Eragon is just another farmboy that is an orphan who lives with his ungle Garrow and cousine Roran. But makes no big deal ,does it? Well, it wouldn't if it wasn't for his dragon Saphira.She is the last alive dragon and that makes him the first alive dragonrider after the final absolutely destroying war between the dragonriderss. Dragonriders who had had once a golden fair and powerfull time while being still on their peak come to become arrogant , rude ,... the only one that survived the war was Galbadorix the bad king of Alagaesia alond with his new black dragon Sruikan. After the amazing blue female dragon came to life she and her rider start their long andventures journei. Thoughout the first book the readers can notice how that teenage boy turns out to be a powerfull, strong-willing ,self-confident and kind man ready to fight to defend his country , family ... and how the baby dragon comes everyday closer to the wishdom of her kind by combining it with her unique peronality. ( )

This is an amazing book (ruined slightly by the movie but I am not going to talk about that). Christopher Paolini is a great author and one of my personal favorites. He published this story while he was still in highschool and now it is a national best seller. It is a great book for any kid who is not afraid of the thickness of the book( and yes I have met people who are like that) ( )

Magic, dwarves, elves, dragons: this book has all the ingredients of a classic fantasy novel. It is reminiscent of Tolkien's world but certainly no copy of it.
The story evolves around Eragon, a young boy who, to his own astonishment, becomes a Dragon Rider after what he believes to be some sort of stone hatches a dragon. As a Dragon Rider, it is inevitable that Eragon starts playing a key role in a world in turmoil.

I enjoyed reading this and I am looking forward to reading part 2. ( )

While Eragon isn't a badly written back, it isn't a great one either. Everywhere through the story (if you have read other popular fantasy) you keep thinking to yourself that this sounds very familiar... and oh yeah, wasn't a scene JUST like this one in that other book? Paolini has obviously fashioned his writing after a number of other renowned Fantasy authors, and it certainly isn't hard to tell which ones.
The scenes are connected rather clumsily, but the book isn't without its good points. Paolini has a good way of describing detail in an engaging way, the characters are good (though not as strong as they probably should have been for this type of story), and there are some plot twists that make it an interesting read.
It is, I would say, definitely a book you should read - but only because you can expect the young Paolini to get better, and should look at this as his first attempt. ( )

I’m gonna get straight to the point – I enjoyed the book, just not the ending. It’s short and quick, cliff-hanger but not cliff-hanger, and all around boring. I felt that the overall quality of the book could’ve been considerably better if the ending was expanded.

That said, I quite enjoyed the book. For a (then) 15-year old, Paolini sure knows how to impress his readers. The action was aplenty, as was the suspense. It was interesting to read about the world of Alagaesia, and the fantasy was very intriguing. Character development was somewhat good, but I was a little annoyed with the cheesy dialogue and style of narration. They sound like something out of a campy B-movie.

Overall, Eragon is a fresh and exciting debut from Paolini, guaranteed to please more than just average fantasy lovers. ( )

This is probably one of the most brilliant fantasy adventure books ever written. A boy named Eragon, fighting for a country and trying to figure out who he is at the same time. The characters are vividly portrayed and you just fall in love with the entire book. ( )

Awesome!! Reminds me of Lord of the Rings trilogy. Has same type of epic qualities.

A piece of derivative drek.

As many of the reviewers have already pointed out, this is essentially a parody of Lord of the Rings mixed in with elements of the Shannara and Pern series. However it was pleasent reading especially considering it was written by a 15 year old as I just found out. I was in the mood for a light Lord of the Rings type book and this fit the bill. ( )

A highly enjoyable tale - made the more so by the fact that the author was as young as he was when he wrote it!

