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Eragon

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Eragon is a novel written by Christopher Paolini and is the first book of the Inheritance trilogy. It was originally self-published by the author before being picked up by Alfred A. Knopf, after which it became a publishing success and a New York Times Bestseller. Eragon's sequel is Eldest, and there are rumours that the third book in the series is going to be called Empire, though there is no official name yet.

Eragon
File:Eragon.jpg
AuthorChristopher Paolini
Cover artistJohn Jude Palencar
PublisherAlfred A. Knopf
Publication date
August 26, 2003
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback) and audio-CD
Pages544 (hardcover edition)
ISBNISBN 0375826688 (hardcover edition) {{isbn}}: Check isbn value: invalid character (help)

Introduction and cover flap summary

Template:Spoilers When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands....

Characters

Template:Spoilers

By order of appearance (beginning after the prologue):

  • Eragon: Main character. Lives with Uncle Garrow and Cousin Roran. Mother is Selena, but she ran away when he was born. She is presumed to be dead. Named after an elf that lived before his time.
  • Sloan: butcher of Carvahall. Hates Eragon's family
  • Horst: smith of Carvahall. friend of Eragon's
  • Katrina: daughter of Sloan; Roran's beloved
  • Roran: Eragon's cousin, although they're like brothers; Katrina's beloved
  • Garrow: farmer of Carvahall, Eragon's uncle and Roran's father, raised him from birth
  • Merlock: Trader that helps Eragon discover properties of the bluish 'stone'. Hollow, harder than a diamond, and the blue and white material are the same.
  • Saphira: Eragon's dragon and best friend, raised by Eragon. Linked mentally to Eragon
  • Brom: storyteller of Carvahall, Eragon's mentor. Secret Rider
  • Angela: powerful witch who supports Varden, tells Eragon his future
  • Jeod: merchant of Teirm, Brom's old friend, member of the Varden
  • Solembum: werecat who lives with Angela, gives Eragon a prophecy and much advice
  • Morzan: The first and the last Forsworn. Also the father of Murtagh. Galbatorix, along with the help of the thirteen forsworn, conquered the riders to become king of Alagaësia.
  • Murtagh: son of Morzan, who was a Forsworn (betrayer of the Dragon Riders); Becomes good friends with Eragon and travels with him to the Varden's hideout. He finds out in the beginning of book two (Eldest) that he is Eragons brother when he is kidnapped by urgals and the twins. He is then given one of the two remaning dragon eggs by Galbatorix and then goes through exstensive training with his dragon. Later is forced to swear his loyalty to Galbatorix in the ancient language. then later tells Eragon about their brotherhood while fighting him in thae middle of a war in the land of Surda. His dragons name is Thorn.
  • Arya: guardian elf of the dragon's egg which Saphira hatched from; is saved by Eragon from the clutches of the King and Durza
  • Durza: once a desert nomad, he becomes a powerful Shade that ravages the land and controls the Urgal army before being killed by Eragon. In the final battle with Eragon at the end of the book, he permanently scars Eragon in the back. The scar is similar to that of Murtagh and in Eldest gravely wounded Eragon until his "healing". Durza started as Carsaib, and when his parents were murdered along with his tribe he wandered about the Hadarac Desert. He stumbled upon the socerer Haeg. When Haeg was murdered in a similar attack Carsaib summoned spirits to help avenge his master's death but was overtaken by them. The spirits controlled him henceforth and thus he became the Shade known as Durza.
  • Orik: a dwarf and the nephew of Hrothgar; befriends Eragon and is his guide through Tronjheim and Farthen Dûr
  • The Twins: twin magicians with strong magical abilities; powerful men within the Varden; cruel and strange with Eragon
  • Ajihad: ruler of the Varden, a kind and just man
  • Hrothgar: king of the Dwarves, befriends Eragon
  • Nasuada: The fiery daughter of Ajihad

The Ancient Language

The Ancient Language, also referred to as the Language of Power, is the Elven language in the book that enables certain people to use magic. Because of the nature of the language, it is impossible to lie but one can lead mislead as elves show in abundance. Eragon uses it many times in the book. The Ancient language is based on Old Norse and Icelandic.

