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A book review by Literary Magic (
by Literary Magic, Editor
The book Eldest, a sequel to Eragon, is a typical fantasy novel. It has most of the things you would want to know; including the history of the world this novel takes place in, Alagaesia. This story has been chosen for a few reasons, but chiefly among them is the author who wrote it. Believe it or not, the author, Christopher Paolini, was only fifteen when he began writing his now best selling novel. By this age he had finished high school, his parents having had him home schooled. Christopher Paolini learned the same things as us, the only exception being that his parents made sure he delved into the English language more. His parents are writers, his father working for a publishing company, so they nurtured him to be an author. After endeavoring to write several other stories, Christopher Paolini was finally successful with Eragon, a book about a young boy who finds a dragon, and together they navigate in a world of dark powers. Eldest is a book that, like Eragon, is not only written with great prose and does not only have good vocabulary but it also has a nice plot.
Eldest is about Eragon, and his dragon, Saphira, and their journey from the mines of the dwarves to the forests of the elves. In the land of the elves, Eragon and Saphira are trained to be superb Dragon Riders, and simultaneously learn about the culture of the elves. It ends a good climax, as war comes and Eragon and Saphira rush to battle. Meanwhile, Eragon’s cousin, Roran, his only surviving family member, leads Eragon’s old village to rebellion. Roran escape with the village, known as Carvahall, and travels to the lands of Surda, where the Empire they have rebelled against does not rule. It is up to Eragon and Roran to stop an evil tyrant, a Dragon Rider, ruling Alagaesia, and to do that, they must ally with the Varden, the rebels trying to overthrow the Empire. Before the end of the book, Eragon and Roran meet, and the fate of Alagaesia is decided as the Varden and armies of the tyrant emperor clash.
There are few criticisms to be found about Eragon, though they do exist. Many reviewers have said that characters are constantly dropped out of the book or added at the end, and that the ways he describes his characters’ physical conditions is not good enough. I, however, think that these should not taint Christopher Paolini’s work. After all, I have read dozens of books in the Sword and Sorcery genre, ones written by older and more experienced writers, that do not compare with the work of Christopher Paolini’s. This book is great for fantasy readers, because it is enticing and has great prose, and the way he describes Eragon’s surroundings throughout the book is the best I have seen in all the fantasy novels I have ever read. It also explains the history of Eragon’s world, the rules of magic, and how the main characters are able to overcome a greater enemy. The only criticisms I have are that sometimes things are not explained properly, or lack good reasoning for changes. Other than that, Eldest is a great book, and I would highly recommend it, giving it two thumbs up.