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'''''Eragon''''' is a novel written by ]. It is the first book of the '']'' trilogy. The sequel is '']'', and was released in summer of 2006. The ] has not been named or released. ''Eragon'' is set in the fantastical land of ], and is a story about ]s. The book has been adapted into a ] due for release December 15, 2006. '''''Eragon''''' is a novel written by ]. It is the first book of the '']'' trilogy. The sequel is '']'', and was released in summer of 2006. The ] has not been named or released. ''Eragon'' is set in the fantastical land of ], and is a story about ]s. The book has been adapted into a ] due for release December 15, 2006.


==Publication history==
Christopher Paolini began writing ''Eragon'' around 1998, at the age of 15. The book was first published in 2002 by the author's parents through their small publishing company, Paolini International, LLC. The book was discovered by ], and was republished under Knopf in 2002. With Knopf as the publisher, ''Eragon'' became a success and a ].



{{spoiler}}
== Plot Summary == == Plot Summary ==
''Eragon'' takes place in a land called ], which is ruled by the despotic king, ]. He was once a Dragon Rider, but went mad after his ] was killed and he was denied another by the council. Dragons were once involved in a partnership with the elite Dragon Riders, and together they kept peace in the land. Galbatorix, along with the Forsworn (a group of riders that betrayed the rest of the order), crippled the order of the Riders. For years many believed that dragons were extinct. ''Eragon'' takes place in a land called ], which is ruled by the despotic king, ]. He was once a Dragon Rider, but went mad after his ] was killed and he was denied another by the council. Dragons were once involved in a partnership with the elite Dragon Riders, and together they kept peace in the land. Galbatorix, along with the Forsworn (a group of riders that betrayed the rest of the order), crippled the order of the Riders. For years many believed that dragons were extinct.

Revision as of 00:14, 28 November 2006

This article is about the novel. For the film, see Eragon (film). For the character, see Eragon (character). For the video game based on the film and novel, see Eragon (video game).
Eragon
File:Eragon.jpgFirst edition cover
AuthorChristopher Paolini
IllustratorJohn Jude Palencar
Cover artistJohn Jude Palencar
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy novel
PublisherAlfred A. Knopf
Publication dateAugust 26, 2003
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback) and audio-CD
Pages544 pp (first edition, hardback)
ISBNISBN 0-375-82668-8 (first edition, hardback) Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character
Preceded bynone 
Followed byEldest 

Eragon is a novel written by Christopher Paolini. It is the first book of the Inheritance trilogy. The sequel is Eldest, and was released in summer of 2006. The third book has not been named or released. Eragon is set in the fantastical land of Alagaësia, and is a story about dragons. The book has been adapted into a film due for release December 15, 2006.


Plot Summary

Eragon takes place in a land called Alagaësia, which is ruled by the despotic king, Galbatorix. He was once a Dragon Rider, but went mad after his dragon was killed and he was denied another by the council. Dragons were once involved in a partnership with the elite Dragon Riders, and together they kept peace in the land. Galbatorix, along with the Forsworn (a group of riders that betrayed the rest of the order), crippled the order of the Riders. For years many believed that dragons were extinct.

The main character is Eragon (EHR-uh-gahn), a 15 year old boy who lives with his uncle Garrow and cousin Roran on their farm, just outside of a small village known as Carvahall. While hunting in The Spine, a local range of mountains, Eragon is surprised to see a polished blue stone appear in front of him. After failing to sell or trade his find, Eragon witnesses a baby dragon hatch from the "stone", which was in reality a dragon egg. He questions Brom - the elderly town storyteller - about the ways of the Dragon Riders. After this talk, Eragon names the dragon Saphira(Sah-fear-RAh). He raises the dragon in secret until two Ra'zac (RAA-Zac), sent by Galbatorix, come to Carvahall looking for the egg. Eragon and Saphira manage to escape by hiding in the forest, but Eragon's uncle Garrow is killed, and the house and farm are destroyed.

Eragon becomes a Dragon Rider through his bond with Saphira. He seeks revenge on the Ra'zac. Eragon and Saphira begin a journey in search of the Ra'zac, accompanied by Brom, who insists on joining them. On the journey, Eragon learns swordfighting, magic, and the ways of the Dragon Riders from Brom, who is something of an expert in these areas.