Critical reaction

There has been much criticism of Eragon, regarding everything from word usage to the marketing techniques (critics deride the labelling of the author as a "prodigy" or "wunderkind"). The book's most frequent criticism is that it uses far too many clichés. Paolinii employs stock characters, such as Elves, Dwarves, and a pseudo-orcish race known as Urgals, complete with an elite sect known as the Kull, comparable to Saruman's uruk-hai.

Reviews

Reviews of Eragon were mixed, although more solidly positive than the reviews of the book's sequel, Eldest. KLIATT found the book "exceptional", and Children's Literature said Paolini's "eye and ear for detail, especially in describing the natural world, are topnotch". VOYA's response was more balanced between praise and mild critique, saying,

"Overwritten action sequences and occasionally forced dialogue do not detract too much from the interesting and entertaining tale. Now and then losing its direction and sometimes a bit immature in style, Paolini's debut novel will make readers long for the second volume in hopes of finding both Eragon and the writing a bit more polished."

School Library Journal, while noting correctly that the book would garner many fans, added that it "does not approach the depth, uniqueness, or mastery of J. R. R. Tolkien's works, and sometimes the magic solutions are just too convenient for getting out of difficult situations."

Derivative nature of the books

Template:Cite-sources There has been much debate over whether incorporating Elves and Dwarves similar to Tolkien's is derivative or respectful. It has also been pointed out that many names in Eragon resemble those in Tolkien's work, including

Additionally, Paolini's Beor mountains are named based on the word "Beorn", which is another word for bear. In The Hobbit, there is a character known as Beorn, who has the ability to transform into a bear. There is a character named Beor in Tolkien's Silmarillion. On the map of Alagaësia, the spelling of the place name Melian is identical to the name of the character Melian the Maia of Tolkien's The Silmarillion. The Grey Folk, said to be the first few magical beings resemble the Sindarin, who are the Grey Elves. The 'Lonely Mountain' Utgard in Eragon is thought to be based on the Lonely Mountain Erebor of the Lord of the Rings. These are a few examples of what is believed to be a wider occurrence.

Yet another criticism is that the plot closely resembles that of the original Star Wars saga. Characters are also similar, down to Brom who is supposedly the last of his order. Brom's sacrifice to save Eragon resembles that of Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. The beginning is also extremely similar: A servant of an evil emperor attacks, with an army at his disposal,a convoy bearing an object of power to a rebellion against the Empire. The servant captures the convoy and its leader, but the leader (an elf) sends it away in hopes that it will fall into the hands of a wise old wizard, who is the last of his kind. The object is found by a poor farm boy, whose family is killed as a result, leaving him nothing to stay behind for. He joins the wizard on a quest. This could be used to describe the first Star Wars movie, and no one would know the difference. Paolini countered remarks of this sort by stating that most fantasy is derivative, and that Star Wars has heavy ties to Buck Rogers and Dune. Furthermore, he also believed Tolkien to echo a famous Norse myth about a ring that made a dwarf invisible, made popular by Richard Wagner's epic opera series "Der Ring des Nibelungen", or "Ring of the Nibelung," despite the fact that Tolkien himself once said; "Both rings were round and there the resemblance ceased."

Prose style

Template:Cite-sources Critics also conjectured that Paolini had the characters of Eragon act unrealistically while performing a myriad of fantasy clichés, such as "shedding a single tear" or reflecting in needless arcane speech: "When he would return, he knew not."

Movie

Fox 2000 (division of 20th Century Fox) recently bought the rights to Eragon and are making the book into a movie. Such stars as Jeremy Irons and Sienna Guillory have starring roles in this movie. The movie also has an estimated budget of $100,000,000. The film is directed by Stefen Fangmeier, who did the effects for Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004). The movie is planned to be released on the 15th of December, 2006. but this movie will star mat who will star as eragon and get some elf booty! The official site can be found here, however content is currently limited. You can find a great wealth of info on it here.

Refernces

  • ISBN 0-375-82668-8 (hardcover, August 2003)
  • ISBN 0-807-21962-2 (audio cassette, August 2003)
  • ISBN 1-400-09068-7 (compact disc, February 2004)
  • ISBN 0966621336 February 2003 STARING MATTHEW SCHATZ! THE GREATEST ACTOR EVER!

See also

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