Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Eragon by Christopher Paolini


I resisted reading Eragon, by Christopher Paolini for years. At first, it really didn't interest me. I'm not a big fantasy reader so a book with a dragon on the cover didn't pull me in. It was popular though so it stayed in my mind. Then I saw the movie. Oh, I did not like that movie. At all. The creepy Shade, Durzu, just gave me nightmares. Kudos to the actor for making an evil character really terrifying. That pretty much sealed the deal for me. I wasn't going to read Eragon.

Well, obviously since I'm reviewing the book something changed. One of my very best friends told me that she'd read the series and loved all the books. Really? Allison liked them? I trust her judgement and normally agree with her on important things like books so I thought that maybe I would consider reading Eragon. Maybe.

On an impulse I bought the book and set it up as my "E" book for the A to Z Challenge. I was dreading it. You know what? I should have read it a long time ago. It was really good. Really. I was surprised, impressed, and happy with the book. Go figure.

Eragon is the story of a teenager who happens upon a dragon's egg. When his dragon, Saphira, hatches, he is drawn into the legends of the Dragon Riders. After a tragedy with his family, he leaves his home with Saphira and Brom, the old storyteller who is committed to helping him. While his original goal is revenge on those who tore apart his family, he quickly learns that there is much more that he must do as he is the first in a new generation of Riders.

The book moves at a relatively fast pace and it's great as a reader to learn the story of the Riders along with Eragon. Saphira is a lovely character and her affection for Eragon is very sweet. I went out and bought Eldest, the next in the series, but it's going to be a while before I get to it. I recommend this to anyone who likes a good adventure, fantasy fan or not.

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