Inheritance

I have waited a long time to get to this point, and I was excited to see how the story would end.  This is the completion of all Christopher Paolini's hard work, and he is coming into his own with this final story, just like his main character, Eragon.
Eragon's story is concluded in this last book and, in my opinion, in a very satisfactory way.   I was disappointed when it ended, I wasn't prepared to let everyone go after reading about them for nearly two weeks straight.   I liked how Paolini wrapped this up into a very neat and tight package, and I also like how there is room made for him to revisit the world that he has created sometime in the future.  Nice.   Thanks for the ride Christopher, well done!

Brisingr: The Inheritance Cycle again!

This is the second time that I have read this book.    I kind of raced through it the first time because I had re-read the other two in preparation, and I had grown a little irritated with how much had been borrowed from other works of fantasy fiction.  I admit I was being a little judgmental and that this third book irritated me because of how indulgent it was.  The story was not so tight as the other two before and seemed to meander more than I could tolerate, and I was under the impression that this third book was the last of what was then known as the Inheritance Trilogy.  So by the end, when I discovered that this story was not over, I was cross.   I fully expected it to be wrapped up and was confused throughout the whole book because it didn't seem like it was going anywhere, and I had this fear that after all I had already read that the author was going to flub the ending and that I would be disappointed.

Not so with the second read through.  This time, with a difference in expectation, it all made better sense, and the story did not seem to meander as much as previously.  I maintain that it was still indulgent, but that is the authors pleasure and right.  I couldn't help but giggle a bit when Eragon was looking for another sword because the scene was so incredibly Potterlike, I expected an 'Ollivanderism' to pop out at any second.    He did however, get another sword, and it was a pretty good story.  Now, onto the fourth (and last!) installment of this saga, Inheritance.  I really don't know what to expect and I am looking forward to the conclusion.

Eldest: The Inheritance Cycle

Part two of The Inheritance Cycle.  Still a very tight story, packed with more adventures, and experiences and interesting twists.  I liked the format chosen to cover three stories, each one with it's own intensity, which switched off on each other in an easy way.  I liked that there was even more back story, and had to chuckle a bit at some of the newer characters like the baby that was blessed in Eragon which has now grown up a little to be freakishly spooky in a very 'Dune' kind of way.    Which isn't a bad thing.   Consider what kind of story this would be for someone who has never read a fantasy in their lives?   It would be a very clever story to them, I think.    Just consider, for instance, how much Agatha Christie's Poirot has been loved irregardless of the fact that it was very obvious that Christie 'borrowed' quite heavily from Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.  It's still a good story, no matter the origins.  I also liked how vegetariansim was covered, and I thought it was neat how the elves' exercise regimen seemed to be borrowed from yoga's sun salutations.   The conclusion was satisfying, there is curiosity for what happens next, especially after such an interesting twist.  It is all wrapped up in a handsome red package of over six hundred pages which was a pleasure to read.

Eragon: The Inheritance Cycle is Over...at last

I know... it doesn't sound like I liked these books, but I did.  I love a good fantasy epic, especially with dragons, and this series has everything in spades.  We've got bad guys, magic, fighting, long journeys, elves, more bad guys,  and dwarves.  I haven't read any reviews on this book, and probably never will.  I suspect though, that there have been some harsh ones and some really judgmental ones.  I 'll tell you why, but first I want to share my history with this book. 
I first sighted it at the local library.  The lovely blue jacket with the dragon in front appealed to me very much.  So much that when I had finished this story (which I really enjoyed) I ordered my own copy (in hardcover!), and I kept an eye out for all the ones that came after (which I also bought in hardcover).  It has been a long wait, and there has been some frustration in there as well, but I 'll write about that later.

I will never give a bad opinion/review of a book.  That has to get out there first, and this is why.  I have read other reviews before that have hated books and were pretty brutal in their criticism, and underneath, in the comments I have read, some had said that they would not read this book after reading that review.   In my opinion, that is ignorant.  Why would I trust someone else's opinion on a book I have never read? Are they so exactly like me in every way, that they know what I wouldn't like to read?  That's just silly, and it's sad.  What if you missed something special?  Wouldn't that be a shame?  And last but not least, I know that a bad review would hurt the author, and it is not in my nature to hurt anyone for any reason.  After all, they have done something that I have never done... they wrote a book!  That in itself is an amazing achievement.    What is extra amazing about this book, is that Christopher Paolini wrote it in his teens.

Back to Eragon.  What you will notice about this book is that it has borrowed a lot from  great pieces of fantasy literature.  For the most part this book is what I would call 'flavored' with Tolkien.  I'm sure that there were other books as well, but it was the Lord of the Rings ones that inspired this first volume, the influence that stood out the most.  I have read a great deal of fantasy fiction (of which only my science fiction collection is larger) and I recognize pieces from them.  When I said this series has everything in spades, I meant it.  It seems that Paolini quite judiciously included everything he ever loved about every book he has ever read.   Another impressive thing about him.  He is well read for his age.

I liked the story, I want to know what happens next.  Over five hundred pages packed with adventure, and magic and characters that I care about.  The story was tight, and wrapped up in a very satisfying way.  A great beginning.