Eragon

I just finished reading Eragon and I cannot wait to get started on the second book in the trilogy, Eldest. I’m such a dork, but I love books that have dragons, elves and dwarves in it. I think I was born to be a science geek, who reads comic books and daydreams about talking to a real girl, but I’m not, and I’m getting off subject.

What’s really amazing about this book is the author. Christopher Paolini was only 15 years old when he first wrote Eragon. His family self-published the book themselves and Paolini started his own book tour to promote the book. Slowly people began to read the book and it gained more notice. It finally fell into the hands of writer, Carl Hiaasen whom brought it to the attention of his publisher.

For being so young, Paolini’s characters have a lot of depth and insight and the overall plot is extremely intricate. You can definitely tell that Paolini is a fan of Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings, but his ideas are all his own. The novel is about a young boy named Eragon who finds a polished blue stone, which turns out to be a dragon’s egg. Eragon is now part of a legacy called the Dragon Riders and must escape the evil clutches of King Galbatorix who wants to use Eragon and his dragon, Saphira for evil purposes.

There are times when Paolini’s age shows; some of the dialogue seems a bit strained or forced. But his creativity and attention to detail is spectacular. He does a splendid job of foreshadowing, in the same way that J.K. Rowling is known for. When he mentions a detail it’s for a reason and will most likely appear in the other books. I love when authors do that because I like to figure out the significance to it and get excited when I continue to read and see that part again and how it unfolds.

Definitely recommend reading this book, and I’ll let you know how the rest of the trilogy turns outs. I know that he is currently working on the last book.