Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle #1)
by
Christopher Paolini
When young Eragon finds a
polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery
of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his adopted family meat for the
winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes
he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.
Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous
new world of inescapable destiny, magical forces, and powerful people.
With only an ancient sword and the instruction of an old,mysterious,
hermit storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must
navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a
Emperor whose evil and power knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the
mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest
in his hands….
The story is set in Alagaësia; the map of Alagaësia accompanies the book and there is a picture above.
This tale consists of many types of creatures: Elves, dwarves, urgals, shades, werecats, dragons and humans. Urgals are big beastly, greasy creatures and greatly remind me of orcs from 'The Lord of the Rings'. Shades are beasts that were originally humans who used spirits for magic but underestimated the spirits strengths, were overpowered and therefore were possessed by spirits. Finally werecats are creatures which can take the form of a cat but also a human and these creatures are highly intelligent. I have not described the other beings for I presume that their description is known widespread.
Alagaësia is full of very interesting and diverse inhabitants which have morals, allies, enemies, agenda's, families to feed and wars to fight. Generally the groups/ societies consist of one species but there are some exceptions: The Riders- are people who ride dragons, they have a connected mind to their dragon and were originally created to set up commincations between elves and dragons after a bloody war. Also, The Varden are a mixed group, which was formed by dwarves and humans to fundamentally over throw Galbatorix the king of Alagaësia, whom is a terrible, cruel leader.Naturally conflict arises between the different groups but the elves, the Varden and Surda dwellers work together as a result of Galbatorix wrongly claiming the throne.
Unknown by Eragon, when he first meet Sapphira(the dragon hatchling), he would soon have to make a decision between fighting for Galbatorix or the ones opposing Galbatorix. But does he have a choice in the matter?
Brom, a stroy teller takes Eragon under his wing and teaches him "The Ancient Language" which is "the basis of all languages". By using "The Ancient Language" Eragon is able to use magic that enables him to defend himself. Also, Brom teaches him the art of sword fighting which they spend several hours practicing after there campfire dinners.
As the main cover hints, the central theme is dragons and one in particular: Saphira. Firstly, she waited over hundred years in her egg, so that one day she could hatch in the presence of the best fit creature, to be her loyal companion. She chose Eragon, hatched within his presence so they could unite and serve their purpose.
Dragons are wise and Sapphira is no exception as she pocesses wisdom beyond her years and often advices Eragon in decision making. Dragons in this case are somewhat bloodthirsty and need good riders to led them in the right path and again Sapphria is no exception. She is strong in mind and body and it is no surprise that each side scramble to claim her.
Eragon is a strong protagonist. Even though he is trained for battle, he highly detests killing victims in unnecessary situations and is often sympathetic to creatures taken by death. He and Sapphira are a somewhat unstoppable force for they are well suited to working in union through war and everyday situations.
My Cat Catch Book Rating Scale above- I was absolutely amazing! (5/5 cats)
Cat Cat Rating Scale- http://minstrelcrazy.blogspot.ie/p/reviews.html
