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...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #257674 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

From the Back Cover
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!
The Sunday Times Bestseller
WHAT WAS ONCE YOUR LIFE IS NOW YOUR LEGEND.
When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy. 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 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.

INCLUDES 8 PAGES OF FULL COLOUR PHOTOS FROM THE MOVIE

About the Author
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 education at fifteen. Now twenty-one, he lives with his family in Montana, USA, where he is at work on the final volume in the Inheritance trilogy.

Customer Reviews

Not just for the young but, also, the young at heart
This book isn't just for children. I am over 18 and thoroughly enjoyed this gripping story.

The main character, Eragon, is a young farming boy who stumbles across a shiny blue stone. A stone which is the key to his destiny and adventure. Inside this stone is a dragon.

He must journey across the vast country evading enemies and making new friends. Finally, at the end, he faces off with an evil being hell bent on corrupting him and using him for evil.

This story is written with wonderful detail and the imagery flows from every word. I am now reading the sequel, ELDEST.

With the coming of the new film, perhaps reading the book will give you an idea of what to expect and, perhaps, entertain you more.

Anyone remember the lord of the rings?

Deja vu?


Yes. Tolkien with a generous smattering of 'Star Wars'.

Young Mr Paolini's influences were clear from the very start of this book. And by 'the very start', I mean from the front cover onwards. The title alone is an oliphaunt-sized clue as to what the reader might expect to find within.

I'd seen the movie trailers; thought it looked interesting (then again, anything starring Jeremy Irons grabs my attention!), so I thought I'd give the book a go. Perhaps the title was a coincidence?

Nope!

Granted, the story appeared to be fairly original, but there were too many occasions when I physically flinched at the blatant robbery of ideas contained within this story - and they were often very thinly diguised! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? Perhaps. But in my experience, imitation only creates a pale ghost of the thing that is admired.

Ironically, the best parts of this story were the original ideas. Eragon's family, the blue stone and, of course, Saphira kept me reading on. I realise Christopher was only fifteen when he wrote this and, imo, it showed. Less would have been so much more here. Unlike Tolkien, Paolini was unable to control the world he'd created. I got bogged down in all the details and the complicated travel itinerary and, I admit, I frequently skimmed the worst bits.

A less complicated story would have been easier for the young author to handle ... and a much better read!

An inspiration to young authors everywhere
So we've all heard it before, boy finds dragon egg, dragon hatches and boy and dragon go on a series of adventures in order to kill the corrupt king and to restore balance and order to a fantasy world, inhabited by the usual crew of dwarves, elves and humans, but Paolini has managed to take the story and truly make it his own. It has been said that you could tell that he was only a teenager when he wrote the book and that it's not worth reading unless you're twelve and completely devoid of imagination, but right now I'm 19, at university and read a wide range of books, from Jeffery Deaver and Clive Cussler to Tolkein and of course JK Rowling, but I still found Eragon to be a good read. I read the whole book over three days, which is a sign of the quality, because to me the faster I read a book the better it is, it has a rare quality where you actually care about the characters and want to know how everything pans out. When someone dies you really care. The dragon herself, Saphira, is well developed and is an integral part of the story and not just a fire breathing monster, she has character and can be related to. Ok, so the book's never going to win any awards for originality, but it has everything you want in a story, a likeable set of characters, an immersible world and the stereotypical evil bad guy. The world is like most other fantasy novels, it's basically middle earth by another name, with no hobbits and ra'zac, with the sorcery aspects of Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy, but this is by no means a bad thing, after it you're going to take inspiration from something, then why not take it from the best?
I can't understand why people are complaining about this book, it's an unprecocious debut from an extremely young author and should be seen as an inspiration that you do not have to be hitting thirty to be able to write and get published, not an object of ridicule. Seemingly there is an aspect of jealousy over him, that he's a young famous author, making millions, but that shouldn't be held against him, because if it is then you'll be missing a brilliant read, and a good four or five hours of entertainment. Though having said all of that it is up to the individual whether or not they purchase this book, but I urge everyone to just read this book, with no expectations and no prejudice and to just enjoy the book for what it is and that is a bloody good book!