Product Description

Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy—until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire.

“An authentic work of great talent.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Christopher Paolini make[s] literary magic with his precocious debut.”—People

“Unusual, powerful, fresh, and fluid.”—Booklist, Starred

“An auspicious beginning to both career and series.”—Publishers Weekly

A New York Times Bestseller

A USA Today Bestseller

A Wall Street Journal Bestseller

A Book Sense Bestseller

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40782 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-26
• Released on: 2003-08-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 544 pages

From Amazon.com
Here's a great big fantasy that you can pull over your head like a comfy old sweater and disappear into for a whole weekend. Christopher Paolini began Eragon when he was just 15, and the book shows the influence of Tolkien, of course, but also Terry Brooks, Anne McCaffrey, and perhaps even Wagner in its traditional quest structure and the generally agreed-upon nature of dwarves, elves, dragons, and heroic warfare with magic swords.

Eragon, a young farm boy, finds a marvelous blue stone in a mystical mountain place. Before he can trade it for food to get his family through the hard winter, it hatches a beautiful sapphire-blue dragon, a race thought to be extinct. Eragon bonds with the dragon, and when his family is killed by the marauding Ra'zac, he discovers that he is the last of the Dragon Riders, fated to play a decisive part in the coming war between the human but hidden Varden, dwarves, elves, the diabolical Shades and their neanderthal Urgalls, all pitted against and allied with each other and the evil King Galbatorix. Eragon and his dragon Saphira set out to find their role, growing in magic power and understanding of the complex political situation as they endure perilous travels and sudden battles, dire wounds, capture and escape.

In spite of the engrossing action, this is not a book for the casual fantasy reader. There are 65 names of people, horses, and dragons to be remembered and lots of pseudo-Celtic places, magic words, and phrases in the Ancient Language as well as the speech of the dwarfs and the Urgalls. But the maps and glossaries help, and by the end, readers will be utterly dedicated and eager for the next book, Eldest. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell

From Publishers Weekly
In wunderkind (he's 18) Christopher Paolini's impressive epic fantasy, eragon, the titular hero (who's 15) and Saphira, the dragon he's raised from a baby, set out to avenge the murder of Eragon's uncle and soon find themselves pursued by the fanatical king Galbatroix. The fantasy bildungsroman has the brave youngster learning about exile, magic, love and his own destiny, and Paolini promises his saga will continue in two more volumes of the planned Inheritance series.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up-Eragon, 15, is hunting for wild game when he witnesses a mysterious explosion. At the center of the blast radius he finds a polished blue stone marked with white veins. Brom, the village storyteller, has shown interest in it, so it is to him that Eragon turns when it starts squeaking, then wobbling, and then hatches into a majestic sapphire blue dragon. His decision to keep and raise Saphira starts him on an epic journey of Tolkienesque proportions that is only partially told in the 500 pages of this book. Eragon learns that the Empire's cruel and oppressive king will stop at nothing to get Eragon and Saphira to serve him. Training and traveling with Brom, the teen and dragon learn to work together in war and peace, using a combination of traditional fighting arts and magic. They encounter massive humanoid warriors with savage intentions and are befriended by Murtagh, a human warrior with mysterious ties to the Varden and the Empire. Eventually, they seek refuge with dwarves who harbor the Varden, who exist to free the Empire. Eragon does not approach the depth, uniqueness, or mastery of J. R. R. Tolkien's works, and sometimes the magic solutions are just too convenient for getting out of difficult situations. However, the empathetic characters and interesting plot twists will appeal to the legions of readers who have been captivated by the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and are looking for more books like it.
Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Well worth the read!
If you are considering buying Eragon right now but are not sure if it's quite what you are looking for, I am writing this review
to tell you it is definitely well worth the read (and purchase)! I'm a very picky reader, as I truly enjoy fantasy novels but have a clear idea in my head of what one entails. Paolini truly captured the essence of this in his first book by including maps, languages, and plenty of adventure in what's sure to be an unforgettable trilogy!

An Excellent Start to Great Series!
While the world is ingulfed in the like of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and others of the like, I just happened to wonder on the Teens section of randomhouse.com and this book caught my eye. After reading a few pages while I was on break at work, I simply had to buy a copy and read it.

Taking insperation (and borrowing heavly from Anne McCaffrey), enter the newest teen-age author Christopher Paolini's massive (yes, a hefty 500+ pgs.) debut novel. The plot is about a young 16 year old boy named Eragon who discovers a shiny blue stone while out on a hunting trip. Hoping to sell it for food, he takes it home and discovers that it is actually a dragon egg. The dragon hatches and Eragon's simple, farm-boy life is changed forever. After nearly lossing everything dear to him, Eragon is forced to leave by Brom, the village story-teller (who has a few secrets of his own), who accompanies him on his journey into the detailed world of Alagaesia, a Tolkin-like land full of evil creatures, dwarves, elves, and many more who will become Eragon's allies and enemies.

And that's just Book I! Currently, Paolini is hard at work writting Eldest, Book II. While readers eagerly await that novel, Eragon is, by far, the best in what a teen author can produce. While Amelia Atwater-Rhodes may have started the trend, she still has a lot to learn about exceptional grammer and just writting a novel all together. Paolini goes to great lenghts to give his readers a detailed and impressive story that is an udder joy to read. It's hard to imagine that he started this novel when he was only 15!

Eragon is seemingly flawless. You get a colorful cast of characters, gorgous landscapes, a plot that doesn't try to hard to be impressvie and flashy, and doesn't live you a rotten cliff-hanger. All in all, I cannot find anything that is wrong with novel.

However, my only real complant is that Eragon is a little too "meaty". The novel doesn't need to be 500+ pages (a standerd 300-350+ is an average for most novels, especially for the start of a Triology such as this) and I found myself wondering on several occassions. But, neverless, I forged on, greatly apperciating on Paolini's masterful skills with the pen.

I would recommend anyone who enjoies book like Harry Potter, or just an avid reader of Sci-Fi/Fantasy!

Simply Amazing
Let me say this right now--whoever reads this book will be amazed by it. Not by the young age the author was when he wrote it, but by the fact that it is as good as (or better than) any other modern fantasy book on the market today. The world that Christopher Paolini has created is so absorbing that you won't be able to put this book down. His characters are complicated and very human. The story begins when a young man named Eragon, who is out hunting in a section of his country known as The Spine, discovers a dragon's egg. I really don't want to spoil the story for anyone who hasn't read the book, so I'm not going to say anything more about it. Paolini's beautiful use of the English language is complimented perfectly by his tremendous creative ability. Other than the use of some common fantasy creatures (elves, dwarves, dragons, etc.), this story is completely original. I never found myself complaining about the fact that I had read something like this a thousand times before because, well, I hadn't. Every chapter of this book is intelligently written, without even the slightest hint of monotony. I strongly recommend this book to everyone. Go buy it now. You won't regret it.