Eragon

This article is about the book. For the character, see Eragon (character). For media and other uses, see Eragon (disambiguation)

Eragon

File:Eragon.jpg First edition cover
Author	Christopher Paolini
Illustrator	John Jude Palencar
Cover artist	John Jude Palencar
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	High fantasy
Publisher	Alfred A. Knopf
Publication date	August 26 2003
Media type	Print (Hardcover and Paperback) and audio-CD
Pages	244 pp (first edition, hardback)
ISBN	ISBN 0-375-82668-8 (first edition, hardback)
Followed by	Eldest, Book III

Eragon is a novel written by Christopher Paolini. It is the first book of the Inheritance Trilogy. The sequel is Eldest, which was released in mid-2005. The third book has not yet been published and the title has not yet been confirmed. Eragon is set in the land of Alagaësia and is a story about a farm boy named Eragon and his dragon, Saphira. The book has been adapted into a movie, which was released on December 15 2006 in various countries. In North America, the DVD was released on March 20 2007.

Background and publication history

After recieving his high school diploma at the age of fifteen, the home schooled Paolini started planning a novel which he would enjoy reading himself. After a month of planning out the trilogy, he started writing the first draft of Eragon, initially by hand, but after writing the first sixty pages he continued writing it on a computer. After a year of writing, Paolini finished writing the first draft of Eragon and commenced writing a second draft.

Paolini never intended that the novel be published. However, after finishing re-drafting the story he gave it to his parents, who decided to self-publish it. A further year was spent proof-reading and editing the novel, in addition to creating a cover and map of Alagaësia (both the first cover and the map were drawn by Paolini himself).

The following year was spent promoting the novel, touring across the USA. Paolini and his family gave over 135 talks at bookshops, libraries and schools. Many of these events were done with Paolini wearing a " medieval costume of red shirt, billowy black pants, lace-up boots, and a jaunty black cap". In summer 2002 the author Carl Hiaasen brought the attention of Eragon to his publisher Alfred A. Knopf after his stepson read a copy of the self-published novel. Knopf went on to acquire the rights to the entire trilogy. The novel was once again edited, and a new cover was drawn by John Jude Palencar. Many of his ideas have been blatently copied from other authors.

Plot summary

Eragon, a 15 year-old boy, lives with his uncle Garrow and cousin Roran on a farm on the outskirts of a small village, Carvahall. While hunting in The Spine, a large range of mountains running down the West side of Alagaësia, which is believed to have mysterious happenings, Eragon is surprised to see a polished blue stone appear in front of him. After failing to sell or trade the stone, 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 Dragons and the history and ways of the Dragon Riders. After this talk, Eragon names the dragon Saphira after hearing Brom mention the dragon's name. He raises the dragon in secret until two of King Galbatorix's servants, the Ra'zac, come to Carvahall looking for the egg. Eragon and Saphira manage to escape by hiding in the forest, but Eragon's uncle Garrow is fatally wounded and the house and farm are destroyed. Once Garrow dies, Eragon is left with no reason to stay in Carvahall, so he goes after the Ra'zac, seeking vengeance for the destruction of his home and his uncle's death. He is accompanied by Brom, who insists on helping them.

Eragon becomes a Dragon Rider through his bond with Saphira. On the journey, Eragon learns sword fighting, magic, and the ways of the Dragon Riders from Brom, who is a former Rider whose dragon had been slain. Eragon does not know this yet. 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, Eragon, and Jeod (Brom's old friend) conclude that the Ra'zac reside in the city of Dras-Leona. There, the Ra’zac lure Eragon, Saphira, and Brom into an ambush. Although a stranger, Murtagh, rescues them, Brom is gravely injured and dies shortly after — but not before finally revealing to Eragon that he was a Dragon Rider, whose deceased dragon shared Saphira's name. Eragon also finds out that Saphira knew from the moment she met Brom, but didn't tell Eragon because Brom requested her not to.

The new company Eragon, Murtagh, and Saphira travel in search of the hidden leagues of the Varden, a strong rebel faction that Brom had mentioned on their journey. On the way, Eragon has dreams of a beautiful elf, all of which feature her suffering in a prison. While stopping near a city with an inhabitant that could potentially reveal the Varden's whereabouts, Eragon is captured and imprisoned in the same prison that holds the elf. Murtagh and Saphira stage a rescue and Eragon escapes with the unconscious elf. During the escape Eragon and Murtagh battle with a Shade, a body controlled by evil spirits. The fact that a Shade is walking freely in the land deeply disturbs Eragon and he suspects that Galbatorix is planning something terrible. The Shade is shot by an arrow from Murtagh, but is not completely killed. However, the three do not realize this until later.

