Eldest (Inheritance, Book 2)
by Christopher Paolini
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Book Reviews of Eldest (Inheritance, Book 2)
Book Review: Jameson Thottam opinion on Eldest
Summary: 4 Stars
Jameson Thottam opinion on Eldest
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Paolini's work, Eldest is the second book in the Inheritance Trilogy, which began with "Eragon." Eragon is a child in the first book, and we meet him in Eldest as a young man immediately after the close of the previous book. For those of us who wanted to dive right in, Paolini provides a synopsis of the first book as separate chapter, so you can choose to refresh your memory or skip to the good stuff.
Main Characters - (Jameson Thottam)
Eragon: Young Dragon Rider
Saphira: His Dragon
Roran: Eragon's Cousin
Arya: Elf ranger and supporter of the Varden
Orik: Dwarf, adopted son of the dwarf king Hrothgar
Katrina: Roran's beloved
Murtagh: friend of Eragon, son of Morzan
The Twins: Sorcerous pair who dislike Eragon but side with the Varden
The Varden: an underground movement to overthrow the Empire
Morzan: Fallen Rider, evil
Galbatorrix: Emperor and the oldest known Rider, evil
Shruikan: The Emperor's black dragon
Plot- (James Thottam)
Eragon realizes he needs more training, and fulfils his promise to seek out the elves in Ellesmera. Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must defend their village from the nefaruious Ra'zac and the soldiers of Galbatorrix, the evil Emperor. I hate spoilers, so I won't go further into the plot specifics, but I will point out some good and bad qualities of the plot:
Good - (Jameson L Thottam)
Paolini does a good job weaving the multiple plotlines together, jumping to another character at a pulse-pounding moment, keeping you guessing while seeming to hide nothing.
The development of Roran as a character throughout the book is very well-executed, he moves effortlessly from extra to main character, and his emotional, physical, and mental changes feel organic and real.
Bad - (Jameson Thottam)
There is a point in the late middle of the book when the author decides to stop developing Eragon, and cheats to move the plot along. This really rubbed me the wrong way, and I felt upset about this cheating for the rest of the book.
Paolini needs to struggle less obviously with the heritage of The Lord of the Rings and other classic fantasy "quest" stories. His faltering attempts to build a culture for the races in his book sputter and skip. It would be better to decide to either put in the work to fully think these races out or to lose the pretense of doing so entirely.
Characters - (James Thottam)
As I stated earlier, Roran is exceptionally well-developed, and we see some development from Saphira and even the taciturn Arya as she returns to her elven home. Eragon, however, develops in fits and starts, leaving him tragically one-dimensional.
Pacing - (Jameson Thottam)
When I first picked up Eldest, I groaned at its hefty size, expecting another "Half-Blood Prince" with several hundred pages of nothingness follwed by 20 pages of thirlls. I was happily disappointed, Eldest is so well paced, you hardly feel its length.
When I thought about the length at all, it was more "Wow, I still get to read another half of this book, cool!" I wasn't waiting for the book to end, nor was I rushing through to get to the good part. Paolini has obviously mastered the art of pacing, a difficult feat for a young writer on only his second novel, and especially difficult given the length of the manuscript.
Emotional Range - (Jameson Thottam)
I was impressed by the way Paolini kept me swinging between emotions. I would be tearing up, then suddenly grinning at the next scene, but without any jarring change. The flow from sadness to hope/joy/humor, etc. moved me through the book smoothly.
On the other hand, Paolini isn't above the cheap shot: several times I was reading frantically, excited and tense about what was going to happen, when, just at the peak of the action, he would jump to a different character. Tantalizing and very well done, if a bit annoying for those few seconds :)
Difficulty - (Jameson Thottam)
This book is definitely on my "read to kids" list, not just for its fantasy tale, but also for the way Paolini uses language. He weaves in words that even I had to think twice about, but not in an obvious way. He writes with a natural knowledge of the complexities of the language, and the words he selects flow naturally because of this. Unlike Lemony Snicket's very conscious, in-your-face use of eclectic words, Paolini seems to assume intelligence of the reader.
