Eldest (Inheritance, Book 2)
by Christopher Paolini
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Book Reviews of Eldest (Inheritance, Book 2)
Book Review: same shortcomings as Eragon, but if you liked the first, you'll like this too
Summary: 2 Stars
Eragorn suffered from being written by a teenager whose writing lacked emotional depth. The plot was episodic, and in places it dragged. The characters were flat and were not always consistent. Eragorn's relationship with Saphria was the most enjoyable aspect of the book.
Eldest, at this point in my foray into a library copy, suffers from these same flaws. The writing falls short of "lyrical" (Tolkien and Seamus Heaney are safe from ouster by Paolini for the moment). Instead, often the clunky awkwardness of Miriam-Webster's seeps through. I don't doubt Paolini has a large vocabulary, but he does not deploy it to his best advantage, and often "look at me" words jar the narrative. A big word does not automatically imbue a scene with deep meaning, and too often Paolini's SAT-grade vocabulary seems to be trying to impose signifigance from without, when all along it's been lacking from within.
Simpy put, Paolini just doesn't have the life experience--call it maturity if you want--to write convincingly about many of the emotions and events he wants to portray. I often feel he is saying something because he thinks that's how it's supposed to be described by a "writer" and not because it's a phrase or passage that arose out of his own emotional engagement with his imaginary world. And for that reason, I have a very difficult time becoming emotionally invested in Eldest. Because adults are more likely to notice things like this than kids (simply a difference in life experience), adults may find Eldest frustrating or unreadable this reason, while the needlessly drawn-out plot may lose kids' attention, as well as adults'--as it does mine at times. Basically, those who insist on writing that is at least more than minimally competent for publication will probably find Eldest lacking in a very important element.
Dialogue is still awkward. It's best when Saphria is speaking, because of the characters only she truly has her own voice. I suspect words like "alas" are supposed to elevate it to high fantasy, but the syntax simply makes them stand out awkwardly.
Character development happens in sudden bursts, so Eragon's farmhand cousin goes from country bumpkin to general-at-war with no transition phase. Eragon remains rather tepid, surrounded by (relatively) more interesting characters.
As Eldest is even longer than Eragon, inevitably the plot becomes simply too protracted. Many mature writers can't sustain a story over that length, and Paolini could have taken several oportunities to tighten up his plot and shave extraneous material. I'm a little curious about the other dragon, so I'll plug away (I have established a program of reading a certain amount every evening), but be prepared for a long hike. Most of the revelations were not particularly surprising, since this is so grounded in fantasy conventions, but one was mostly unanticipated on my part.
Overall, this has been a sporadic read for me. At times I am interested (though, again, never yet emotionally engaged except a little at times towards Saphria, the dragon), but often I must work through several chapters that, frankly, do not appeal to me, either in their narrative or characters.
In my opinion, the books are a long way from deserving a fraction of the hype. For a high-school age teenager, Eragon was above average. For a published work, it was mediocre at best. Eldest is on about the same level, and although other popular authors have also produced poorly written work, in this case the age gimmick should have worn off by now. Judged as professionally published books, I think both books are not impressive.
BUT, if you loved Eragon, run out and buy this. There's more of the same, and it's always great to get back in touch with characters you liked. If you were moderately interested, go to the library (and try not to reward Knopf for publishing such under-edited work). If you hated it, well, you probably ought not to be reading anything else by the same author.
Book Review: Empty and Feeble
Summary: 2 Stars
There are many different problems that I have with Paolini and his books. I don't need to delve to deeply into them all because that path is a well beaten one. It is widely known that his books, Eragon and Eldest, are wildly derivative and simplistic. My main problem, however, doesn't come with the stories, although I find them to be mediocre. My main problem is with Paolini himself.
