Christopher Paolini, Eragon (Inheritance, Book One) (Alfred A. Knopf, 2003)
Much has been made of author Christopher Paolini and his first book, Eragon. I feel like I've been hit over the head with the information that he is young and talented, young and gifted, young, young, young. And I'll admit, the fact that a teenager wrote this book (part one of a trilogy, no less) did stir my interest. But whatever his age, Paolini has come up with a well crafted, evenly paced, interesting read. The fact that he is young is indisputable, but if you are in the market for a good story well told, this just may fit the bill.
Eragon (pronounced EHR-uh-gahn, thanks to Paolini's pronunciation guide at the end of the book) is a farm boy growing up on the outskirts of a small country town. His life changes when he finds a peculiar blue stone in the woods, which turns out to be a dragon's egg. When the egg hatches, Eragon finds himself in the middle of a battle for his homeland of Alagaesia. But who can he trust, and where in the scheme of things does he fit in? As his life is turned into a roller-coaster ride of battles and intrigues, he must decide where his loyalties lie, a difficult decision since almost everyone he meets seems to be hiding something. Eragon has a good heart and a strong will (not to mention a conscience in the form of his huge blue dragon Saphira), so readers can be sure that he will ultimately make the correct choices, but how he goes about making those choices had me drawn in from the moment the dragon's egg cracked.
At a more than respectable 497 pages, this book held my interest throughout. There were no parts that I wanted to skim because things were dragging, or where exposition started to weigh down the pace of the story. I never felt like a section or chapter needed to be trimmed, as I have with other writers who will not be mentioned here. In fact, I think this could have been divided into two books, but then again I'm a fan of the six-volume set of Lord of the Rings, so perhaps it's just my "a smaller book equals easier portability" bias. Hey, I like books I can slip in my coat pocket, what can I say?
The book gets off to a bit of a creaky start, but comes into its own quickly once Eragon meets the dragon Saphira. Their bonding scenes are just adorable and made me smile (okay, I even said "how cute," I'm a sucker for baby dragons.) Paolini has a way with character interaction, and it shows in the friendship between a boy and his dragon. His characters often comment on the world and how to live in it, imparting advice and common sense guidelines that young readers (and many older ones) may find informative. These tidbits are snuck in, and are presented in a way that isn't at all preachy (for example, Angela's comment that "[t]he only way the future can harm us is by causing worry."). In fact, the storyteller Brom reminded me of Polonius in Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Sure, there are parallels. Reading Eragon had me harkening back to other works I've read and loved, most especially Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern books, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series and T.H. White's Once and Future King. There is also evidence of a strong Tolkien influence, but that is to be expected from any work that includes elves and dwarves.
Paolini is a very good storyteller, and hopefully the rest of this trilogy will see him become an excellent one. But this is not literature; if you're looking for that, seek out Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quartet, or C.S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles. That said, the fact that this book is a good story and its author is a good storyteller should not leave you thinking that this is a throwaway book. I thought I knew the whys and wherefores of most of the characters and goings on long before they were revealed, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a few small twists on the usual standard fantasy cliches. This book has enough going on to warrant repeat readings, and most importantly, I want to read this book again, but I'll save it for a time where I can sit back and enjoy it.
A map of Alagaesia is printed on the endpapers of the book, and is well detailed and easy to read. I found myself turning to it repeatedly, but then I've always had a hard time remembering where I am. Paolini also includes the pronunciation guide I mentioned earlier, as well as brief examples of the Ancient, Dwarvish and Urgal languages. The appendices at the end of a book are usually my favorite parts of the book, since they usually give background information or hints of things to come. There are no clues in Paolini's endnotes, but they do leave me wanting more. I'll have a hard time waiting until Eldest (Inheritance, Book Two) hits the shelves.
The official Web
site has tour dates for the author, a book excerpt, and most importantly,
a detailed map with hyperlinks to more information on each city in Alagaesia,
for folks like me who tend to lose their way. And those of you who would like
to read
Polonius’ advice to Laertes in Hamlet can go here.