Ages:
Any age, there are mentions of violence but not super gory descriptions, a few innuendos and minor romantic activity (kissing, holding).
Related Books:
Eragon, Inheritance, Book 1
Unknown Title, Inheritance, Book 3
Overall - (Jameson Thottam)
One of my new favorites, Eldest takes on the crowded field of "dragon rider" books and triumphs. Better than its predecessor and similar books like Dragon Rider (Funke) and Alta/Joust (Lackey). A true must-read novel for adults and children alike.
Jameson Thottam
Book Review: Paolini's Age is Apparent
Summary: 2 Stars
After reading this story I felt compelled to write how unsatisfied I was. I will quickly reiterate what others have already said. Eldest is derivative of so many other fantasy books, and there is no question Paolini has taken giant chunks out of Tolkein, McCaffrey, Lucas, Dungeons and Dragons, and probably many other fantasy stories I have not read. But I do not neccesarily mind that. I've read many books that have created their own compelling worlds using generic fantasy formulas, and have fallen in love with them. But this world does not have anything at all that I have not already seen. Elves living in forests? Read the hundreds of Dragonlance stories, Tolkein. Dwarves in mountains? Ditto. It's just so frustrating. But having already read Eragon, I knew all of this so I was not surprised that the world was so familiar.
While his derivative plot and world might bother some, I found many other things much more bothersome to read. I do not mean to attack home schooling, in fact I think it is a wonderful thing, but I question how much of it affected Paolini's writing. His descriptions of the world are interesting, in fact, at times even lyrical. I know he was immersed in a wonderful world to explore as he grew up. But I wonder how much social interaction he might have had. His descriptions of people seem more caricatures than actual people, and at times the descriptions are incredibly immature. The scene where he meets the council of the Varden rings out as particularly irritating. Paolini constantly fixates on the bosoms of one of the council members. I do not know if he thinks this is humorous, but it's a good sign of his immaturity. And if he were skillful enough of a writer he could perhaps have made it humorous which I believe was his intent, but it instead gave me the impression that Paolini has had very little interaction with the opposite sex. The same goes with his writing in regards to love. It is wonderfully romantic in a naive sort of way.
One other major qualm I had with the story is more personal, and probably nothing that anyone really has any problem with or even picked up. But I can't stand it so I will bring it up anyways. I hate, HATE, the depiction of the elves. I personally think Paolini shaped elves after Asians. The elves have squinty eyes, stern and serious mannerisms, and they try not to offend others; they are exotic. These are all stereotypes of Asians. He makes the elves seem so foreign, much in the manner Asians are seen as perpetual foreigners in America, and while I highly doubt Paolini intends to be racist, I think his depiction of the elves can be percieved as highly offensive.
But back to his story. There is one more thing that was a literary travesty. It is of a battle early on in the story when Roran is fighting the Ra'zac's army. Roran slices off a soldiers fingers, and the soldier, fingerless and bloody mind you, states something along the lines of, "Perhaps I should have worn a shield today." And then he is killed. I have no idea what was going through Paolini's mind. Did it make me laugh out loud? Yes because such a stupid line inserted in the middle of an intense fight makes me wonder if anyone editted this thing. No soldier EVER is going to be retrospective when they get their fingers chopped off. It was one of the stupidest things I've read. It was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Finally, once again reiterating what others have said, Paolini must not lecture us. Trying to convince us eating animals is morally wrong and to tell everyone that aetheism is the way to go is offensive, and unnecesarily assertive. Maybe, which I think was more his intention, he could have gone about trying to illustrate what he finds divisive about religion. This is not a childrens story. I don't think its focus is for children even though Paolini believes it to be. The vocabulary is complicated, though not as bad as people have said, the story is violent, absurdly violent for children in my opinion, and the audience is much more for those who know what a +3 Sword of Dancing is.
