Eragon - Christopher Paolini (December/05)

I borrowed this book from a friend because I had heard it was good and wanted to see for myself. I was very surprised that the author was just a teenager himself when he wrote it. I like dragons, so a novel with one in it always attracts my interest. At the beginning of the novel, the main character, Eragon, finds a polished blue stone in the forest. I am one of the ones that rarely reads the backs of the novels I am reading, so I did not know until it hatched that it was a dragon. I knew there was in the book, I just did not know where it came from. With this blue rock, Eragon stumbles into a wild adventure like nothing he ever would have expected. He goes from a simple farm boy to being able to use magic, a master swordsman, and of course a dragon barrier.

The king had never been a kind man, but his power is in the hopes of expanding and Eragon and his dragon find themselves caught in the middle. They are a member of a great band of men that were killed off generations before, a band of men that created a legacy to the Empire's people. Eragon brings hope where there was none and gives the people someone to respect, honour, and trust. He meets a cast of characters that add various dimensions to the novel, and characters that you want to learn more about in the later parts of this trilogy. This book will have you up and cheering for the good guys to win and the bad guys to perish. I can guarantee that.

Young adult or teen fiction has gone through advancements since I was reading it as my age group. Eragon is intended for a younger audience, but is just as captivating for the older readers as well. I really enjoyed this novel. I cannot wait to read the next two books and see how Eragon's adventures turn out. I am glad my friend lent this to me.

4.5/5