Good morning!
How are you?
I have been putting today review of for… one year? Two? Maybe three…
I mean, a loooooot of time, but the time has come for me to face it.
Today, I am going to talk you about Eragon and all the Inheritance Cycle.
There are four books for now (it seems that Paolini is working on a fifth… Who knows, we hope so, then we’ll see), Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr and Inheritance, and these are the books I grew up with.
Not Harry Potter, not Narnia, neither Fairy Oak, Eragon.
This is the reason why it is hard to talk about it, so I already apologize in case I would sound like a “fangirl”.
I have loved this saga for many reasons, but, unfortunately, the majority of people I know has never felt the thrill of flying on Saphira’s wings through Alagaësia.
And why this?
Because they saw the film.
There, now do me – and you – a favour: FORGET ABOUT THAT ABOMINATION DISGUISED AS A MOVIE!
Told that, I’d say we could begin.
PLOT!
Eragon is an almost-15-years-old young boy who lives in Carvahall with his uncle, Garrow, and his cousin, Roran.
One day, while hunting in the Spine, he runs into a beautiful cobalt blue stone, a sort of big sapphire. Surprised, he brings it with him and tries to sell it in exchange for meat to the grouchy butcher Sloan, failing since the man does not want anything coming from “those damned mountains”.
At this point, the boy is “forced” to keep the stone and brings it home.
But what he does not know is that the stone is actually an egg and the creature inside brings with it marvels and terrible troubles.
And this being has chosen precisely Eragon as its own rider, changing his life forever.
This saga is extremely engaging, set in a world that is built so well with detailed cultures, mysterious languages, a clear geography – it is not The Lord of the Rings, of course, but it is not so distant -, with dragons, epic battles, magic, love and friendship, suitable for both male and female audience, with characters that grow, mature and evolve with the reader and the author – Paolini was only fifteen years old when he started writing Eragon and twenty-eight when he wrote the last word of Inheritance –.
The characters… Well, they are amazing.
Except for Eragon who, paradoxically, is probably one of the less charming characters, we deal with characters of the calibre of Angela and Solembum, a duo who, thanks to their bizarre weirdness mixed to a deep and almost disturbing wisdom, gets quite easily a very special place in everybody’s heart, of
Murtagh, who you can’t fully understand until you read the last page of the last book, who you love and hate over and over again, of Arya, the elf who hides centuries of secrets and mysteries behind her melancholy smile, of Brom, who conquers you since his very first appearance, so shrouded in mystery, with a past which weighs on his shoulder and which, slowly revealed, will clarify a lot of things not only about Brom but about the history of the whole Alagaësia, of Roran, who from simpleton country boy becomes a man, a husband, a father, a warrior without ever losing his good and a little naive essence, of Nasuada, who very young ends up leading one of the bigger rebel resistances of Alagaësia…
I could talk for hours about these characters, how every single one of them has represented a phase of my growth, but I do not want to bore you.
Let’s just say that, beyond the mentioned characters, even the main villain is truly interesting and his story turns out to be everything but banal.
Even though it is a relatively light fantasy, the themes that are discussed or even just lightly touched and the messages, that Paolini wanted to communicate are very deep and always current.
Stylistically speaking, I must say that the way Paolini writes is absolutely pleasant.
You gladly read his works and, although the books are quite thick volumes, you finish them in the blink of an eye thanks to their flow.
Emotionally speaking, the author succeeds in getting the reader totally involved, often breaking barbarically our hearts.
You obviously perceive the difference due to the changing author’s age, but I think that this changing is perfect for the way the story evolves, becoming little by little more serious.
I have to say, moreover, that I found very intelligent the chosen titles too, but you will understand why only once you have read all the books.
I have nothing left to say except do not let Eldest stop you.
The second chapter of this beautiful saga, indeed, can seem more boring because of a lot of reasons, but, trust me, ending it to arrive at that marvel named Brisingr is more than worth it.
Have a good read!
IL CAPPUCCINO 