Apr 09, 2006 04:15 PM
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(Updated May 23, 2006 10:31 PM)
Eragon pushed Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince on no.2 on the sunday times best selling list! It sounded impossible to me. I mean, there was no best selling list in the world which was not topped by Harry Potter, but this came as a shock. So, I parted with my pocket-money to buy it.
Now you'll clearly think from the title of my review that Eragon is blatant copy of Lord Of The Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien and the world-famous Harry Potter series by Joanne Kathleen Rowling. But no, the plot is somewhat different, but like LOTR and HP, the basic concept of the book upon which the plot lies deals with magic, fantastic beasts etc.
About the plot
Eragon is a fifteen year old teen who lives in a small village with a poor family. His family consists of his uncle and his uncle's son. One night, while wandering for food in a dreaded forest, Eragon finds a dragon egg which he thinks is some stone. He takes it home in hope to buy some food by selling it. Soon, the news reaches the ruler of the kingdom, Galbatorix, a tyrant and a dragon rider. Now Eragon aso has a dragon egg from which a dragon is born and destiny chooses Eragon to be the dragon rider of the new age. Galbatorix sends raz'ac to his village to capture Eragon and his dragon, but instead the raz'ac kill Eragon's uncle. With the help of Brom, a wise old man, Eragon sets on a adventure to avenge his uncle's death. And then he learns all about dragns and the dragon riders. The most of the book is about his journey through deserted landscapes to escape fro the Galbatix's soldiers. As you read on, the plot becomes more complex with the addition of new characters and twists.
Writing style
Eragon was written by Christopher Paolini when he was twently years old. Christopher's narration is not very impressive and powerful. But he deserves praises for the plot. The execution of the book is similar to LOTR and HP. In LOTR, Frodo, Sam and Aragorn go on an endless journey through mountains, forests, valleys and other rough terrains to destroy a ring. The same is case with Eragon. The characterisation is similar to HP. Eragon is fifteen. He's a bit stupid. He takes reckless and mindless risks, just like Harry Potter. Brom, a wise old man who dies in a battle can be compared to Albus Dumbledore, a wise old man in the Harry Potter books who dies in a fight.
All in all, Eragon is worth reading. I would rate it somewhere near two stars. It doesn't deserve even three stars as the execution and characterisation are not original, the plot is a copy. Christopher needs to be more creative in his ideas. And he must also improve his narration. Not that its weak, he needs to make it more intriguing and thrilling. But as this his debut book, we can excuse him. He's also written Eldest- The second book in the series.
Kids upto 15 will like this book. I half recommend this book. I dont know why this book is so hyped. Maybe Paolini just wanted to enter the book-world, but he messes the things up. Its clearly LOTR's copy. But he has added some mirch masala. My suggestion is, try not to read this if you dont have anything else to read. Few hard-core fantasy lovers may like it, most wont. Its average or below average work.