They travel through several cities, and Eragon is shocked by the way that the Empire is harming the land and its people. Finally, after obtaining information in the town of Teirm, Brom concludes that the Ra'zac reside in Dras-Leona. There, Eragon, Saphira, and Brom are lured into an ambush by the Ra'zac. Although they are rescued by a stranger, Murtagh, Brom is gravely injured and dies shortly after — but not before revealing the secrets of his past. Brom was a Dragon Rider who had a dragon, which shared Saphira's name, but was killed years before.

The new company (Eragon, Murtagh and Saphira) travel in search of the hidden leagues of the Varden, a strong rebel faction which Brom had mentioned on their journey. On the way Eragon has dreams of a beautiful elf, all of which feature her suffering great pain. Eragon is captured and imprisoned in the same prison where the elf, Arya, is being held captive. Murtagh and Saphira stage a rescue and Eragon escapes with Arya. During the escape Eragon and Murtagh battle with a Shade. The fact that a Shade is walking freely in the land deeply disturbs Eragon and he suspect that Galbatorix is planning something terrible.

Eragon and his party are pursued by an army of Urgals as they travel to the Varden's fortress, hidden deep within the Beor Mountains. Once inside the fortress, Eragon learns of the pact between the dwarves, the elves and the Varden and how it was that Saphira's egg was magically teleported to the Spine. The group is at last able to rest, although an invasion by the army of Urgals is imminent.

When the battle finally begins, the Varden, elves, and dwarves are pitted against an enormous army of Urgals. During the battle, Eragon faces the Shade, Durza, whom he had recently encountered, and kills him, though he receives a serious disfiguring wound on his back. After the death of the Shade, the Urgals seem to have a spell lifted from them, which gives the Varden a chance to counter-attack, and the Urgals are routed. The story ends at the close of the battle, and we learn that Eragon will soon be sent to be taught by the elves in the sequel where he will meet Oromis, the elf who saved him from the dreadful shade.

Characters

Main article: List of characters in the Inheritance Trilogy

Appearing characters

  • Eragon: Main character, and the book's protagonist. Eragon is a fifteen year old orphan who lives with his uncle. He is named after the first dragon Rider. Along his quest he becomes an official member of the Varden (rebels), is adopted into a dwarf clan, slays Durza, and becomes a Dragon Rider.
  • Saphira: Eragon's dragon and best friend. Saphira granted Eragon the Gedwey Ignasia that proclaims him a rider.
  • Roran: Eragon's cousin and Garrow's son. His relationship with Eragon borders on brotherhood.
  • Nasuada: The daughter of the late Ajihad. She is the new leader of the Varden.
  • Brom: Carvahall's supposedly humble storyteller. He accompanies Eragon on Eragon's journey. He has extensive knowledge about dragons and their riders. He was once a Dragon Rider.
  • Arya: An elf who was the guardian of Saphira's egg. She was imprisoned by Durza in Gil'ead on King Galbatorix's orders, and Eragon rescues her. She is the daughter of the elven Queen, Izlanzadi. Eragon is infatuated with her.
  • Orik: Hrothgar's nephew; he befriends Eragon, and is his guide through Tronjheim and Farthen Dûr.
  • Murtagh: Oldest son of Morzan, who was a Forsworn (betrayer of the Dragon Riders); he becomes good friends with Eragon and travels with him to the Varden's hidden stronghold. He was kidnapped after the battle and has become the second dragon rider, and an enemy of the Varden.
  • Angela: A powerful witch who supports the Varden and specializes in herb-based magic. She foretells Eragon's future.
  • Solembum: The werecat who lives with Angela; he helps Eragon in various parts of the book, occasionally taking human form.
  • Ajihad: Master swordsman and brilliant tactician and the former leader of the Varden. After the battle, Ajihad was ambushed and killed.
  • Hrothgar: King of the Dwarves who befriends Eragon. He adopted Eragon into his clan.
  • Durza: A main antagonist in the book, he was a powerful Shade who controlled the Urgal army. He was killed by Eragon, with the help of Saphira and Arya, at Farthen Dûr.
  • The Twins: Twin magicians with strong magical abilities. They betrayed the Varden.
  • Sloan: Butcher of Carvahall who hates Eragon's family. He is Katrina's father.
  • Katrina: Daughter of Sloan and a romantic interest of Roran's.
  • Horst: Horst is the father of Baldor and Alberich, and is a father figure to Eragon and Roran when Garrow dies. He is a blacksmith.
  • Garrow: Farmer of Carvahall, Eragon's uncle, and Roran's father. He was killed by the Ra' Zac.
  • Jeod: A merchant of Teirm, Jeod is Brom's old friend, and also a member of the Varden.
  • The lethrblaka: The parents of the Ra'zac. They are huge bird like things and there name translates from the Ancient Language to "Leather-Wing"