The biggest problem with the Inheritance Trilogy is the emotion and believability of the characters. The mood, emotion, and the characters themselves are essential in creating a new world. This is where the first problem lies, and it is a glaring one. It seems to me that Paolini wrote his characters and their emotions the way he had read them to be, rather than creating new ones of his own. As I read Paolini's refrences to loyalty, bravery, and love, and I found them all to be ridden with cliche. Heroes dying in the arms of others. Poetry read to secret crushes, etc. I am not saying that this isn't a problem and that it doesn't work in some places, but Paolini doesn't seem to believe in what he is writing. He seems only to write the way he has heard others write. That problem is a big one. An example of this can be found in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. One of the most powerful moments in that series is when Boromir falls to the Orcs, but continues to battle until his death. Everything in that passage conjures up images of grief and sadness, and when Boromir dies, the reader is left feeling empty. Another example of successful emotion portrayed through a story is in Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men." When Lennie is killed by George, the reader can feel the internal struggle and frustration of George. You can feel the ignorance of Lennie and you can sense his longing for a better life. When he dies, you are left feeling empty and sick, as if your brother had died. It is tremendously impactful and moving.
No move to Paolini's version of Ajihad's death. (I understand this is in Eragon but I still need to make the point). As I read that passage, I felt no grief or emotion whatsoever. I merely wondered to myself what Paolini was going to do now. Ajihad died in Eragon's arms, but the scene felt hollow and I felt completely removed from it. The same thing happpend with Brom's death. I was upset that he had died but only because I felt he hadn't been developed enough. The death itself brought nothing out for me. I looked at it precisely as it was; a make believe character dying.
Emotion is as choppy as this throughout both books. Cliches leer on every page. Character's mutter nonsensical words in a feeble attempt to make the stories epic. Instead of believing in his characters, Paolini merely treats them as card board cut outs which he freely manipulates at whim.
Another problem with Eldest is the plot. It is way to linear. As I read, I found myself connecting dots. "Eragon goes from point A to point B, so that eventually he can go to point C." That is not how reality works, and that's not how fantasy should work either. The world and the future does not unfold perfectly in front of someone. It does not fit into a puzzle. The future is wild and sporadic. That is what tests the hero. Sudden jolts and shifts. Paolini seemed like he was trying to create these jolts but they felt way to forced. "Kill off Ajihad so Nassuada can take over the Varden. Point A to point B. etc. etc...)
I will give credit to Paolini for accomplishing what many other writers will never accomplish; creating an accessible and fun world for others to read. I can't give credit to his unorginality or his lack of experience in the real world. He has obviously never experienced heart break or loss. His writing shows that and until he experiences these things, he will have no choice but to take the word of other authors who can do much much better than he can....
I apologize for the grammatical mistakes in here. I don't have time to proofread.
Book Review: In defense of honest reviews...
Summary: 1 Stars
Since when does being honest equal being jealous? To D. Corso: just because people hate this book, that doesn't mean that we're jealous. In fact, if you actually took the time to READ the reviews, you would see that jealousy has NOTHING to do with it! Most people don't like this book, or it's predecessor, simply because they are poorly written. Not everyone is a disgruntled or thwarted writer.
Is Paolini's story different than J.K. Rowling's? Absolutely yes! First of all, Paolini didn't get published the "usual" way: his parents self-published the book. (For an explanation of self-publishing, see below.) Paolini then promoted it to area schools, Carl Hiasson's step-son got ahold of it, loved it, and told his step-father. Hiasson then told an editor at Knopf about it, they were put in contact with Paolini and the rest is publishing history. This is not a "rags to riches" story at all. It's a matter of being in the right place at the right time and having parents shell out big bucks to get you there. Unlike Paolini, J.K. Rowling had to actually work for her success. She was a starving single mother, who first had to endure getting an agent, and then rejection after rejection from almost every publishing company in Britain before Bloomsbury finally accepted it. Her success is well-deserved because she struggled and worked for it. Paolini's was handed to him.
Also, as you pointed out, "The book should not be judged by the age of its author or the incredible amount of hype surrounding the author." Yes, it should be judged by the quality of the writing and the strength of the story. And if 1/2 of the reviewers feel that the writing is crappy-- which it is-- and the story is derivative-- which it is-- then that's their opinion and they are entitled to it. I see very few negative reviewers attacking the positive reviewers. Strangely enough, it's the positive reviewers attacking the negative ones. Hmmm.... We have just as much right to our opinion as you do.
