“It’s amazing that a man who is dead can talk to people through these pages. As long as this books survives, his ideas live.”
I never read Eragon as a child, so when the opportunity rose to do so now I decided I would finally see why it’s so beloved for various people.
This book follows a boy named Eragon who, when hunting for food to keep his family full for winter, stumbles across a stone. Needless to say this was no ordinary stone. It was polished and blue. He took it back to his hometown, feeling it may perhaps be worth something.
Eragon had grown up hearing stories of Dragons and their Riders, but they were extinct. Yet Eragon has a secret, he has a dragon of his own.
First and foremost let me start by saying that I am impressed with the author, Christopher Paolini. It was only when I decided to read Eragon did I find out he was fifteen when he wrote it.
I understand this book is quite polarising for various reasons, including it’s similarities with other novels however, in my opinion there are many books with heavy influences from their predecessors. So while I understand completely, this wasn’t so much an issue for me personally while reading.
Now, in regards to the book itself, I do have rather mixed feelings. While the authors feat impresses me, there came a point I did find this a struggle to finish.
There were parts I enjoyed, such as the mystery surrounding Eragon’s heritage and the history of the Dragon Riders. I liked Safira, the dragon. There were moments we didn’t get along, this was primarily due to her use of the endearment ‘little one’. I can’t explain that fully except that I found myself cringing each time it was used. Her sudden anger in some scenes threw me off as well.
The sudden anger about mundane things was an issue I found throughout with various characters.
What I did enjoy about Safira was her sassiness, sarcasm and her ability to put Eragon in his place.
I also liked Murtagh, he was like a breath of fresh air. He added further mystery and some personality which was greatly needed. Arya, we didn’t get to see too much of however, so far she has me curious. She’s powerful and strong-willed which I loved.
I will say I very nearly decided to DNF this book. I was probably about 150 pages from the end, and at that point I’d stopped caring. I’d begun to find it repetitive and exhausting. I’m glad I did finish, and even still I might be tempted to pick up the sequel – if only to see how those mystery’s eventually resolve.
