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Submitted by Dan 
(Oct 02, 2007)

Paolini's work... where do I begin? First of all, the plot, is it just me or is it identical to that of Star Wars episode VI: A New Hope? I believe the characters are full of authenticity and have never been heard of before in the genre... That is to say the name of Arya is from the "Redemption of Athalus" by David Eddings, the races of dwarves and elves are exactly the same as those from Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" (with characteristics identical to those of the dryads in "Queen of Sorcery" and the Ulgos in "Magician's Gambit" by David Eddings). The elves are also similar to the Lothlorien elves in the way they do not let anyone see the way into the heart of the forest.
The telepathic dragons are ripped off from "Dragonriders of Pern." The Inheritance trilogy is a typical fantasy series, something we've all seen before. The languages are ripped off from Tolkien's languages, which can actually be spoken like a real language, not just a jumble of random accents. Comparisons to other authors' characters: Eragon is Garion, Brom is Belgarath or Gandalf, Galbatorix is Torak, Arya is similar to Polgara and Arwen, Oromis is similar to Elrond and Celeborn, Orik is Gimli, Islanzadi is Galadriel. Eragon is also Aragorn, but maybe that was just a typo. Keep these things in mind when seeing Paolini's work.

I agree that Christopher Paolini’s writing style is rather green, but you must think of what you’re actually reviewing. When Paolini began this trilogy he was only 15 years old, and that alone is impressive. Now he is published and has reached the best seller list-- twice. That accomplishment is truly impressive. There are considerably more “soon-to-be published authors,” than published ones.
In critique of Paolini’s style; yes, the characters may follow the stereotypical pattern, but there is something to be said for that. No longer do people look for characters that are amazing from the start; they want a main character who started out ordinary and then evolved into extraordinary; this is society’s current definition of a true hero. I happen to enjoy reading these novels very much.
Though I do not possess the skill needed to create them, I still think there are some weaknesses. For one, his descriptions are not as strong as they could be, so it’s hard for someone to get a clear image of the characters and scenery. However, where imagery lacks the plot line takes over. It is hard to duplicate the amount of action involved and the depth that each action scene has. They all have a complex web of intricacies needed for the hero, Eragon, to survive. This alone is impressive. Eragon needs to use everything he has learned since Saphira hatched to fight the battles which he is forced to encounter. I rate these books a four because they are amazing but the author still has room to grow. I look forward to anything else he may end up writing.

I'm a writer myself, I thought that Eragon was inspirational. The earthly descriptions for the dwarves was brilliant. The way you descried Saphira made me feel like she was in the room. The description of Eragon made me feel like I had met him. You books are the best book that I have ever read in over two years. My brother reads them so much that he has almost memorized them by heart.

First of all, as a writer myself, and soon to be published, I must say that these books are as well written as my first short story back in second grade. The characters are not only rip offs of other ORIGINAL characters, but they develop insanely fast and adapt way too easily. Nothing about these books are original, it can all be copied from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, plot by plot, character by character. Even if they were original, the plot is still the same old story. A normal kid gets caught up in a whirlwind of events and just follows in the footsteps of an old man who's 'been there'. Whoopdeedo. I'm sorry, but this book should never have been published, even if it was by his own father.

I Rated this series a 4 because While the plotline is not original it is however your basic fantasy novel. The Inheritence series is a set of excellent books that if you are a beginner to fantasy would enjoy. These books are a combination to several different Fantasys and science fiction books. If you are a regular fantasy book i recommend the book as it has an enjoyable story line and it has a sort of classic writting style. However this is not the type of writting you will find in a Tolkien book. You can tell that the Author was inspired by his favorite stories and tried to take all that he felt fantasy should be and incorporate it into a trilogy. However, once again i should state if your a large fantasy reader these you would enjoy it but you will probably guess at everything that happens once you start to peice together everything thats happening. I loved the book, but i'm a sucker for classic plotlines.