I have a BA in English with an emphasis in writing. I think I can judge a good book when I read one. And personally, this is a terrible book, for all of the reasons mentioned by so many reviewers. I feel that Paolini shouldn't be excused because of his age, since he's published by a major publisher like Knopf. When I worked at a small children's publishing company, I was under the impression that there are standards in publishing. Paolini's editor should take some editing classes since she doesn't know how to edit. She needs them as much as the author himself needs to take writing classes. In my opinion, if he's going to say that he strives for Tolkien's lyrical beauty, and he doesn't match it, then I have a right to critique him. But on the other hand, if you liked it, more power to you. That's your opinion.
And finally, an FYI: "Self-publishing" means that one publishes the book by oneself. That means that the author takes full control of editing, contacting a printer, and marketing. There are no standards in self-publishing beyond the authors own expertise and opinion of his/her work. So when Paolini's parents published the book, they did so without professional guidance, beyond their own expertise. Self-publishing rarely leads to success and is often extremely expensive due to marketing costs. It's rare for these books to achieve any kind of success because they are usually quite bad and there's a reason why no major company will accept them. If Paolini wasn't such a good little marketer, I doubt Knopf would have given him the time of day.
I know a young author who just self-published her book, and contrary to current standards, hers is excellent. It makes me sad and angry that she went the "usual" route and was forced to self-publish when Paolini had success handed to him. This book isn't so much an example of good writing as it is of someone just being lucky. So I'm not jealous, just mad and sad. There's a difference.
Book Review: Eldest (Book Reveiw)
Summary: 5 Stars
Eldest (Book Review)
Eldest the story of a fire breathing dragon is thrilling book to read! The blue dragon, Saphira, was one of the last dragons alive. Eragon owns and rider this dragon; he loves and cares for her as he would a close family member. Without either of them the evil king Galbatorix will devastate all of Algaesia. The book starts after the major battle where the Urgals and Galbatorix's forces join to fight the Varden. While Eragon was aiding the Varden he suffers a serious wound to his back by the shade Durza. Aijihad is killed and the twins and Murtaugh are taken by other Urgals. Nasuada is chosen to take his place and defend them against the king. Eragon and Saphira travel to a different place so that he can train to become stronger so he could defeat king Galbatorix. They travel with Arya and some other people to go to the elves so he could complete his training. Eragon's wound heals completely and then he meets up with Murtaugh. Murtaugh has turned evil and Eragon figures out something very surprising. Murtaugh is his brother! Not only that but this means Eragon's father is Morzan, the king's sidekick who was killed a long time ago! This is a fantastic book and I would recommend it to people who are dragon fans and love interesting fantasy.
The first reason I liked this book is because of the action contained in the material. Either Eragon or his cousin Roran was doing something you wanted to read about. When Aijihad was killed by the Urgals Eragon rushed to his side to assist him. While he was distracted the twins and Murtaugh were taken. Meanwhile Roran returning back to Carvahall only to discover Galbatorix's forces were located there. Eragon faced the dragon-like creatures and they were starting to take control of his mind but they got away from them just in time to escape their magic. Last but not least when Roran decided to fight the soldiers and lead a revolt. He chooses a hammer while the other people selected other weapons such as swords and spears. Roran slaughtered a lot of the soldiers with no mercy and no chance for them to defend themselves. Roran earned a new nickname "Roran Stronghammer".
The author also described the characters with really strong details. The author explained Eragon feelings for Arya and how he felt about her especially when they reached the elves' palace. He described how infuriated Roran was when he reached Carvahall and found his farm in ruins. Instead he just decided to propose without her father's permission. He was also disappointed how Eragon left and allowed the soldiers to go into Carvahall. Saphira started loving another dragon named Glaedr. He was the only other dragon she had ever seen and she was lucky it was male. Glaedr didn't share Saphira's affection want Saphira so she got mad and attacked him.