Unseen characters

  • Morzan: The first and the last Forsworn, he is also the father of Murtagh and Eragon. Galbatorix, with the help of Morzan and the Thirteen Forsworn, conquered the Riders to become king of Alagaësia. Morzan was killed by Brom. Brom took Morzan's sword, Zar'roc and gave it to Eragon.
  • Galbatorix: The antagonist, an insane, corrupt emperor who rules Alagaesia from the capital city Urû'baen with dark magic and his enslaved black dragon Shruikan.
  • Selena: Eragon's mother.

The Ancient Language

Main article: Ancient Language (Inheritance)

The Ancient Language, also referred to as the 'Language of Power', is the Elven language in the book that enables certain people to use magic. Because of the nature of the language, it is impossible to lie, but one can mislead, as the Elves show in abundance. Eragon uses it many times in the books. eg.Skulblaka means scale-flapper (dragon) The Ancient Language is based on Old Norse and Icelandic, but the speech characteristics are of Latin. Many words are also derived from German, such as "Welden" (forest) which is very similar to the German "Wald".

Literary significance & criticism

Criticism of Eragon

There has been much criticism of Eragon, regarding everything from word usage to the marketing techniques (critics deride the labelling of the author as a "prodigy" or "wunderkind") to its derivative nature. The novel has been accused of relying heavily on genre clichés and themes popularized by earlier novels such as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Paolini employs stock characters, such as Elves, Dwarves, and an Orc-like race known as Urgals, complete with an elite sect known as the Kull, comparable to Saruman's Uruk-hai. Much of the language in Eragon is comparable to that of Lord of the Rings and some words are nearly identical. For instance, Elessar, Elessari; Morgoth, Morgothar; Imladris, Imiladris; Mithril, Mithrim.. However, it should be noted that many of these similarities are only to the sound of the word, not to the actual concept, and Tolkien himself was known to use names from mythology and foreign places.

Furthermore, both the plot and the characters are almost identical to that of the Star Wars films. Also, many of the ideas in the book regarding the dragon-human relationship, such as the dragon choosing its rider, the telepathic connection between the dragon and the rider, even the idea of dragonriders, are extremely similar to those in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series. . However, McCaffrey is not the only author to have dragon-using societies. Empires ruled with the power of Dragons also exist in Michael Moorcock's Elric series, and George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.

The system of magic used in the book is very similar to that of Ursula K. Leguin's Earthsea. Both use an Ancient Language, which is no longer spoken, in which the name of a thing gives the speaker of that name power over that thing. However, the concept of a true name is found in other fantasy as well, and mystical traditions such as Wicca and Kabbalah. Ursula K. Le Guin herself has stated that she encountered the method elsewhere before using it herself. One can also compare the telekinetic powers in Eragon to those of the Force in Star Wars; however, in Star Wars, it is possible to remove the constraints of an object's size from the equation, but the amount of power necessary to move larger objects is capable of killing the user.

Reviews

Anne McCaffrey is quoted as saying: "Full praise to Eragon, and I want more." Kenneth Oppel, best known as a children's author, found the book predictable and uninspired.

The New York Times Book Review stated that the novel was, "for all its flaws... an authentic work of great talent."

VOYA remarked that "overwritten action sequences and occasionally forced dialogue do not detract too much from the interesting and entertaining tale. Now and then losing its direction and sometimes a bit immature in style, Paolini's debut novel will make readers long for the second volume in hopes of finding both Eragon and the writing a bit more polished."

School Library Journal, while noting correctly that the book would garner many fans, added that it "does not approach the depth, uniqueness, or mastery of J. R. R. Tolkien's works, and sometimes the magic solutions are just too convenient for getting out of difficult situations."