A solid tale with very good, fleshed out characters. Impressive and entertaining! ( )

A young boy named Eragon discovers a dragon egg but faces grave danger on his journey to the Varden with his dragon Saphira and his friend Brom. ( )

I must admit that I did not have high hopes for this book, but I can now understand why many people enjoy it. It has action and adventure, but it is not all action and adventure. Multiple mysteries build suspense and carry the reader along. In the book, Eragon discovers an odd stone in the mountains near his home. This discovery soon proves to be a dragon egg, and Eragon becomes the first in a new generation of a group called the "Dragon Riders." In the past, the Dragon Riders had kept the kingdom safe and created peace throughout. They have been gone for a long time, though, and the kingdom is in desperate need of a hero. Eragon learns how to be just such a hero from Brom, his town's storyteller, who is wiser than anyone knows. Together, Brom, Eragon, and Eragon's dragon, Saphira, set off on a journey that will change the kingdom forever. At first, I was a little disappointed in the character of Eragon because he only seemed to want revenge for the men who hurt his family. However, through his long and dangerous journey, Eragon soon learns that he needs to use his gifts to free and help all of his fellow countrymen from the king out to control them all. I liked how at times Eragon and Saphira's relationship almost had the same feel as one of those "a boy and his dog books." I also really enjoyed the character of Brom who was like a father to Eragon and the kind of mentor I think we would all like to have. This is not the type of book I would normally choose for myself, but I am glad that I did. I think you would like this book if you like adventure or fantasy. Girls should not be turned off by this book just because it has action. This story is very much about the journey more than the destination. You would also like this book if you like to challenge yourself; it uses strong vocabulary and even some made-up words. It is impressive that the author was only seventeen when he wrote it! Take a look through the pages and see what you think. You might be surprised!

A very origanal book ( )

This book, as others are stating, is very derivative. To me it feels rather like someone threw Lord of the Rings and Star Wars together in a blender and wrote what came out - you can tell that Paolini was quite young when he wrote this. The characters are cliched and the plot predictable. The prose is clunky and would have benefited from a good, thorough editing.

I read this one back in the days when I refused to put down any book without having finished it, no matter how much I disliked it, but boy, finishing this one felt like work. I don't recommend it to anyone - the story's been done before, and a lot more skillfully, by other authors. ( )

This book didn't disappoint! I saw the movie, and had been wanting to read the book for quite some time. I'm glad I finally found the time to read it, because it's probably one of the best books I've read in a very long time. It does a great job of filling that gap where Harry Potter used to sit :o)

The story is about a boy named Eragon who finds a stone which turns out to be an egg. After it hatches, Eragon learns that it's a dragon, and raises it. All the while, an evil dragon rider and self-proclaimed king, Galbatorix, is on the hunt for the missing dragon. Eragon's home and family are destroyed by the king's spies, the Ra'zac. Brom, the local storyteller, finds Eragon and explains to him what a dragon rider is. The Varden, a ersistance group, has been waiting for a new rider to appear to defeat Galbatorix. On their journey to find the Vardon, Brom teaches Eragon about the riders.

This book is the first of four installments, and is full of interesting characters and sword-weilding action. I love the characters, and the creativity of the story. It's got all of the classic elements: farm boy turned hero, romance, adventure, villains, and sidekicks. Chris Paolini is an imaginative writer with impressive skills, considering he started writing this when he was 15. I will definitely read the rest of the series. ( )

This book is a good book if you like fantasy and magic. It has very descriptive words and the author was only fifteen when he wrote it! So go out and buy or check out Eragon today.:) ( )

Amazing books written by a young man ( )

 Eragon finds an egg in the mountains near his village, which leads to him leaving home and having all sorts of wild adventures.

You can tell Eragon was written by a very young person. You can also tell this young person has extraordinary talent. Eragon is written ten times better than a lot of what is published today and I can understand its appeal. For me though, it is simply too derivative and too shallow to be enjoyable. As a way to introduce children to fantasy though, I think Eragon may be perfect. ( )

Paolini, Christopher. Eragon. 2003. Knopf Books for Young Readers. New York.

Genre: Fantasy

Themes: Dragons, Battles/Fighting, Elves, Magic

Age / Grade Appropriateness: Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School

Awards: New York Times Best Seller List (121 weeks), NENE award, 2004 Book Sense Book of the Year

Censorship Issues: There was violence in this book, but nothing that would be scary or offensive. The language was appropriate for the age group. There are no issues that I would have concerns about or censor.