I feel any values that Paolini is trying to impart to younger readers are not well thought out. I feel his attempts to grasp right and wrong are shallow. So shallow. He begins to question the absolute values of good and evil, but in the end, there is an ultimate evil in the Empire, and Roran and Eragon will rise up to be the ultimate good. I just can't recommend this book to too many people. Maybe a book you get at the library, but to pay for it seems like a mistake when there are many better and more deserving books. I'll say that if there was a 2 1/2 stars I would give it that rating. He does have glimpses of being a fine writer, but right now hes insane, and ridiculously pompous to believe he can even compare himself to Tolkein. "May the Force be with you..." wait, no, I mean "May your swords stay sharp" when you are making your decision to buy this book.
Book Review: Worth the hype
Summary: 5 Stars
What makes a good book? Great characters, a great plot, and from the reader, the feeling of wanting more! More adventures and more pages as the inevitable happens and you find yourself turning to the last page. Does the Eldest have this? (I think you can guess my answer.)
Saphira is proud, arrogant, fierce, loyal, loveable and respectable. She's a mighty dragon who will do anything to protect her rider but like anyone, gets sidetracked by "love". Saphira is also open-minded and free in comparison to Arya, who too, is proud but wise, extremely guarded, self-dependent and quite possibly (although well hidden), lonely. Arya is a solitary, mysterious figure who is so painstakingly careful that she seems to never make a mistake. And elves do make mistakes. Just remember Vanir or Islanzadi. Surely life isn't easy or fun when you goal is perfection.
Don't forget Brom - strong, proud, secretive, flawed, rough, protective, manipulative, and a great hero. Or Roran - wounded but stubborn and willing to do what is necessary, logical, hard, and even, obsessed. And lastly, there is Eragon. He is foolish, unsure but emotional, strong, loving (too loving), kind and helplessly lost in the clutches of love. Do these characters seem one dimensional or boring? I would love to have Saphira as my dragon and to fly around above the gridlock traffic and pollution, or to just scare away the annoying people around me. I would love to invite Arya to tea and ask her certain questions, though I'm sure she would politely refuse to answer them. These characters are living, breathing and fully formed! They are interesting, fickle, unpredictable and yet predictable. And, I know I care for these people. I always worry when Saphira has to fight - what if she is harmed? And I'm always wondering and am on edge, waiting to see if Arya will do what I want her to do. Aren't these reactions the goal of every writer?
Of course a great plot is needed for a good book. What is unexciting about meeting elves, the plays of politics or watching the predicaments of others while you are safely locked away in your home? What would you do if your family and friends were threatened? Would you kill? Would you betray or remain loyal? Would you go to the ends of the earth to rescue your true love or just give up because what must happen is impossible? Roran makes these choices and in turn, makes you respect him and see him as more than just Eragon's "brother."
Elves are mysterious and interesting entities, as are dragons and as is love. From book one, most know whom Eragon loves. Watching his futile attempts kept me reading, as did the revelations of Arya and the confounding nature of the elves. Uncertainty of whether Eragon would prevail over his disability and the surprise of his transformation, the deepest secret of the elves and Eragon's little nemesis (who was flawed by many things, one being vanity), kept me turning page after page. And that's not even mentioning Eragon's blessing and Nasuada trying to keep everything from falling to . . . pieces. That sounds like a great plot to me.
So, Eldest has a great plot and great characters. It takes the reader to places we want to go. I personally loved being in Ellesmera- learning, watching, hoping, yearning . . . I didn't want to come up for air. And of course the shocking (and not so shocking) revelations all add to the plot. If you've read the first book, then you know of Angela's prophecy. And if you are well-read in this genre or just a little smart, you figured it quite quickly. But the way some elements in the prophecy were revealed, were just . . . excellent.
