Product Description

Following the colossal battle against the Empire's warriors, Eragon and Saphira narrowly escaped with their lives. But, more awaits the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by promises he may not be able to keep, including his oath to cousin Roran to help rescue his beloved Katrina. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes, Eragon must make choices that take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice. Conflict, action, adventure and one devastating death await readers as Eragon battles on behalf of the Varden while Galbatorix ruthlessly attempts to crush and twist him to his own purposes. Can he become a leader who can unite the rebel forces and defeat the King?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63287 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 23
• Binding: Audio CD

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini -- of which Brisingr is the latest -- shows every sign of becoming one of the most exuberant and entertaining fiction sequences in modern writing, with a scope and ambition that genuinely takes the breath away. This is a fantasy world which is cleverly designed to appeal to the widest possible range of readership; the inevitable echoes of JRR Tolkien are transformed into something rich and strange here, and the events of the earlier books are being drawn together in the later developments with masterly assurance.

After the massive, punishing battle against the Warriors of the Empire, Eragon and Saphira are licking their wounds, having barely survived. The Rider and his dragon have an oath to fulfil; they must aid Katrina in escaping the most terrible danger. What follows is an epic journey, quite as action-packed and vividly described as anything in fantasy fiction. As in all the best such literature, the odds are overwhelming, nothing can be taken at face value, and the evil forces ranged against the protagonists are as vile as one could wish.

Christopher Paolini clearly now feels that he has readers securely in his pocket, and is prepared to take his time to achieve some of his best effects -- a tactic that pays dividends. So often with fantasy fiction, outlandish situations are relied upon to carry the action, and there is no shortage of them here. But Paolini is canny enough to realise that the characterisation of an endangered protagonist is crucial to maintain our involvement, and (as in previous books), he always takes care of business in this regard. Don't be put off by the daunting length of this book -- Paolini justifies every word in Brisingr. You'll find yourself reading it as quickly as many a shorter book. --Barry Forshaw

From the Inside Flap
Oaths sworn . . .
Loyalties tested . . .
Forces collide.

It's only been months sinceEragon first uttered "brisingr", an ancient-language term for fire. Since the, he's not only learned to create magic with words - he's been challenged to his very core. Following the colossal battle against the Empire's warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still, there is more adventure at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.

First is Eragon's oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran's beloved from King Galbatorix's clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength - as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices - choices that will take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.

Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?

From the Back Cover
Praise for Christopher Paolini and his bestselling Inheritance cycle.

Customer Reviews

Every tale grows in the telling

When reviewing this book one has to consider the intended audience. Fantasy for older audiences tends to focus on characters, relationships and events; fantasy for younger audiences focuses on magic and monsters. Admittedly this is somewhere in-between, but it is certainly closer to the Tolkien's Hobbit than Martin's Song of Ice and Fire.
To review it on its own merits I would say that although it might not be innovative and relies heavily on the old staples of fantasy fiction, it is well written. If the author can pull off the next book and finish off his "cycle" convincingly then he will have done better than some of the more established contemporary names whose work never seems to progress, or does not conclude properly.

On individual points:

* Plot
The plot is not as fast-paced as the previous books, but it benefits from this. I think the first two books were like starters and this is more of a main course, and not just because it's a bit longer. Each episode is properly filled out and the characters have to handle the consequences of some of the issues the author set them up with in the first books. Eragon has to trek back and forth across the land sorting out problems and learning his craft - without this the inevitable confrontation with the powerful Galbatorix would be unrealistic.
In Brisingr the enemy is generally a looming menace lurking over the horizon and is not explored fully, but this does not undermine the plot seriously since there are enough tensions among the "allied" forces to keep everyone occupied. There are some major events in this book but it does seem to be setting the stage for the next.

* Characters
Paolini has spent more time with each of the main characters, giving them time to grow on their own. Eragon still gets most of the attention and the author has portrayed his development carefully, exploring the fantasy world he has created and its mechanisms without ever making it seem too contrived.
That the extra size of this book gives more time for the other characters is a bonus. They are much more rounded by the end and this strengthens the story considerably.

* Writing
The author is certainly getting better. However, there are some very random descriptions thrown in from time to time. They conjure up the intended image very well - beautifully in fact - they're just a bit unexpected when they pop up in the middle of some dialogue. He has also managed to get some humorous bits in - the dragons-eye view of the world is often quite funny. The plot threads are particularly well handled and it is easy to see how much effort has gone into tying them together.

Overall I enjoyed this. It is more mature than the previous books and if he can polish it off properly it will make a good series. The obvious concern most people will express is that the story is being protracted - a practice which has created some very disappointing dud-endings from established authors recently. However, I think I spotted a few plot threads for spin-offs and this would be the best way to make use of this fantasy world once Eragon has done the business with Brisingr.

Brisingr Audio
This is a warining to anyone who enjoyed the books, do not purchase this audio cd. I have currently listened and was very impressed with the Gerrard Doyle version of Eragon and Inheritance. So I was expecting the same standard of interpretation with this cd, I was sadly mistaken. Kerry Shale has done the book an injustice, mispronounced the ancient words, called Angela - Angella, Eragon sounds like a cowboy from the old west and Roran sounds like a surfing dude!!! After the first disc, I just switched it off and will be buying the Gerrard Doye version - the true version.

OK, but is it being dragged out?
For anyone out there hoping that this is the last instalment in the trilogy then I'm afraid you may be disappointed.

The book is an enjoyable enough read, and the characters of Roran and Eragon are developed nicely. We also learn more about Dragons and the history/ mythology of Alagaesia. Unfortunately Eragon's adversaries aren't given enough of the stage to grow and as such they lack any real depth.

The biggest disappointment however is that this isn't the final book. Personally I was left feeling that the story was being spun out for commercial reasons and that whole chapters added nothing of value or could have been condensed down to a couple of more powerful paragraphs.

Is summary, it felt like a good story diluted down so that they can make twice the money. That said, knowing this before hand I would still have brought it as I will the next to see how it all plays out. I guess that's why the publishers do it as they know it will sell, but the damage they have inflicted to what could have been a great trilogy is a disappointment and seems a bit short sighted.