“Eldest” by Christopher Paolini

Goodreads summary:

Darkness falls…Despair abounds…Evil reigns…

Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in magic and swordsmanship, the vital skills of the Dragon Rider.

It is the journey of a lifetime, filled with awe-inspiring new places and people, each day a fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and Eragon isn’t sure whom he can trust. Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle back home in Carvahall — one that puts Eragon in even graver danger. Will the king’s dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life. (Goodreads)

My thoughts:

I was so bored by this novel that it took me 5 months to complete it.

Eldest is the second novel in Christopher Paolini’s epic fantasy series, the Inheritance Cycle, about a farm boy named Eragon who learns that he’s a dragon rider. In this installment, we mostly watch Roran on his journey to Surda and observe Eragon as he learns to be a dragon rider, i.e., learn the ways of the elves.

“Eragon” by Christopher Paolini

Each time we revisit a text, we approach it with a new perspective because we’re always changing. While some may see rereading as a waste of time, I enjoy revisiting texts to observe how much my views and enjoyment of it has changed. It’s highly unlikely that my reaction to the reread is the same as my initial read. My enjoyment of the text shifts either because I can better understand and appreciate the author’s craft and message; or because I am able to spot the faults in the story, which curdles my enjoyment. Sometimes my reaction to the text is altered by experiences that have changed my outlook on certain issues. Other times my involvement with people and other media influence me toward certain opinions that may affect how I interpret a story.

Since I reread A Game of Thrones a while back, I decided to reread Eragon as well. Actually, it was under the duress of being late for work that caused me to grab this book from my shelf. I did not have time to mull over a decision so I grabbed the first thing I thought would be pleasing. I enjoyed reading Eragon the first time so I’ll enjoy it as much this time, I thought.

Quick summary:

A fifteen-year-old boy name Eragon discovers a mysterious blue stone on one of his hunting trips into the forbidding mountains of the Spine. He carries it home to the farm where he lives with his uncle and cousin on the outskirts of a village, and tries to determine what type of stone it is. Stumped, he shows it to his uncle who determines that the stone must be of great value because of its peculiarity and decides they should trade it. However, because of the harsh conditions in the country (called Alagaesia) caused by urgal attacks, it’s impossible to trade the stone, which no one knows the value of.

“Inheritance” by Christopher Paolini

Inheritance (book) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Aaahh….

I’ve just completed Christopher Paolini‘s latest installment in the Inheritance Cycle series, Inheritance, (actually, I completed it about a month ago and have just gotten around to writing this blog but let’s act like I’ve just finished reading it) and a sense of satisfaction engulfs me. Things feel complete. I totally enjoyed the story, long as it is. Despite the drag in the pacing of the storytelling in certain parts, Paolini did a good job of wrapping things up without providing a cheesy ending ( a la JK Rowling).

This last book brought everything full circle, while leaving room for the possibility of spin-offs on various characters. There was a lot that the protagonist, Eragon, had to learn in this series and, in turn, the reader. I was apprehensive because I did not believe that Paolini would succeed in tying all the loose ends together. Thus, after the fight at Dras-Leona, I became a bit anxious because I realized that there were only a few pages left and Paolini seemed to have A) forgotten about Angela B) forgotten to mention Sloan and C) forgotten to mention what the Tree in Ellesmera was to take from Eragon. Fortunately, there was no need for my worries because he smoothly wraps it all up in the final chapters; although, I do believe that at times he took the easy way out in terms of his explanations. For example, the Tree in Ellesmera was supposed to take something from Eragon but in the end, it seems that the she decided not to. I believe she should have. But it seems that she chose not to because Eragon proved himself to be honorable by returning to pay his debts.