Eragon

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author:	Christopher Paolini

Thoughts:

Wait, what’s this? A farm boy yet again? When have we last seen a farm boy waged war in story? There’s Luke Skywalker, it think Clark Kent too? Good thing Harry Potter didn’t have farming aspirations! Really, do humble beginnings always spell out farm boy? I’m also wondering where I’ve read this story from.. A farm boy lives humbly in an isolated field. He lives with his uncle. His house was burnt down. Then a wise sage, an old friend, suddenly knows a lot about the empire politics and the farm boy’s potential powers. They travel together, the sage enhances the boy’s skills. They save a princess. They go to the secret place of the rebels. The boy is the last of his kind. The boy fights in the rebel battles. The boy saves the rebels! The next part of the story is that the boy has to continue his training because the sage dies. Does this story ring a bell? Watch Star Wars: A New Hope! That’s exactly what happened. After watching that movie, don’t read Eragon anymore, because Star Wars just spoiled the whole plot for you. Yes, folks. That’s the summary of Eragon, except that He has a dragon. And instead of being the first Jedi after the race have been extinct, Eragon is the last Rider. He can also do magic, unlike Luke who can control the “Force”. Oh, and the princess is not his long lost twin sister.

This book is a Merger of Lord of the Rings AND Star Wars.. Just given different names. Eragon-Aragorn, Arya – Arwen (who happens to be an elf princess that Eragon falls in love with, familiar??). It was entertaining enough, but really not worth buying. I had to put down the book several times because it was not as exciting, as say, His Dark Materials. . All in all it was fun. What’s great for me is the dragons bit. I have not read a fantasy book that involves a whole lot of dragons in it.. (unless you consider Harry Potter with his hungarian horntail, or Terry Pratchett’s color of Magic.). And I’m not familiar with tons of fantasy novels so I really can’t compare if this work is in fact a hack. I think I loved the very straight forward and predictable story line, where you know that in the end the hero would survive, and save the princess. It’s really formulae yet very enjoying… just please don’t overdo the fancy words! Really! I liked this BOOK, despite everything else, I enjoyed Eragon's adventures! =) Just don't expect anything BIG.

Book vs. Movie. Well, the movie SUCKed that’s for sure. I’d have to watch the movie again in order to compare correctly. But If I remember correctly, I felt like I was watching a TV-Movie in the theatre. Really-really B type. And they left out A LOT from the book. The book was decent enough, the movie.. 100% dud. Didn’t like Eragon, or Brom or even Arya.


(If you are not familiar with the work...)
Summary:
Enter the Shade, scary sorcerer who’s waiting for an ambush. Together with a few urgals they are waiting for a certain band of elves. Then 3 elves enter the scene, a woman in the middle carrying a stone, the other two are her guards. The guards drop dead, and when the shade was about to take the stone the woman makes the stone disappear. The shade then kidnaps the woman and destroys everything in sight.

Eragon, 15 years old, farm boy and hunter. When he was about to shoot a dear, a mysterious stone suddenly appears. He was not able to get the dear but thought that the stone may be worth something. Eragon tried selling the stone but no one would buy it, for no one knows its worth, and people seem to be afraid of magic. He goes home to his Uncle Garrow, and cousin Roran. They live away from the village and tend to a farm.

Roran, his older cousin tells everyone that he wants to find work elsewhere so that he may earn enough money to marry. This pisses Eragon off and he goes all broody and mopping in his room. Then the stone suddenly hatches. It’s not a stone after all but a dragon egg! Eragon takes care of the dragon in the forest and hides this from his uncle. Suddenly, strangers come into the village looking for the stone. Villagers point to Eragon and the strangers go to his farm. Saphira , the dragon’s name, out of fear carries Eragon to a secluded area for no reason. When they come back to the farm, it was burnt down and Eragon’s uncle is found dead.
Brom the village storyteller finds Eragon trying to escape the village. Brom knows alot about dragons and such and pledged that he will help Eragon avenge his uncle. Brom and Eragon are now set out to track down the Raz’ac to kill them. (The Raz’ac are the creatures that killed Garrow). We now find out that the Raz’ac are working for the Empire. The empire is lead by the tyrant Galbatorix, the main villain in this series. The legend of the Riders has ended with Galbatorix. He is a Rider himself and killed all the Riders before him. So, Eragon is part of this new generation of Riders.

Brom gives Eragon this sword called Zar’roc. Saying.. “You have more of a claim to it than I do” hint hint? Now they have to track down the Raz’ac with the Empire not noticing them because of Saphira. The empire would of course like to get the last dragon and Rider. Brom makes a saddle for Eragon, and they get horses for travelling. During their travels Brom would train Eragon by sparring with him using branches or sticks.

On their travels, they stop by Yazuac to gather provisions, where the whole town has been destroyed and the villagers killed. It was silent until they were attacked by urgals. They fight, and suddenly in a desperate attempt to survive, Eragon performs magic. Brom explains a little about magic, that it should be spoken in the Ancient Language (elves use this) and the elves a great at magic. Brom teaches Eragon the little that he knows of magic.

They drop by a town called Darat. They hear of tidings of the Urgals and the pirates that attack particular Merchants. Next destination Teirm. Brom’s merchant friend Jeod lives here. They try to investigate about the Raz’ac’s location through the rare oil they found in the forest. Eragon learns to read and write. He also meets Angela who tells his fortune and Solembaum the werecat.

Next town, Dras Leona, they have a lead on the Raz’ac! Finally. They head to this town, find out about slave trades. They also find out that the Raz’ac live in Hellsgrind. On the way here, they battle a couple of Raz’acs and Broms gets killed in the process. We now meet Murtargh a fellow traveller and he helps Eragon keep Brom save. They bury Brom and continue travelling.

They are now at the outskirts of Gil’ead. Here Eragon is captured by the urgals. In prison, he sees the woman in his dreams. (I did not mention this before but he has been dreaming of a woman being tortured.) He is now compelled to save this woman. He also meets the Shade, Durza for the first time. He manages to get out from his cell and with the help of Saphira and Murtagh they escape. Now they head to the Varden (the rebel group). The woman elf named Arya told them of the secret location of the Varden. They have to get there in time to save Arya from the poison. With perseverance they manage to get to the Varden. The Varden is located in a dwarf city called Tronjeim. Eragon meets Ajihad the leader of the Varden and Hrotghar the dwarf King.

Murtagh was kept in prison, Its now revealed that Murtagh is the son of one of the forsworn, Morzan. Arya also battles Eragon to test his skill in the sword. And the twins tested him on his magic prowess. After all the pleasantries, and Arya surviving a battle is now in order. They are now going to battle the Kull an elite force of the Urgals. Together with the shade. All the dwarf tunnels are now being destroyed the ones left are being prepared for ambush. Everyone’s in battle now, Eragon, Arya, Murtagh, Orik, Nasuada and Ajihad.

The battle ensues, Eragon helps here and there. Saphira gets wounded badly so they had to go inside. But the Shade suddenly appears beside Eragon. They cross their swords. Which apparently, Eragon is a gazillion times weaker and will in NO WAY win the fight. Durza manages to inflict this long wound on Eragon’s back. When all hope is lost. Saphira and Arya destroys the Isidar Mithrim. This distracted Durza and Eragon manages to stab him in the heart. Eragon passes out. They win the battle because the kull are now released from the mind control. Ze end.