Plot Summary:
Eragon, a 15 year old boy named after the first Dragon Rider, finds a strange blue stone while in the mountains near his home. He thought that finding the stone was just good luck, as he was a poor farm boy. The stone then hatched and a dragon emerged from it. Dragons were believed to be extinct and this was the first one in many, many years. Eragon names the dragon Saphira and keeps her a secret and raises her privately. One day, two Ra’zac come looking for the stone, and Eragon and Saphira go to the forest to hide. Eragon’s uncle is killed, it changes Eragon and he gets a vengeance against the Ra’zac. He becomes a Dragon Rider and goes on a journey. He is determined to defeat the Ra’zac. Eragon meets Bram who becomes his mentor. Bram gets hurt and right before he died, he told Eragon that he was once a Dragon Rider and his dragon was murdered by Gaslbatrix. Eragon was captured and was imprisoned with a mysterious female elf, who he had previously had dreams about. Saphira rescues both ragon and the elf, but during this, they awaken Shade, a horrible creature. They begin their trek to Varden and have many mishaps and battles along the way, with an army of Urgals chasing them. They get to Varden and prepare for the Urgals arrival and a battle. The Urgals almost win the battle, until Eragon defeats the Shade. Shade is in great pain and horribly disfigured. As this battle ends, Eragon is going to study with the other elves.

Critique: does it fit the bill of a YA book, also my opinion of the book
The narrative aspect and the likable hero in Eragon, a wonderfully written story, are just part of the reason that it is classified as a young adult book. Although the author was very young when he began writing this book, it is still very well-written. Some parts of the story do not seem very original, they seem to be a lot alike Tolkien’s books and parts of Star Wars, but they are still appealing and do not seem boring or exactly the same. Readers seem to become part of this book and immersed in the imaginary world. It is action packed and the writing is lavish with great detail. This book definitely leave readers eager for the next book in the trilogy. There are numerous names of characters and places to remember while reading, which can be quite confusing at times; according to one site on the internet, there are 65 names of people, horses, and dragons. There are also phrases in the ancient language and things that the dwarfs and Urgalls say that are all a little confusing. There are maps and glossaries that help and by the end of the story, the reader really seems to understand.

Curriculum Uses:
This book would be a great choice for librarians or teachers to recommend to students when they are looking for a new series to start or if they are looking for something new to read. This series would evoke so much imagination and creativity in students, they would get entranced in it and love it.
This book would also be a great choice for an English or Literature teacher to use as encouragement for students to write. The author of this book began at age sixteen, the age of many highschool students. This would be a great experience for students to realize that an amazing book was written by someone their same age.

Boy finds dragon egg, dragon hatches, boy goes on grand adventure. Actually, boy spends most of book fleeing for his life, when suddenly a random Big Battle is tacked on the end to add some sort of climax, with a convenient deus ex machina to tie things up and make way for the sequel. It's not that it's poorly written, just utterly generic. Now, if I didn't like fantasy stereotypes I wouldn't read fantasy, but I was even able to pick out specific universes from which much of the stuff was cribbed (McCaffrey's Pern, Tolkien's Middle Earth, etc.). All in all, pretty forgettable. A young newcomer to fantasy might enjoy this, but a fans of the genre will find nothing new here. ( )

Amazing story considering the youth of the author - hope the movie doesn't ruin this kids career! ( )

This book is extremely derivitive. Paolini may be a good writer in about 10 years time. ( )

Eragon a young farm boy on teh virge of man hood is scouting in the Spine a forest. He must locate food for his family. He notches a arrow onto his bow pointing it at his prey, a small deer with a limp that has fallen behind the herd. Suddenly the ground near the deer explodes in brilliant light. The deer takes off running. I liked Eragon because it mixes adventure, suspence, and action where a farm boy must save a kingdom. ( )

I was going to leave a review and my opinion of this book after finishing it but find I cannot remember a thing about it. Although not badly written, it is very cliched, lacks interesting characters and where, to my mind, nothing of substance ever happens.
It was almost as bad as a dry technical manual for being a soporific. ( )