Product Description

THE MASS MARKET editions of Eragon and Eldest will now be available in a brand-new boxed set!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58996 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-26
• Released on: 2008-08-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Paperback

Features

• ISBN13: 9780385737326
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Christopher Paolini’s abiding love of fantasy and science fiction inspired him to begin writing his debut novel, Eragon, when he graduated from high school at fifteen after being homeschooled all his life. Both Eragon and Eldest, the second book in the Inheritance cycle, became instant New York Times bestsellers. Christopher is currently at work on Brisingr, the third volume in the cycle. He lives in Montana, where the dramatic landscape feeds his visions of Alagaësia.

You can find out more about Christopher and Inheritance at www.alagaesia.com.


From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews

Well written book makes great use of archetypes
There are alot of people out there who speak disparingly of these books because the characters seem to be ripped off of other books/movies. However, if you look at those books/movies, you will realize that liek Eragon and Eldest, the characters are archetypal characters.

You have Eragon the innocent who becomes involved in something of which they understand little or nothing. Examples: (Recent) Luke Skywalker, Garion, Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Pippin Took, Merry Brandybuck, Bilbo Baggins, (Older) Lancelot, Paris of Troy, etc.

You have Brom and Oromis the wise and strong mentor. Examples: Merlin, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Belgarath, Polgara, Gandalf, etc.

You have Durza and Galbatorix the evil wizards/masterminds. Examples: Morgana Le Fay, the Emperor, Sauron, Morgoth/Melkor, Torak, Zandramas, Saruman, etc.

You have Arya the brave princess and love interest of the innocent hero. Examples: Ce'Nedra, Guinevere, Leia, etc.

And the list goes on and on. All of fantasy relies are these archetypal characters to help the story move on. When Christopher Paolini used these characters, he was not blatantly copying off of Lucas, Tolkien, etc. Rather, he was using the long, time-honored method of fantasy writing. So, stop your complaining and enjoy the story.

If you don't believe me go read teh Rivan Codex (http://www.amazon.com/Rivan-Codex-Ancient-BELGARIAD-MALLOREON/dp/0345435869/sr=8-1/qid=1167165505/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-7313686-7154035?ie=UTF8&s=books)
and see what David Eddings has to say.

Excellent First Trilogy
The first two books in his "Inheritance" trilogy, Eragon is the story of a young man who finds a dragon's egg, which hatches shortly thereafter. Eragon and the dragon, Saphira, form a very close relationship and embark on an epic battle against evil.

There is one really remarkable quality of this book: Christopher Paolini wrote Eragon when he was just fifteen years old. He and his parents self-published it and promoted it themselves until it was picked up by a major publisher. Now it is a best-selling series and is being turned into a film.

Eragon is an entertaining tale, as is Eldest. Both books are easy to read, and the main characters are likeable and engaging. Unfortunately, the plot develops slowly and has similarities to Star Wars that are hard to ignore. The language is sometimes overly flowery to the point it becomes annoying and the actions of the characters sometimes don't make any sense, at least not to me. There were a couple of times when I just couldn't understand why Eragon and his comrades do what they do, because there seemed to be simpler solutions to their problems that they completely ignore.

That said, all of these faults are easy to forgive and don't really detract much from the entertainment value. The Inheritance trilogy will never be The Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter, but it is still good reading. When the third installment makes it to the bookstore, I'll be one of the millions of people to read it.

The young and restless
The younger the author, the more plaudits they receive. And young author Christopher Paolini got to the top of the heap with his bestselling debut "Eragon," and again with the sequel "Eldest." Are his fantasy novels really that good? Well... no.

Paolini has raw, unrefined talent and an undeniable flair for writing, but he's bogged down by every fantasy cliche in the book. While there are distinct aftertastes of Tolkien, McCaffrey and Lucas, his first novel is an earnest light read, but his second much less so.

"Eragon" is an impoverished lad living with his uncle in a secluded village, barely scraping by. That changes when he finds a strange blue stone in the woods. He tries to sell it, with no luck. Then it hatches into a baby dragon, Sephira. He raises her in secret until his farm is attacked and his uncle Garrow murdered by the evil minions of the ex-Dragonrider Galbatorix, who is now the evil king. Seeking revenge, Eragon gets the help of the old storyteller Brom, who is more than he seems.

In the follow-up, "Eldest," Eragon and Saphira are still finding their way. To learn what he must know to combat Galbatorix, Eragon will have to train in Ellesmera, among the Elves. Elsewhere, his cousin is still resisting their enemies, and leads the villagers on an escape. But soon Eragon will discover a shocking secret about his past, during a battle with Galbatorix.

"Eragon" got massive attention when it was first published, especially since the "Harry Potter" series is winding down. With that much hype, it would be almost impossible for "Eldest" to work quite as well, especially since Paolini overloads it with too many political problems and awkward romantic moments. He really should have left the token love interests out.

As a descriptive writer, Paolini shows distinct talent. He has a genuine flair for description of landscapes and places, right down to the raging storms and burned-out villages. His writing is still a bit raw, sometimes awkward, and the dialogue can border on pompous. But he has a solid ability to bring up what things look, smell, sound or feel like.

Unfortunately, the writing cannot hide the two books' biggest flaw: there's virtually nothing original here. "Eragon" and "Eldest" often read like patchworks of other books and ideas. Young, clueless hero raised in the sticks? Check. Wise old man who teaches the hero? Check. Ancient sword? Dragons? Wise and fair elves? Evil wizard? Stumpy, grumpy dwarves? Check. It gets rather annoying, even if one tries to shut out the thoughts of "Star Wars" and "Lord of the Rings."

Paolini does know his dragons; Saphira is an amusing, often funny character. And Paolini adds dragon-riding details (like what scales do to a rider's legs) that most authors don't manage to. Eragon himself is a pretty typical fantasy hero, rather angsty and immature. He's likable at times, but still is not yet compelling.

"Eragon" is a decent fantasy read, while "Eldest" suffers from a lack of forward momentum. Despite their flaws, they will hopefully lead to a more polished finale.