Christopher Paolini took the world by storm when he published his first book “Eragon” in 2003.
Paolini had been home-schooled his whole life and graduated from high school at the age of 15. He then proceeded to begin writing the Inheritance cycle.
A short five years later, the first half of the last novel in the trilogy is being released to a multitude of excited fans.
The story centers on the boy Eragon, a 15-year-old farm boy from the village of Carvahall.
His world is altered forever with the discovery of a dragon egg, which forces him to leave his home.
It begins slowly; however, once the dragon is hatched the truth begins to surface and you simply can’t put the book down.
Eragon leaves destruction in his wake as those who wish to possess the dragon, a highly coveted animal, are pursuing him.
Eragon must follow in the legendary footsteps of the Dragon Riders, all destroyed by the ruthless King Galbatorix who now rules the empire Aagaesia, in this tale of power, destiny and magic, peopled with monsters, elves and dragons.
The boy is compelled into his journey with the aid of different fantastical creatures each believing him to be their savior from destruction.
Each chapter introduces a new landscape and new characters to meet, an ever-changing canvas for the mind to wander through.
As the tale continues in the second book, “Eldest,” the duo journey to receive the training required of a Dragon Rider.
The dragon Saphira, named for her vivid blue color, and Eragon trek to the Elven city Ellesméra to acquire additional instruction in swordsmanship and magic, two skills that are vital to any Dragon Rider.
Each day is a new adventure for Eragon and Saphira on their trip to Ellesméra with the constant threat of harm from the evil King Galbatorix who is fast on their tail.
“Brisingr,” the third of the Inheritance cycle, is to be released Sept. 20.
In this novel the epic battle between good and evil will commence.
One party will survive, changing the landscape of Aagaesia forever in what should be a thrilling adventure.
Often the Inheritance cycle is compared to other fantasy novels.
People seem to believe that it is just a cross between “The Lord of the Rings,” “Star Wars” and “Harry Potter.”
There are some elements reminiscent of each book within the cycle but no more than between any other two novels.
There are only a number of different stories to tell and many stories when all the description and flare are taken away come from the same basic storyline.
To expect no stories to ever resemble one another is ludicrous.
The unique combination of elements by the author is what provides each tale with it’s own identity.
No one would look at a King Arthur book and accuse it of being like another King Arthur book because they are clearly both about King Arthur so why accuse one fantasy book of being like another?
They are, after all, both fantasy.
Whether this is believable or not, the Inheritance cycle is still an amazing read.
It is the perfect novel for anyone who loves fantasy or adventure, with just the right combination of both, a page-turner and a nice break from the monotony of textbooks.