Books With Bean ~ Eragon

Title: Eragon

Author: Christopher Paolini 

Published: 2002 (Paolini LLC) 

August 26, 2003 Knopf

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Summary: Eragon is out hunting for food for his family in the mountains near his home, just as he closes in on a herd of deer a loud noise scares them away. He is hesitant at first but then decides to see what caused the disturbance. He finds what appears to be a large blue stone veined with white. His prey gone, Eragon takes the stone hoping that it will be able to buy food for his family for over the winter. Going to the butcher's shop hoping to trade it for meat he gets rejected when he reveals he found it in the mountains which are said to be cursed, something Slone the town butcher believes after his wife died in the mountains. Horst the town blacksmith intervenes for Eragon who thanks him and quickly leaves. Not knowing what to do Eragon goes home to the house he lives in with his uncle Garrow and cousin Roran. Garrow is unsure what to do with it so they save the stone for when the traveling traders come to town hoping to sell it. When the traders arrive however, Murlock the trader of jewelry and other trinkets does not want to buy it because he thinks that he will be unlikely to find a buyer for it. After Eragon and his family have dinner with Horst and his family that night Eragon goes home and leaves the stone on a shelf overnight deciding to wait before doing anything with it. However in the middle of the night the stone starts shaking and wakes Eragon up. He is annoyed with it and about to take it outside and bury it when a crack appears on the surface of the stone and soon Eragon realizes it is not a stone but an egg, and not just any egg either. Out of the egg comes a little dragon that is an amazing shade of blue. Eragon is excited but worried. He loves the stories of the order of dragon riders that used to keep watch over the land but they have been gone for a long time and there are none left in the land save the evil Kind Galbatorix and his dragon. Eragon is nervous and contemplates for a short moment killing the dragon but decides against it as it seems harmless enough. He feeds it some meat and when he touches it he has a painful sensation go up his arm from his hand. Looking at his hand he sees a silver mark appear and he begins to feel the emotions of the dragon in his mind. The next morning he builds it a small hut in the forest by his home and decides to keep the dragon secret for the time being so that his uncle won’t make him get rid of it. After a few days he visits Brom the town storyteller and tries to discreetly ask him questions about dragons. When he gets back home he and the dragon go over the list of dragon names Brom told him and after realizing the dragon is a girl he names he Saphira. During this time Roran leaves to the next village over to take a job at the mill to make some money so he can one day marry Katrina the woman he is in love with. Everything seems well at first but then stage cloaked figures come to the village and start asking questions about the egg. Eragon is unsure what to do but Saphira takes him into the mountains to hide from the figures. He pleads with her to go back because the men might hurt his uncle who is still at home if they find out where they live and  the next day they go back only to find the house burnt down and Garrow at the edge of death. Eragon takes him to the village and the village healer tries to take care of both Garrow and Eragon who was wounded while riding Saphira. Gorrow dies and Eragon is left without knowing what to do next. He decides to go after the figures from the town who he is sure are behind his uncles death and is joined by Brom who it turns out knows more then Eragon ever thought. As they travel the kingdom however Eragon realizes that the world is changing and he is at the middle of the battle for the future of Alagaësia whether he wants to be or not. 

What I liked about it: Eragon is a really cool book, a lot of people have said it is a rip off of other books and movies but I think it is enough it’s own to be worth reading. Eragon (the character) is a little 2-D at first but soon becomes someone who you want to know more about. The other characters are really interesting as well, from grumpy Brom, to the people he meets later in the book like the Elf Arya, the wandering Mutagh, and the self assured Nasuada. The land and the world of Alagaësia are also interesting with fascinating history and plenty of action and plot through all four books. As I learned recently when finishing a series I started some time ago, some series start good and the by the end feel incomplete, The Inheritance cycle was just the opposite. Christopher was young when he first wrote it and it shows a bit in the first book but it is nothing that makes the book unreadable, however by the end of the cycle everything is so awesome that you don’t want it to end!

Language: There is a little bit of language, and while I wouldn't recommend to younger kids  because of this (and  because it is simply too complicated for young children), I think it isn’t too bad. When I first read it several years ago I feel like I noticed it more even though it was very little. But now after having read a lot more young adult books where it seems like random swearing is ok I realized when I reread it recently that is is actually really clean comparatively.

Romance: Eragon begins to have an infatuation with Arya but it never becomes anything serious by the end of the fourth book. Roran is in love with Katrina and she does become with child by Roran in the second book but that scene is not actually in the book and in the third book they get married. 

Violence: There are a lot of battles and fights, the descriptions of what it looks like are in the book and while it paints a clear picture its not overly graphic. 

Magic: Magic is all around in the world of Alagaësia, it is accessible by Elves, Dwarves and humans to varying degrees. Elves have the easiest time controlling it and it is hardest for humans. Eragon starts to be able to control it once he becomes a dragon rider. It seems amazing to Eragon at first but he soon learns it comes with a price. The less you know the easier it is to do something wrong and go too far. Magic takes as much energy from you as it would take you to do that task yourself, and you have to know the ancient language to be able to control it without making big mistakes. 

Recommended Age: Eragon is 15 at the beginning at the beginning of the book and turns 16 during the book. I feel like 14 is probably a good age to start reading these books as the characters and the plot don’t really lean themselves to a younger audience even if you have a really advanced reader who is already reading well beyond their grade level.