The book also kept you guessing on what was going to happen next. It was exciting to try to predict but I could never get it right. I never suspected that Roran was actually going to find Eragon after he traveled so far. It was a really low probability since he was really far from Carvahall. Aijihad dying really took me by surprise. He was a very important person too many people. The Dwarves weren't sure if his daughter, Nasuada, could be as good of a leader as Aijihad. The most unpredictable thing was towards the end of the book when Eragon was fighting Murtaugh and he figured out that he was his brother. Eragon and Saphira were both shocked when Murtaugh told him about Eragon being the son of Morzan.
Eldest is literally the greatest book I have ever read. People of all ages would enjoy this book as much as I do. Eldest was action packed with a mix of love and adventure. The unique combination is why I think this the greatest book I ever read. It had lots of description and always kept me guessing about what was going to happen next. I can't wait until the next book in the series comes out.
D. Bennett
Book Review: eck.
Summary: 1 Stars
All right, by this time I think everyone, even the die-hard fans, if there are any, will have agreed that Eragon is possibly the most plagiarized "book" published in fifty years. Personally, I think that Eragon is a bestseller because of its luring cover and the fact that people are wowed by the fact that it was written by a young adult (so what, Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice at age 21, and I think we can all agree that P&P is five hundred times superior to this trilogy).
Ok, so blah blah blah. Ok, major characters are killed in the first five pages of the book, a couple of them so bluntly and indifferently that its quite obvious that they arent actually dead. One of these people can be a rather sympathetic character, but I snorted at his death, which proved how inept this author is at describing grief and stuff. Eragon goes to the Elves' forest, ruled by a mysterious queen (aka Lothlorien and Galadriel) and it turns out that he is in love with Arya (Arwen) who is in fact a elvish princess. Big suprise.
He looks into a mirror-like thingy that has visions (unoriginal, as usual) and I positively howled with laughter at Eragon's courtship of Arya.
OK, and I don't remember much, but zip to the final battle. Oh noo! everything seems lost until another army shows up (think battle of Minas Tirith in Lord of the Rings) and ohh noooo a dragon with a mysterous rider swoops down on the battle, and the rider kills the head of the army! THe rider lands, and I supposed Paolini was watching the Lord of the Rings DVD when he wrote this, because the rider's uniform, steel mask, steel gloves and crap is suspiciously similar to the Witch King nazgul in Return of the King. And of course, the rider and Eragon battle. Did I also mention that the battle took place on a godforsaken, barren plain? Highly original. Then ohhhh noooooo the rider is the one that was so poorly killed off in the beginning of Eldest. Then Eragon learns who his father is, and though I won't tell you about it, think Luke Skywalker.
By the way, I am so fed up with this author. His conceit, his self-importance drives me insane. His bragging that he "graduated early", (yeah and what college are you going to, btw?) of being so young, his self-congratulation, shows absolute arrogance. Seriously, there ought to be a heavy fine for the kind of blatant, blunt arrogance that Paolini displayed. He has been heard to compare himself to Tolkien, to call his works "lyrical beauty" and more crap like that. His writing has not improved, and he also has been heard to smugly remark that he does not care what people think of his writing. Obviously he has no wish to improve his writing, published this book for the sole wishes of fame and riches other than a desire to publish a good story, and has no humility whatsoever. It's sickening.
I nearly fainted when I heard that they were making a movie of Eragon. Thank god Peter Jackson had the sense not to sign on, or anything, but all the same, the producers were clearly hoping for a Lord of the Rings sort of reaction. I saw their poster, and it looked like a wishy-washy, inferior, laughable version of the LOTR movie cover. I nearly died laughing. I sure hope this movie will die a quick death in the box office.
Oh I forgot to mention that there is a lot more of Eragon's cousin, Rowan, in the book. This brings to mind a part in the story when this flying bad creature flies above Rowan's village, screeching and making everyone clap their ears. Hmm. And what's more pitiful, I'm not really a fantasy reader. I have not read that many fantasies, and according to other reviewers, Eragon is copied off from a lot more works than Star Wars or LOTR. How is that possible? I didn't think that there could be anymore unoriginal content than there already is.
I' m straying from the point. Anyway, Rowan takes a fancy to hitting people over the head with a hammer. I burst into laughter every time I think of this.