Darkness falls...despair abounds...evil reigns... Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon Rider: magic and swordsmanship. Soon he is on the journey of a lifetime, his eyes open to awe-inspring new places and people, his days filled with fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and nothing is what it seems. Before long, Eragon doesn't know whom he can trust. Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle-one that might put Eragon in even graver danger. Will the king's dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life. . . . Praise for Eragon: "Unusual, powerful . . . fresh and fluid. An impressive start to a writing career that's sure to flourish." -Booklist, Starred "Christopher Paolini make[s] literary magic with his precocious debut." -People "The new 'It' book of children's lit." -U.S. News & World Report "An auspicious beginning to both career and series." -Publishers Weekly A #1 New York Times Bestseller A #1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller A USA Today Bestseller A Wall Street Journal Bestseller A Book Sense Book of the Year A #1 Book Sense Selection From the Hardcover edition.
Surpassing its popular prequel Eragon, this second volume in the Inheritance trilogy shows growing maturity and skill on the part of its very young author, who was only seventeen when the first volume was published in 2003. The story is solidly in the tradition (some might say derivative) of the classic heroic quest fantasy, with the predictable cast of dwarves, elves, and dragons--but also including some imaginatively creepy creatures of evil.
The land of Alagaesia is suffering under the Empire of the wicked Galbatorix, and Eragon and his dragon Saphira, last of the Riders, are the only hope. But Eragon is young and has much to learn, and so he is sent off to the elven forest city of Ellesmera, where he and Saphira are tutored in magic, battle skills, and the ancient language by the wise former Rider Oromis and his elderly dragon Glaedr. Meanwhile, back at Carvahall, Eragon's home, his cousin Roran is the target of a siege by the hideous Ra'zac, and he must lead the villagers on a desperate escape over the mountains. The two narratives move toward a massive battle with the forces of Galbatorix, where Eragon learns a shocking secret about his parentage and commits himself to saving his people.
The sheer size of the novel, as well as its many characters, places with difficult names, and its use of imaginary languages make this a challenging read, even for experienced fantasy readers. It is essential to have the plot threads of the first volume well in mind before beginning--the publisher has provided not only a map, but a helpful synopsis of the first book and a much-needed Language Guide. But no obstacles will deter the many fans of Eragon from diving headfirst into this highly-awaited fantasy. (Ages 12 and up) --Patty Campbell
Meet Author Christopher Paolini Christopher Paolini's abiding love of fantasy and science fiction inspired him to begin writing his debut novel, Eragon, when he graduated from high school at age 15. "Writing is the heart and soul of my being. It is the means through which I bring my stories to life. There is nothing like putting words on a page and knowing that they will summon certain emotions and reactions from the reader. In my writing, I strive for a lyrical beauty somewhere between Tolkien at his best and Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf." --Christopher Paolini
Paolini talks more about the series, and about what inspires him in this video clip. Watch the video (high bandwith) Watch the video (low bandwith)
The Eragon/Eldest Boxed Set Want to learn more about the series? Check out our review of Eragon: Here's a great big fantasy that you can pull over your head like a comfy old sweater and disappear into for a whole weekend. Christopher Paolini began Eragon when he was just 15, and the book shows the influence of Tolkien, of course, but also Terry Brooks, Anne McCaffrey, and perhaps even Wagner in its traditional quest structure and the generally agreed-upon nature of dwarves, elves, dragons, and heroic warfare with magic swords. Read more Order your copy of the boxed set today
Learn the Lingo Our quickie pronunciation guide will help you get to know some of the names and places in the Inheritance series.
Ajihad
AH-zhi-hod
The Leader of the Varden
Argetlam
ARE-jet-lahm
Elven word to describe Dragon Riders meaning "silver hand"
Arya
AR-ee-uh
A powerful elf who is both beautiful and a master swordswoman
Why I have to give credit to Christopher for experimenting with multiple points of view, he didn't pull it off successfully. Most of Eragon's story was dull description of the elves' home (which reminded me heavily of descriptions from LoTR) while Nasuada's was too short and came off as a cheap way to show the audience what was happening to the Varden. With the exception of a couple chapters, Roran's pov was the more interesting of the three because he actually did some important things during it. The... more info
Great book, slow shipping:
Excellent book, just like the first book of the trilogy. Unfortunately, it took 2 month to reach me. Then there was a mix up with my account at amazon. Although I addressed it twice, I was only given the instructions of howto change my password. Comunication with amazon is very difficult and turns fast into a hassle. You're not supposed to return any email to their response addresses, whcih makes it impossible to keep an issue history in one email string and every time someone else answers. I just gave... more info
Like wading through mud...:
I found this book to be long, dull boring, even not having read the previous book, nothing in the writing compels me to read the previous book. It was a schizophrenic split between plots and neither got anywhere fast. I was bored reading it. I stooped reading it and I found it not worth picking up at all. Not at all the excited about reading the third since it would take a whole set of encyclopedias to clear up all the messy plot messes everywhere. Not exactly anything new or original in this writing. Just... more info
An absolute joy to read, based on deep and logical theories of magic and its applications.:
What I look for, when I pick up a fantasy fiction based on elves, dwarves and humans, is how the author has striven to reinvent the races, their relationships, the magic and creatures of the realm, but all within some established conventions and rules (ie: dwarves live in mountains, elves forests, etc). What particularly interests me is how an author breaks barriers in formulating the governing rules of magic, how it is discovered, learned, and the system of laws the creatures of the realm must follow in... more info
Christopher Paolini's abiding love of fantasy and science fiction inspired him to begin writing his debut novel, Eragon, when he graduated from high school at age 15.
Our quickie pronunciation guide will help you get to know some of the names and places in the Inheritance series.
