it was good but i dont remember much about it ( )

How do you sum up a 750 page book in just a paragraph with no spoilers? I'll try... Eragon and Saphira have to fulfill their promise to Roran to help him save Katrina, so all three go after the Ra'zac in Helgrind. Meanwhile, Nasuada finds herself trying to get humans and Urgals to follow her as leader of the Varden and not kill each other in the process. And that's just the beginning, of course, as Eragon, Saphira, Roran, Nasuada, and Arya all do their best to fight against the Empire and determine how to defeat Galbatorix.

I found the book to be very...long. In some ways, I found the writing to be better than the first two books. The author seems to have found his stride and style in writing, so there aren't jarring bits of archaic-sounding language smack up against a modern-sounding sentence. I cared about the characters somewhat, but didn't feel compelled to keep reading and found it didn't even bother me to put the book down in the middle of a fight scene. Partly based on the fact that it took me nearly two weeks to read, my biggest feeling at the end was relief that I could move on to something else. I liked it, but it doesn't stand out for me. ( )

"Brisingr" means 'fire' in the ancient language of the world Paolini has created; unfortunately, 'fire' is exactly what this story lacks. In fact, it plods. Conversations are followed by internal moralising (of a very limited nature) which is followed by some political debate (ie. more conversation) and every once in a while there is an extended action sequence (more on these later). I find it very revealing that this should have been the final title in the 'Inheritance' trilogy, but it became so lengthy that Paolini decided to publish (at least) one more book to create a (VERY profitable) series. Realistically, this was not necessary: so much of what is in this book is mundane and unnecessary and - somewhat bizarrely, given the length - undeveloped. By which I mean that that after pondering, pontificating and pouting, the characters act and that section of the story just closes, without really changing anything or anyone, or anyone's opinion of anyone.

I have not read the first two in the series, so I cannot comment on how far the style here is similar, but I would imagine that to create such a successful fantasy series, you would have to include more elements of fantasy. Instead, Paolini mainly switches between two styles: extreme violence and gore; political/ moral conversation. Rather than seeing the main characters learning spells or exploring elvish or dwarvish customs (other than an extremely dull section regarding electing a new chief), we see copious amounts of slaughter.

The novel opens when Eragon (our hero) and his cousin, Roran, are hiding from a cult and about to witness a rather unpleasant custom. As part of their sacrifice to their Gods, these people hack off their own limbs and smile beatifically as they spray blood over the altar. Although Eragon reflects that it seems wrong to deliberately mutilate yourself, it is revealing that there is a "spark of excitement" in his heart as he watches them. His cousin is horrified, exclaiming that they are cannibals. Our hero calmly points out that this is not strictly true because "they do not partake of the meat." His reasoned approach is perhaps sensible, but it seems that war has dulled his own senses. Later on this lack of empathic response is emphasised when he and Roran fight in seemingly endless battles, repeatedly slaying soldier, after soldier, after soldier. Obviously, war does inure soldiers to death to some extent, but some genuine discomfort in the hero would make him more realistic and likeable. Instead of giving him this sensitivity, Paolini emphasises his violent credentials by describing how he and Roran kill each individual soldier and are hailed as magnificent heroes. Yes, there is a lot of violence in war, but I found it disturbing the way the author and his characters seemed to revel in carnage.

At the beginning of the book, Eragon has three main aims: rescue Katerina, Roran's beloved, continue his training with Oromis and defeat Galbatorix. One of these aims is tackled early on, another is touched upon towards the end of the book, but where is Galbatorix? After 750 pages, the dread warlord himself has not been seen and Eragon is almost exactly where he was at the beginning of the story: preparing to do battle against the evil King. This is slightly disappointing. After a few initial skirmishes, much of the book follows Eragon as he tries to meet the demands of the many oaths he has sworn, some of which are almost conflicting and result in important people trying to assert their control over him.

There is a continuous sense of plot, and although the reading never becomes exactly dull - how could it when you are describing interactions between dragons and elves? - it never becomes gripping, either. I read this book slowly, because I was never compelled to find out what happened next. Perhaps, for me personally, it is almost too clearly a saga. There is never any real sense of stories opening or closing, only a gradual build-up of information. Some characters seem to appear briefly just to say: "look! I'll be important later on! Remember what I said/did/looked like." Because of this, I read along fairly contentedly, with no real impetus to complete the experience.

It is possible to read this book without having read the previous two, since the author has usefully provided a synopsis of each before the 'main feature', but I question why anyone would want to. I suspect that those who have read and enjoyed "Eragon" and "Eldest" might be more willing to tolerate the lack of drama in this instalment because they share some bonds with the characters. Those who haven't read either should probably start there, because I suspect this is the weakest link in the series so far.

So is it worth reading? Personally, I think not. It was not a bad read really; it's just that there must be much better books out there, and 750 pages is a long time to spend on something that doesn't really grip you. I will qualify my review by stating that I do not typically read fantasy stories and much prefer science fiction or crime fiction or - well, most other types of writing, really. I read this as part of shadowing the 'Berkshire Book Award' with a group of pupils and will be very interested to hear their views on it, as they are the target audience. ( )

I continue to be disappointed by Paolini's series, and would not have finished this book were it not for my own compulsion to finish every series I start, no matter what. I was able to excuse the poor writing of his first book, Eragon, since the story was compelling and he was so young when he wrote it. However, his writing has not improved over these past six years, and the story barely progressed in this installment of almost 800 pages. Save your time, this one isn't worth reading. ( )

A book rich in fantasy, "Brisinger" is the third edition to the Inheritance Cycle. Paolini does not disappoint his readers in the third sequel - these books double in quality as the story goes on. ( )