Introduction
Having wrapped up J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and all the released novels of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, the wait till the next offering seemed to be eating me. So I decided to look out for any other fantasy fiction around and saw this beautiful blue dragon staring at me with the name Eragon on the book. I decided to give it a try as the dragon seemed to mystify me.
The Plot
Eragon is a young kid who though poor is enjoying his life with his uncle and cousins at Carvahall, a small sleepy town in the empire of Alagaesia. Once while hunting for food, he ventures deep into the mountains near his house and stumbles onto a strange polished blue stone which intrigues him a lot. Curious about what it is, he brings it home with him. Little does Eragon know that the polished blue stone is going to turn his life upside down in a matter of days.
The polished blue stone turns out to be a dragon’s egg and when the dragon hatches it takes Eragon as it’s rider. In Alagaesia, in the days gone by Riders were held at awe and were the enforcers of law and order without ruling the land. All this had changed when the current king Galbatorix managed to get a few riders to defect to his side and destroyed the legacy of the riders and thus gaining complete control of Alagaesia through power and fear.
But Galbatorix understands the power of the dragons and the riders and thus goes about destroying all the dragon eggs except for 3 which he keeps with himself and hopes to get Riders who will on his side, but somehow this one egg got stolen and managed to make it’s way to Eragon. Suddenly the whole world around Eragon seems to be changing as his house is attacked and his uncle is greviously wounded.
Eragon is puzzled by all that is happening around him and goes to the Carvahall story teller Brom for advise. Brom advises Eragon to move out of Carvahall and offers to occupy him. Along the way Eragon discovers that Brom is much more than just a story teller and he seems to be no less powerful than the other riders. Brom takes it upon himself to tutor Eragon on the arts of sword fighting and magic and Eragon seems to be soaking it all at an amazing rate. But, then again Eragon’s life takes a spin around as Brom is attacked and killed by Emperor’s goons.
Eragon is himself arrested and held a prisoner. There he sees a female elf being tortured, whom he vows to help escape. He manages to trigger a daring escape only to find out that the elf is poisoned and he must take her out of the empire to the rebels within a few days else she will die.
Join Eragon and his dragon Saphira in this intriguing journey of magic and mystery. Learn the joys of growing up with a pet that is more powerful than you in this novel by Christopher Paolini.
Critic’s Viewpoint
Eragon is the first novel written by Christopher Paolini who apparently wrote this novel when he was around 15 years old. This is itself is a staggering achievement for any youngster. Of course, the fact that the book was published by his family’s publication company helped.
The first impression after reading the novel is that it marries Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. So like Harry Potter here we have young superstar Eragon who finds things happening thick and fast around him and he sets out on a journey of exploration of himself and things around him. Like Lord of the Rings he is just the part of a larger equation involving the dwarves, elfs and humans and a common enemy the emperor Galbatorix.
The narrative is interesting and gripping, but quite simplistic. There are intriguing moments like when Eragon comes to the grips with the dragon and tries to understand all that is going on around him and in the Empire. But, the journey of his learning powers and becoming great is very simplistic and seems very easy and laid out compared to the trials and tribulations of Harry Potter and Frodo in the Lord of the Rings. This is something he would learn as he matures as a writer.
Another thing which mystifies me everytime I read any fantasy novel is that in all these novels the characteristics of the dwarves, elves and humans seem to be exactly same. Not only the characteristics but dwelling styles, life styles every damn thing. I sometimes doubt is there any fantasy dictionary which exists which defines the traits of these species. So here again we see dwarves digging magnificient tunnels, fighting with war axes and hammers, wearing chain mails for protection and are hardy creatures, whereas elves again are graceful, magical creatures with long lives and superior attitude. In fact, these seem to come exactly out of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
Although the storyline lacks the complexity of the Harry Potter series or the Lord of the Rings, it does make for interesting reading especially the portions dealing with the dragons and Riders which is a novelty compared to the other two series. For his first novel that too at the age of 15, Christopher Paolini impresses me as fine new talent in the world of fantasy fiction. As of writing this novel, the second installment in this series Eldest has already hit the market. I am looking forward to reading it and am keen to see the development of this new kid off the block in the world of fantasy fiction. He can only get better from here on and that would add more depth to his stories and would bring more joy to the readers.
Eragon - The Movie
Now, that the movies have exhausted Lord of the Rings and installments of Harry Potter series are in progress, it was just a matter of time before any director turned his attention to Eragon. Director Stefen Fangmeier is now bringing Eragon onto the big screen. The movie would include the likes of John Malkovich and Jeremy Irons with Edward Speelers playing the lead role of Eragon. The movie is scheduled to hit the theaters some time in December.
Summary
Given the fact that Eragon is the first literary piece from Christopher Paolini, I am impressed to say the least. But looking at the novel on its own in the category of fantasy fiction, I would rate it an average three star. But, I am looking forward to reading Eldest real soon.