Eldest

There's a keenness in the storytelling, and an excitement for pure adventure and magic, that will ensure fans of Paolini's Eragon will find its much-anticipated sequel every bit as readable and captivating. This young author, who wrote that debut (very long) novel aged fifteen, has shed some his earlier less convincing turns of phrase and tendancies to homage other inspirational works, to come up with a deeper second novel that is more assured, better balanced and distinctly original.

Picking up from the exact point where its predecessor gave way, Eldest begins with dragon rider and now shade slayer, Eragon, on the battlefield of his greatest triumph. He is saddened by the death and carnage before him, and fearful for the future. King Galbatorix is, despite this battle won, still the cruel ruler of the Empire and must be defeated. Together with the beautiful and elegant dragon, Saphira, with whom he can communicate without speech, they must travel to Ellesmera - fabled land of the Elves to undergo further training in magic, swordsmanship and other worldly necessities.

Meanwhile, in his homeland, in the village of Carvahall, Eragon's cousin Roran faces challenges of his own. The king's men, and the dark creature that instructs them, lay siege to the tiny mountain community in the hope of finding Roran, and thus lead them to Eragon. After fierce resistance, Roran leads the villagers on a long, arduous journey to salvation (hopefully) with the community known as the Varden.

Told in alternate chapters, the stories of both young men on separate missions give this `difficult second novel' a refreshing feel. Eragon is still the star, but has a substantial second cast to make this novel a worthy sequel to the first book and a tantalising bridge to the final chapter in volume three.

(Age 12 and over) --John McLay

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Falls short against its predecessor Eragon. - Rated
As many of the reviews here have already described the plot of Eldest, I'll leave this detail out and skip straight to my opinion of it.

Whereas Eragon was a badly written story with a good plot, Eldest is the exact opposite. Paolini has matured since his first book and the darker, well written passages of Eldest reflect this. However, I found Eragon's story to be second rate to Roran's adventures, which was the only incentive for me to continue reading the book. Generally, the whole pace of Eldest is slower than that of the first book and predictable in parts. The last third of the book picks up with some significant findings and events; however, the editors would have done well to trim the whole book down slightly instead of sending me to sleep with long, uneventful chapters. Overall I gave the book three stars as it showed some promise towards the end and left me mildly curious about the last book in the trilogy.

Older but not greater - Rated
Without the interest created by the concept of the Rider & introduction of the characters, this book lacked something compared to Eragon. At many times, the writing wasn't strong enough to maximise the potential of the ideas. As a result, the narrative often seems to awkwardly move the plot on, rather than weave a tale. Having said that, I still followed the journey & look forward to reading the final episode.

not as good as the first, but still captivating - Rated
I've just reread both books for the 3rd time. I still find Eragon an easier read. Not just because its shorter etc. It might be a slow starter but about 70 pages in it gets fast paced. In eldest you get thrown into the action straight away. I like the training bit. It adds a 'realism' to the story in how eragon still has a long way to go if he is able to defeat Galbatorix. But there are chapters which seem unnessicary or longwinded ( the journey to ellesmara (the land of the elves) took about 80 pages) but I still find myself gripped. An engaging read, but eragon is still my favourite.


It could change when Brisingr comes out.

September 20th - can't wait

Great read - can't wait for next one! - Rated
Christopher Paolini has done it again! When I first read Eragon I was actually dissapointed, as I thought it was so good there was no chance that Eldest could be better. What a mistake that was! I wont bore anyone with the long and elaborate plot, but suffice to say if you even mildly enjoyed the first book, you will be blown away by this one. For newcomers to the Inheritance Cycle, if you haven't read Eragon then I advise you to read it before beginning Eldest. In previous reveiws I have read about comparisons between Paolini and Tolkien. Believe me - Paolini is far better, but don't take my word for it, read the books!

Fantastic! - Rated
I personally liked this book even better than the first, Eragon, which has been one of my definite favourites. The plot is engaging, fast moving and origional with fantasy brought to life as though reality. The characters are also brought to life - as complex individuals - and the book is difficult to put down. The subtlety in many places also makes Eldest a good read for the second or even third time, as some moments just have to be re-experienced, and you also notice things you missed before. Revealing answers are found to some of the questions posed in Eragon, whilst leaving others to be explained in the next book, Brisinger. There is also a fantastic twist at the end of Eldest, which although very surprising is utterly believable as it fits in perfectly with the rest of the story. Overall, these books are a must-read; not to be missed!