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ASIN : 0375842403
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Young and restless (2007-03-04)  The younger the author, the more plaudits they receive. And young author Christopher Paolini got to the top of the heap with his bestselling debut "Eragon," and again with the sequel "Eldest." Are his fantasy novels really that good? Well... no. Paolini has raw, unrefined talent and an undeniable flair for writing, but he's bogged down by every fantasy cliche in the book. While there are distinct aftertastes of Tolkien, McCaffrey and Lucas, his first novel is an earnest light read, but his second much less so. "Eragon" is an impoverished lad living with his uncle in a secluded village, barely scraping by. That changes when he finds a strange blue stone in the woods. He tries to sell it, with no luck. Then it hatches into a baby dragon, Sephira. He raises her in secret until his farm is attacked and his uncle Garrow murdered by the evil minions of the ex-Dragonrider Galbatorix, who is now the evil king. Seeking revenge, Eragon gets the help of the old storyteller Brom, who is more than he seems. In the follow-up, "Eldest," Eragon and Saphira are still finding their way. To learn what he must know to combat Galbatorix, Eragon will have to train in Ellesmera, among the Elves. Elsewhere, his cousin is still resisting their enemies, and leads the villagers on an escape. But soon Eragon will discover a shocking secret about his past, during a battle with Galbatorix. "Eragon" got massive attention when it was first published, especially since the "Harry Potter" series is winding down. With that much hype, it would be almost impossible for "Eldest" to work quite as well, especially since Paolini overloads it with too many political problems and awkward romantic moments. He really should have left the token love interests out. As a descriptive writer, Paolini shows distinct talent. He has a genuine flair for description of landscapes and places, right down to the raging storms and burned-out villages. His writing is still a bit raw, sometimes awkward, and the dialogue can border on pompous. But he has a solid ability to bring up what things look, smell, sound or feel like. Unfortunately, the writing cannot hide the two books' biggest flaw: there's virtually nothing original here. "Eragon" and "Eldest" often read like patchworks of other books and ideas. Young, clueless hero raised in the sticks? Check. Wise old man who teaches the hero? Check. Ancient sword? Dragons? Wise and fair elves? Evil wizard? Stumpy, grumpy dwarves? Check. It gets rather annoying, even if one tries to shut out the thoughts of "Star Wars" and "Lord of the Rings." Paolini does know his dragons; Saphira is an amusing, often funny character. And Paolini adds dragon-riding details (like what scales do to a rider's legs) that most authors don't manage to. Eragon himself is a pretty typical fantasy hero, rather angsty and immature. He's likable at times, but still is not yet compelling. "Eragon" is a decent fantasy read, while "Eldest" suffers from a lack of forward momentum. Despite their flaws, they will hopefully lead to a more polished finale.
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