Eragon

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Template:Infobox Book Eragon is a novel written by Christopher Paolini and is the first book of the Inheritance trilogy. It was originally self-published by the author before being picked up by Alfred A. Knopf, after which it became a publishing success and a New York Times Bestseller. Eragon's sequel is Eldest, and there are rumours that the third book in the series is going to be called Empire, though there is no official name yet.

1 Introduction and cover flap summary
2 Characters
3 The Ancient Language
4 Critical reaction
5 ISBNs
6 See also
7 External links

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Introduction and cover flap summary

The story is set in the land of Alagaësia, and follows the travels of a 15-year-old boy named Eragon. It is said that the author, Christopher Paolini, got the name from the word "dragon" and replaced the "D" with an "E" to form "Eragon." Paolini also thought the name "Eragon" was fitting because it sounded like "era gone"- a good representation of the former glory of the Dragon Riders. It also echoes the sounds of J. R. R. Tolkien's Aragorn.

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Characters

By order of appearance (beginning after the prolouge):

Eragon: Main character. Lives with Uncle Garrow and Cousin Roran. Mother is Selena, but she ran away when he was born. She is presumed to be dead. Named after a elf that lived before his time (way before).
Sloan: butcher of Carvahall. Hates Eragon's family
Horst: smith of Carvahall. friend of Eragon's
Katrina: daughter of Sloan; Roran's beloved
Roran: Eragon's cousin, although they're like brothers; Katrina's beloved
Garrow: farmer of Carvahall, Eragon's uncle and Roran's father, raised him from birth
Merlock: Trader that helps Eragon discover properties of the bluish 'stone'. Hollow, harder than a diamond, and the blue and white material are the same.
Saphira: Eragon's dragon and best friend, raised by Eragon. Linked mentally to Eragon
Brom: storyteller of Carvahall, Eragon's mentor. Secret Rider
Angela: powerful witch who supports Varden, tells Eragon his future
Jeod: merchant of Teirm, Brom's old friend, member of the Varden
Solembum: werecat who lives with Angela, gives Eragon a prophecy and much advice
Morzan: The first and the last Forsworn. Also the father of Murtagh. Galbatorix, along with the help of the thirteen forsworn, conquered the riders to become king of Alagaësia.
Murtagh: son of Morzan, who was a Forsworn (betrayer of the Dragon Riders); Becomes good friends with Eragon and travels with him to the Varden's hideout
Arya: guardian elf of the dragon's egg which Saphira hatched from; is saved by Eragon from the clutches of the King and Durza
Durza: once a desert nomad, he becomes a powerful Shade that ravages the land and controls the Urgal army before being killed by Eragon. In the final battle with Eragon at the end of the book, he permanently scars Eragon in the back. The scar is similar to that of Murtagh and in Eldest gravely wounded Eragon until his "healing". Durza started as Carsaib, and when his parents were murdered along with his tribe he wandered about the Hadarac Desert. He stumbled upon the socerer Haeg. When Haeg was murdered in a similar attack Carsaib summoned spirits to help avenge his master's death but was overtaken by them. The spirits controlled him henceforth and thus he became the Shade known as Durza.
Orik: a dwarf and the nephew of Hrothgar; befriends Eragon and is his guide through Tronjheim and Farthen Dûr
The Twins: twin magicians with strong magical abilities; powerful men within the Varden; cruel and strange with Eragon
Ajihad: ruler of the Varden, a kind and just man
Hrothgar: king of the Dwarves, befriends Eragon
Nasuada: the fiery daughter of Ajihad

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The Ancient Language

Main article Ancient Language (Inheritance)

The Ancient Language, also referred to as the Language of Power, is the Elven language in the book that enables certain people to use magic. Because of the nature of the language, it is impossible to lie or mislead while speaking it. Eragon uses it many times in the book. The Ancient language is based on Old Norse and Icelandic.

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Critical reaction

There has been much criticism of Eragon, regarding everything from word usage to the marketing techniques (critics deride the labelling of the author as a "prodigy" or "wunderkind"). The book's most frequent criticism is that it uses far too many clichés. Paolini employs stock characters, such as Elves, Dwarves, and a pseudo-orcish race known as Urgals, complete with an elite sect known as the Kull, comparable to Saruman's uruk-hai.

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Reviews

Reviews of Eragon were mixed, although more solidly positive than the reviews of the book's sequel, Eldest. KLIATT found the book "exceptional", and Children's Literature said Paolini's "eye and ear for detail, especially in describing the natural world, are topnotch". VOYA's response was more balanced between praise and mild critique, saying,

"Overwritten action sequences and occasionally forced dialogue do not detract too much from the interesting and entertaining tale. Now and then losing its direction and sometimes a bit immature in style, Paolini's debut novel will make readers long for the second volume in hopes of finding both Eragon and the writing a bit more polished."

School Library Journal, while noting correctly that the book would garner many fans, added that it "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."

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Derivative nature of the books

Template:Cite-sources There has been much debate over whether incorporating Elves and Dwarves similar to Tolkien's is derivative or respectful. It has also been pointed out that many names in Eragon resemble those in Tolkien's work, including

Arya - Arwen
Isenstar - Isengard
Mithrim - mithril
Eragon - Aragorn
Angrenost - Angrenost, the Sindarin name for Isengard
Morgothar - Morgoth
Elessari - Elessar

Additionally, Paolini's Beor mountains are named based on the word "Beorn", which is another word for bear. In The Hobbit, there is a character known as Beorn, who has the ability to transform into a bear. On the map of Alagaësia, the spelling of the place name Melian is identical to the name of the character Melian the Maia of Tolkien's The Silmarillion. The Grey Folk, said to be the first few magical beings resemble the Sindarin, who are the Grey Elves. These are a few examples of what is believed to be a wider occurrence.

Yet another criticism is that the plot closely resembles that of the original Star Wars saga. Characters are also similar, down to Brom who is supposedly the last of his order. Paolini countered these two remarks by stating that most fantasy is derivative, and that Star Wars has heavy ties to Buck Rogers and Dune. Furthermore, he also believed Tolkien to echo a famous Norse myth about a ring that made a dwarf invisible, made popular by Richard Wagner's epic opera series "Der Ring des Nibelungen", or "Ring of the Nibelung," despite the fact that Tolkien himself once said; "Both rings were round and there the resemblance ceased."

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Prose style

Template:Cite-sources Critics also conjectured that Paolini had the characters of Eragon act unrealistically while performing a myriad of fantasy clichés, such as "shedding a single tear" or reflecting in needless arcane speech: "When he would return, he knew not."

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Ancient language

Template:Cite-sources Conlangers poorly receive Paolini's Earthsea-esque "Ancient Language", which takes liberally from Old Norse with many of the words simply remaining the same, and it can be noted that Paolini's Dwarf language has a strong similarity to Tolkien's own Khuzdul with its kh, d and z sounds.

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