Product Description

When Eragon finds a polished stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands - 'A winner - tip of the hat to young master Paolini' Anne McCaffrey, author of The Dragonriders of Pern series'A compelling and action-filled adventure ...a galloping good example of its genre' Daily Telegraph'This book is an achievement. Readers ...will be transported' Sunday Times' A portrayal of true affection between boy and dragon - Paolini writes like someone gripped by his own story' Guardian'A stirring fantasy of epic proportions' The Bookseller

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #785 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback

From the Back Cover
One boy...One dragon...A world of adventure.

When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy almost as old as the Empire itself.
Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands....

'A compelling and action-filled adventure...a galloping good example of its genre'. Daily Telegraph

'This book is an achievement. Readers...will be transported'. Sunday Times

'A portrayal of true affection between boy and dragon...Paolini writes like someone gripped by his own story.' Guardian.

'A stirring fantasy of epic proportions'. The Bookseller

About the Author
Christopher Paolini:
Christopher Paolini was educated at home by his parents. His abiding love of fantasy and science fiction inspired him to begin writing his debut novel, Eragon, when he graduated from high school at fifteen. Now twenty, he lives with his family in Montana, USA, where he is at work on Eldest, the next volume in the Inheritance trilogy.

Customer Reviews

A good read, if a little wooden at times ...
For any fantasy/sci-fi fan, Eragon will contain a lot of familiar material. However, it is well written and has a fast-moving pace which makes up for its derivative nature. Although the story and characters are not new, it is an interesting (if not particularly thrilling) read.

On the down-side, the dialogue is very wooden and a lot of the description is long-winded and verbose. I suppose we can excuse Paolini, seeing as he was quite young when he wrote it.

Altogether, a good read (if you can stand the none-too-subtle echoes of Star Wars and LOTR).

Eragon
the Eragon books are brilliant if you havent seen the film wich ruins it making in my opinion a worse picture for the book. Still well worth the read of all the series!

better than harry potter
I have read and re-read this book many times. Although many reviews say it has many similarities to LOTR and Star Wars....well obviously!! Think of it this way....if Paolini wrote that Dwarves were a graceful race, powerful in magiv and lived in trees, and that Elves were somewhat uncouth in comparison, mining in mountains for treasures....it wouldn't work. LOTR and other fantasies have instilled too much in every fantasy reader that for Paolini to create something completely different would be ludicrous. Yes, some characters have similar roles to those in Star Wars, but in every book, do you not need a hero? a powerful foe? a tutor to teach a new found gift (if applies) and a woman for the hero to fall for. I think there is one of those in pretty much most books.

Anyway, enough of that. I think the reason I liked this book so much was the concept of magic he used. I think it was a clever idea, because of the origins of it, the limitations that were set up upon the magic...and it hasnt left too many questions about magic in its wake.

It is an easy read and does not delve into too much detail and history as for example LOTR does, which means it retains the readability of Harry Potter, which many people love.

In my opinion, if you liked Harry Potter, you'll love this!!