No, this story may not be perfect but how many are? How many authors, well respected and not, would still love to take a red pen to their published works. I bet a great deal would. Maybe this book is not great in some eyes, but I, as an avid reader have not finished many of those greats- Lord of the Rings (I really tried), Oliver Twist, Emma, Shakespeare, and countless "fantasy" books. I am quite picky as a reader and I just can't stand to read most of the junk :) on fantasy shelves. However, I did finish Eragon and the Eldest. And, I paid for each copy and I do not regret that.
Eldest is not a good book but an excellent book. If left me longing for more and impatient for book three and sad because this journey will soon come to an end. That, without a doubt, is what makes any book good or bad. And if you approach this book with an open-mind, leaving behind negativity that will surely pervade your thoughts through 704 pages, you will have an incredible adventure, complete with the hilarity of my dear Saphira's own adventure and lessons concerning. . . overindulgence . . . ha, that still cracks me up.
Book Review: Eldest ... A MUST READ!
Summary: 4 Stars
The book Eldest by Christopher Paolini is a very good read. The some of the main problems are that Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, need to become strong enough to defeat the evil King Galbatorix. Galbatorix is the most feared and powerful man alive. Eragon must also over come a scar left by the evil shade, Durza. The scar goes off when he moves it too hard, fast or in the wrong direction and causes him to wither in agony for several minutes.
The book was exciting to read. It was exciting because there were several big twists, none of which I will ruin. Also it brings back old characters and you get to know each of them a bit better. Of course there are some very cool new characters. In some parts the book was so descriptive that it seemed that the author had met the people he wrote about and had seen the sights he described.I am a big action guy. I enjoy big battles, duels, and just about any other kind of fighting. The main conflict was that Eragon and Saphira need to become strong enough to defeat the evil King Galbatorix. So logically sooner or later the King and Eragon are going to have one big show down. My guess is that it is going to be a great fight, with magic, sword fighting on ground and on dragon back, and of course aerial combat on dragon back. The characters seemed very realistic. The author was also very detailed about the characters emotions. You could tell when they were sad, uncomfortable, happy, or angry and I really liked that. The characters sometimes reminded me of characters form other movies and books. Overall the characters were great. Also you got to know more of the culture and traditions of the races which were really interesting. For example you get to see where the elves live, in a magical forest teeming with magic that the elves put there. This was a very new and cool idea. Usually they live in beautiful cities and are amazing at archery. All of this is still true but in a whole new setting which is amazing. The end was the, like the first book, the best part. In the end there is a huge battle between the Varden and the Empire. Right before the battle there are a few unexpected guests. During the battle the biggest twist comes which once again I will not ruin. At the very end of the book it left you with a few questions that I hope will be answered in the third and final book.
The author's uses voice through the character the chapter is about. For example, if it were about Eragon the story would be told through his point of view. Generally the author only went through the perspective of Eragon or Roran but in one or two chapters he talks through another character. Some of the unique characteristics the author used were switching off between Eragon and Roran. It starts with Eragon and then about four or five chapters later it goes to Roran and the book continues to do this until the end. The author uses dialogue in the right way with the characters. So everything one character says matches with that characters personality. He was also very good at showing emotion with the word he had the characters say. The author is very good with description. Sometimes it felt like I could reach out and touch something he was describing. He never used too much of it either so you would just get bored and move on to another book, but he didn't use too little where you couldn't tell the difference between two things. The overall tone of the book was positive but obviously their was some sad parts. This book also gave out good messages like don't give up, fight for what is right, and so on. I enjoyed how the author wrote this book. It brought me into the character's world and lives. Many times I was reminded of "The Lord of the Rings" but the book was still unique and quite interesting. Overall the authors writing style is unique, interesting, detailed, and it pulls you in.
I would rate this book a four and a half out of five because it was a very good and well written book but the author didn't change many of the now all too common regular dwarves live in caves, elves are very old and can live forever and so on. It was still a very unique book and it did add in new races but they need to break away from the same old routine. I highly recommend this book to all fans of fantasy, "The Lord of the Rings" series, and of course fans of Eragon.
