating: ****
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