Review of Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Can you imagine a 15-year old, home-schooled boy conquering the readers’ hearts worldwide with his first book?

            Yes, Christopher Paolini has done it with his debut Eragon, which has become The Sunday Times bestseller, The New York Times bestseller, The Wall Street Journal bestseller and The USA Today bestseller. In fact Eragon is rivaling the Harry Potter series.

            The story is set in a mythical continent. Eragon, the hero of the story, a poor farm boy finds a beautiful blue stone in the forest. He wonders if it could bring in some money. But it isn’t money that the stone brings – it is a dragon hatchling! Eragon stumbles into a different world, nothing like his humble farm-boy life. Brom, the village storyteller becomes his teacher and Eragon finds himself to be a young inexperienced dragon rider. It becomes his duty to take up the mantle and sword of the legendary dragon riders and fight Galbatorix, the evil king, for survival. Saphira, the she-dragon is his soul companion and major source of power. Together they embark on a journey – a magical journey that requires courage, friendship and tactics – to destroy Galbatorix.

            It is the first book of the Inheritance trilogy. As it happens with all epics, this too has many characters hopping in and out. There’s Angela the witch who predicts Eragon’s fortune using dragon bones, Arya the elf who Eragon rescues and becomes fascinated with, Raz’ac and Shade the creatures of darkness, the unpredictable Werecat, Murtagh the stranger who has a deep rooted mystery, the Vardens who are against Galbatorix and many more. I am not going to give away everything!

            Paolini has proved himself to be a first-class fantasy writer. His epic-tale hasn’t left anything behind – sorcerers, elves, dwarves, dragons and many new creations make it a glowing tribute to its genre. Although I found it Tolkienish, Paolini has original ideas and you can’t call it a copy. Dragon riders are knights who fight with might as well as magic. So at times when Eragon murmurs or yells spells in the ancient tongue, it seemed very Potterish to me. But I can assure you that the magic spells don’t sound like Latin or English which happens in case of Rowling.  

            The plot is compelling and action packed. From the moment Eragon finds the stone, the story turns out to be a galloping adventure ride. Paolini’s simple yet appreciable style of storytelling keeps the readers glued to 497 pages. And don’t forget the bonus at the end – a dictionary of dwarf, urgal and ancient language. I wonder where he gets it all from.

            If you are thinking of taking a break and sitting down to read something different, then this is it. And if you are not gripped by the first few pages of Eragon then you better get your pulse checked.

            Because Eragon is EXTRAORDINARY.

Reviewed by Efadul Huq