Commonsensemedia, a family-friendly review site, was particularly scathing, stating that, "It's not long, however, before they begin to notice the long-winded descriptions, the clichés and hackneyed dialogue, and the derivative nature of the plot—straight out of Star Wars by way of The Lord of the Rings, with bits of other great fantasies thrown in here and there. That this is a great achievement for one so young is undeniable, and many children will love it. It certainly ranks right up there with other derivative, overblown fantasies written by adults, such as Terry Brooks's Sword of Shannara series."

This criticism from USAToday mirrors Commonsensemedia's accusation of derivative storytelling: "The novel also owes a debt to Luke Skywalker as the teen hero trains to be a Dragon Rider while avenging his uncle's murder," as well as the fact that the book "echoes Tolkien in its pseudo-Celtic language and imagined universe of dwarfs and elves."

Eragon in other media

Movie

Main article: Eragon (film)

Fox 2000, a division of 20th Century Fox, has purchased the rights to Eragon and is in the process of adapting the book to film. The movie stars John Malkovich, Edward Speleers, Jeremy Irons and Sienna Guillory and has a budget of $125 million. It will be directed by first-time filmmaker Stefen Fangmeier, who previously oversaw the visual effects for Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004). The film is slated for a 15th of December, 2006 release.

X-large trailer (Theatrical I) (66MB): http://pdl.stream.aol.com/aol/us/moviefone/movies/2006/eragon_022358/eragon_trlr_01_324joidfj3_dl.mov

Large International Trailer http://www.shurtugal.com/content/mandm/media/2006/october/1/eragon_intl_trailer_hi.php (http://www.shurtugal.com)

A full list of trailers and viewing links: http://www.shurtugal.com/?id=mandm/eragon/trailers

In November 2006, Avril Lavigne announced she wrote a ballad type song called "Keep Holding On" for the Eragon movie.

Video game

Main article: Eragon (video game)

A video game based on the film adaptation is also in development and will be released on the PS2, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PSP, GBA, PC and Xbox platforms. The game will be made by Vivendi Games and will be released roughly a month before the film.

Parody

Eragon spawned an Italian parody titled Aerosol, Il Fratello Furbo Di Eragon ("Aerosol, the Clever Brother of Eragon"). It was written by Joey Luke Bandini. Aerosol, Il Fratello Furbo Di Eragon, translated Aerosol, the Clever Brother of Eragon, is a spoof on the Eragon book being published in Italy and written by Joey Luke Bandini, the pseudonymn of the Italian writer Gianluca Bedini. Following (more or less) the plot of Eragon’s story, the book is about a young boy named Aerosol, who has the hobby of mycology, and finds an egg in the forest while he was searching for mushrooms. Thinking he has discovered a new species of fungus, he takes the egg home, where he understands, with the help of a telepathic fish called Matsugoro, the real nature of the egg, and awaits for the birth of the pink, giant, musk turkey called Ceesyra (the blue turkey called Palmyra pictured in the front cover of the book doesn't take part in the story). Aerosol, with the two animals and a personal trainer called Cyro, takes part in an adventure in which he learns to use his cabalistic magic power to fight against Migarbangliorix, the Emperor of Analgesya. During his adventure Aerosol and his company meet a lot of characters who are the parody of most of the characters of Eragon novel.

References

Notes

  1. The Book List's
  2. anti-shurtugal.com
  3. Sources of Lord of the Rings
  4. anti-shurtugal.com
  5. Search.com
  6. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/52102/christopher_paolini_an_infamous_name.html?page=2 Associated Content
  7. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/52102/christopher_paolini_an_infamous_name.html?page=2 Associated Content
  8. [http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/sciencefiction/story/0,6000,1144428,00.html Interview with Ursula Le Guin
  9. Eragon, Random House Inc., 2005, p.1
  10. theglobeandmail.com
  11. query.nytimes.com
  12. commonsensemedia.org
  13. usatoday.com

See also

External links

Official

Interviews

Fan

Criticism and Analysis

Review

  • Fantastic Reviews 'Eragon' book review by Aaron Hughes
  • Fantastic Reviews 'Eragon' book review by Jackie Sachen Turner
Christopher Paolini
World of Eragon
The Inheritance Cycle books
Sequel books
Adaptations
OtherList of characters
Fractalverse
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