My closing statements are that you should read this book for the reasons listed. You should also read Eragon the first in the series it is a marvelous book. You should read Eldest because it is better than Eragon, a new exciting, and great adventure book. My closing statement is that I hope Christopher Paolini makes the third and final book the best yet. Hope you read it.
Book Review: Palony is baloney
Summary: 2 Stars
The surprising revealed "twist" was the George Lucas'
-" ERAGON.. kcuo, kcoo... I is ...kkoou... your brudder."
The only plus side to the book is that the story is told in two views, Eragons and Roans. Paradoxically, Roan's part was more interesting, wheras Eragon's was dull and boring (* HINT to Paolini we do not enjoy reading 250 pages of useless filler, that consist of mundane activities such as eating, drinking camping, shaving( whopee! he matures, who cares?), washing, listening to ants think, having 5 page long conversations with a half-witted dragon that amount to nothing, magically painting pictures, stalking Arya, frolicking and picking flowers for the princess, etc. I forced myself to read through this part, for I thought that surely the author will throw in some unexpected action. Yeah......um.... any page now.... they'll...... they'll uh..... get attacked by Urguls! maybe... The flowers and trees will violently EXPLODE! The fire will spread like a tsunami and consume the entire elf city! Then Gollum will jumps out of nowhere -(why not, all the rest of Tolkein's characters are in the book anyway)- and violently attacks Eragon, stealing his sword and screeching "MY PRECIOUS!!!"
Unfortunately my imagined mock story above is more exciting than Eragons entire section in the book.
Nothing whatsoever happens. There are about 300 pages of inactivity for Eragons part in Eldest. Roan's part absolutely saved this book. At least there's some action. I found myself skimming and skipping Eragon's part. Toward the middle of the book you no longer care for Eragon anymore, you just skip his section and plod to Roan's story.
SPOILERS AHEAD * *
To sum the book up:
1. We find out that Eragon is a weakling ( he faints every second like a girl, this is supposed to be a hero? )
2. We learn ( what we already knew in the 1st book) that Arya is a princess. Which is supposed to be a "shocking" development in the story line, that is really a redundant error.
3. We see examples of completly opposite relatives.
example:
sissy-boy (A.K.A. Eragon) sends his beloved Arya off to save his friend Murtagh from a horde of dangerous monsters, while Roan (his cousin) repeatedly risks his life to save his girlfriend from a band of Razzac. He makes Eragon look like a child dressing up in a superhero costume.
4. Paolini's "secret language" is more annoying than an enhancement. You want to scream in frustration "DUDE SPEAK ENGLISH!" Or at least a familiar language like Spanish. I didn't even bother to flip to the glossary in the back. I skipped over these parts and when I finished reading the book, I looked over the glossary and saw that the words were lame greetings (The moon is great, The stars are bright) and epithets of sorts. I didn't miss anything by not interpreting while reading.
5. We find out that the twins are really evil (another no-brainer from the not-so-subtle clues) which Paolini touts as a "twist".
6. Eragon metamorphose into an effeminate elf.
7. Eragon is the next Shakespere (NOT!).
paraphrased exerpt:
Eragon- "How beautiful are the stars, How beautiful are the trees, just like thou art princess Arya."
This has to be hands down the lamest poem ever! He would have been better off saying roses are red, violets are blue, I love you princess. Come on lover boy, think harder.
8. We learn Eragon likes to visually fondle naked elderly male elves for fun. Very disturbing and Shocking. One has to wonder about the mind of the author.....
9. There is stupid, unrealistic dialogue- I only have 8 seconds left to live and I'm gonna waste them by saying "I have some last words for you Eragon Shadesla--" cough, cough, I'm dead.
*Advise to Paolini for next book. I will read it if the character Murgtah destroys Eragon. He's actually more likable to readers than Eragon. But alas, we all know Paolini will not do this, and it will probably be Murgtah that dies. Eragon needs to grow a spine, and stop cringing everytime his sparring buddy raises a sword.
In conclusion, Palony is Baloney, ...er... or any other meat that equates to nothingness, and is comprised by pilfering from other entities.