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Binding: HardcoverEAN: 9780375826689 ISBN: 0375826688 Label: Knopf Books for Young Readers Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 544 Publication Date: June 25, 2003 Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers Reading Level: Young Adult Studio: Knopf Books for Young Readers Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: Here's a great big fantasy that you can pull over your head like a comfy old sweater and disappear into for a whole weekend. Christopher Paolini began Eragon when he was just 15, and the book shows the influence of Tolkien, of course, but also Terry Brooks, Anne McCaffrey, and perhaps even Wagner in its traditional quest structure and the generally agreed-upon nature of dwarves, elves, dragons, and heroic warfare with magic swords. Eragon, a young farm boy, finds a marvelous blue stone in a mystical mountain place. Before he can trade it for food to get his family through the hard winter, it hatches a beautiful sapphire-blue dragon, a race thought to be extinct. Eragon bonds with the dragon, and when his family is killed by the marauding Ra'zac, he discovers that he is the last of the Dragon Riders, fated to play a decisive part in the coming war between the human but hidden Varden, dwarves, elves, the diabolical Shades and their neanderthal Urgalls, all pitted against and allied with each other and the evil King Galbatorix. Eragon and his dragon Saphira set out to find their role, growing in magic power and understanding of the complex political situation as they endure perilous travels and sudden battles, dire wounds, capture and escape. In spite of the engrossing action, this is not a book for the casual fantasy reader. There are 65 names of people, horses, and dragons to be remembered and lots of pseudo-Celtic places, magic words, and phrases in the Ancient Language as well as the speech of the dwarfs and the Urgalls. But the maps and glossaries help, and by the end, readers will be utterly dedicated and eager for the next book, Eldest. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell Product Description: Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy—until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire. “An authentic work of great talent.”—The New York Times Book Review “Christopher Paolini make[s] literary magic with his precocious debut.”—People “Unusual, powerful, fresh, and fluid.”—Booklist, Starred “An auspicious beginning to both career and series.”—Publishers Weekly A New York Times Bestseller A USA Today Bestseller A Wall Street Journal Bestseller A Book Sense Bestseller Average Rating:
 Rating: - Better than the MovieI happen to be a reader that saw the movie before I was aware there was a book. I then read the second book Eldest first which I enjoyed a great deal and recently read Eragon (Book 1). The movie was alright but I don't think it does the book justice. The movie is like a short condensed to fault version with a different ending. All in all, I say Eragon was a good and interesting book. Rating:  - Painfully Bad WritingWhile it's fine that it was written by a kid, the writing is painfully bad. If you want to read good writing rather than a gimmick, try another book. Rating:  - MUCH better than the MOVIE version ...OK, so we all get it that Christopher Paolini (CP) incorporated a lot of other works of fiction into his. That being said, let's move on ... I watched the movie version [on HBO multiple times] of this book for almost a year before reading the book. I originally thought the book would follow the movie with a few small exceptions [like how they did the Harry Potter series vs. their books]. Oh, how I was WRONG!! The book is NOTHING LIKE THE MOVIE!! (NOTE: I honestly don't know ... Read More Rating: - well i liked it...i know on here are more bad reviews then good ones but im halfway now and i admit that i really like this book and though it might not live up to lord of the rings. its still not that bad. Rating:  - Readable but painfully unoriginalI actually re-read this, and almost reached the end without realising I'd already read it a year or so before. It's that memorable. It "borrows" heavily from several well-known fantasy authors' work, with little (if any) original content, and the sources are painfully evident throughout. Although it's readable, the writing is shallow and immature. This isn't surprising, considering the author's age. Yes, it's impressive that he finished it, but that doesn't mean it automatically deserved ... Read More |
