Author: Christopher Paolini
Publisher: Knopf
Binding: Hardcover
Publication Date: August 2005
Ever since Eragon grew in popularity, Christopher Paolini has been claimed as a young marvel, an adventurous boy writing about a boy and an adventure, and doing so in such a way that has never been done before. I’m not quite sure what kind of medications those that proclaimed these words were taking, but I’m sure the doses were high and heavy.
Eldest is book number two in the Inheritance Trilogy. It’s big, it’s red, and it’s overzealous. It’s a lengthy amount of writing—consisting of some decent prose at times—but for the most part the subplots and main storyline are all just filler to a surprise ending a-la-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
The main plot is as follows; Eragon deals with political issues with the Varden after the death of Ajihad during an Urgal swarm. The Twins and his Murtagh are missing—thought to be dead—and Eragon is sent to the land of the Elves to finish his training as a Dragon Rider. The second main plot follows Roran, Eragon’s cousin, and his journey to help his village escape from the evil hands of Galbatorix. Both lines follow a path that eventually comes to a head at the end of the book.
Paolini must have it hard; after being proclaimed as some writing prodigy—which he is not—he must now live up to the title as much as Eragon has to live up to Dragon Rider. Every scene, every color, and every action is described, described, and described. I found Paolini using some of the strangest words just to come off sounding professional or clever. To me, it didn’t work. To others, maybe it did or maybe they just skim paragraphs and head straight for the dialogue. While the talking was certainly better than anything George Lucas could write, it still wasn’t great. I believe the word “aye” was used over a hundred times.
I’m not even going to go into the love element of the book. Gee, an Elf and a young human boy can’t seem to fall in love quite easily? Never heard of that idea before.
One thing that I did appreciate from Eldest was that the violence level was taken up a notch. In Eragon, people fought and stabbed and slay villians, but never to the extent that it happens in Eldest. Little boys mutilate soldiers’ bodies in revenge, Roran takes enemies out with a hammer, and the final battle at the Burning Plains is just a fest of action. If they make this into a movie—since they are with Eragon—I doubt it would be anything less than PG-13.
The book is a long read. It reminded me a lot of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in that the whole purpose of the book really was the last few chapters. Everything else up to then was nonessential. If you’re interested how it ends, look online for a spoiler and save the time from reading.
I’ll still wait around for book number three—rumored to be called Empire—but if it is anything like Eldest was, I’ll be doing a lot of skimming.
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