After escaping, Eragon, Saphira, Murtagh, and the elf go in search of the Varden. After the elf did not wake after a week, Eragon becomes increasingly concerned and tries to reach her using a form of telepathy. He finds out her name is Arya and that she has been afflicted with a rare poison. She tells Eragon she has put herself in a self-induced coma, to slow the poison, but tells him if they do not reach the Varden soon, she will die. She then tells Eragon how to find the Varden.

Eragon and his party are pursued by an army of strong Urgals, called Kull, as they travel to the Varden's fortress, hidden deep within the Beor Mountains. When they reach the Varden, Arya's condition is very serious. She is given the antidote just in time and recovers soon after. Meanwhile, 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, and dwarves are pitted against an enormous army of Urgals, deployed by Durza and Galbatorix. During the battle, Eragon faces the Shade, Durza, whom he had recently encountered. Eragon receives a serious disfiguring wound on his back during the fight. Durza is about to capture Eragon and bring him before Galbatorix, when Saphira and Arya create a distraction, diverting the Shade's attention long enough for Eragon to stab him in the heart (the only way to kill a Shade). After the death of the Shade, the Urgals have a spell lifted from them, and begin to fight among themselves. This gives the Varden a chance to counter-attack. During the fight with the shade Eragon receives a major back wound, which causes him to pass out. During his unconsciousness a stranger contacts him through his mind and wants him to come to him for training in the land of the elves.

List of characters

Main article: List of characters in the Inheritance Trilogy

• Ajihad: (Ah-zi-hod) Master swordsman, brilliant tactician, and leader of the Varden. He was the father of Nasuada and was a good example of a King in Alagaësia — the exact opposite of Galbatorix.

• Angela: A powerful witch who supported the Varden and specialized in herb-based magic. She foretold Eragon's future in Teirm by using dragon knuckle bones. She remained in Teirm until she moved to the Varden to follow the commotion. She also had a werecat, Solembum, who helps Eragon on several occasions. She was loosely based on the author's sister.

• Arya Dröttningu: An elf who was the guardian of Saphiras' egg. She was imprisoned by Durza on behalf of King Galbatorix's orders and Eragon rescued her. Eragon later falls in love with her.

• Brom: Eragon's mentor. Brom played what is possibly the most important role in Eragon's growth. Earlier in life, Brom was a Dragon Rider fighting against Galbatorix, but in Carvahall he disguised himself as a storyteller. Brom later gets killed by the Ra'zac during an ambush while protecting Eragon, leaving Eragon to face the world of reality. His Dragon was named Saphira too. She was killed by Morzan.

• 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.

• Eragon: The main character in "Eragon" and a dragon rider. Son of Selena, but raised by his Uncle Garrow in a farmhouse near Carvahall in Palancar Valley with his cousin, Roran.

• Murtagh: Son of Morzan, who was the first of the thirteen Forsworn (betrayers of the Dragon Riders). He became good friends with Eragon and traveled with him to the Varden's hidden stronghold.

• Saphira: Saphira is Eragon's blue dragon. She was the first dragon to hatch in a century. As an egg, she was kept in Galbatorix's possession until she was stolen by Brom and Jeod (Brom's friend and an agent for the varden) in accordance with the Varden, and was eventually transported to Eragon.

Unseen characters

• Galbatorix: The primary antagonist. A corrupt emperor who ruled Alagaësia from the capital city Urû'baen with dark magic and his enslaved black dragon Shruikan. His most notable evil deed was killing all but the last three dragon eggs in Alagaësia, almost causing their race to go extinct.

• Morzan: The first and the last Forsworn. He was also the father of Murtagh and Eragon as found in "Eldest". He was slain by Brom, who took Murtagh's inheritance, Zar'roc, a red, elven-made sword.

• Selena: Eragon's mother. At birth she finally persauded Garrow to take in Eragon and left. Shortly afterwards Garrow got word that she was dead and it was true. Murtagh says that Selena returned home to him sick and died a few months afterwards.

Reviews

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

Eragon has been criticized for its derivative nature. The two most commonly discussed sources are Star Wars (due to a similar plot) and The Lord of the Rings (due to the setting, elven and dwarven races, the language and character names). Many positive reviews note that the work pulls strongly from the conventions of fantasy, in character, dialog and concepts. School Library Journal's review of Eragon was positive, yet lukewarm, noting that Eragon is overly simplistic in its resolution of plot issues.

Common Sense Media called Eragon's dialogue long-winded and clichéd, with a 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." The website did concede that the book is a notable achievement for such a young author, and it would be appreciated by younger fans, but still labeled it "overblown and derivative."

Adaptations

On December 15 2006, a film adaptation of Eragon was released. The movie, starring Edward Speelers, Jeremy Irons, and John Malkovich, was produced by 20th Century Fox and directed by first-timer Stefen Fangmeier. The screenplay was written by Peter Buchman. Principal photography for the film took place in Hungary and Slovakia. The film came in at #235 in the all time world wide box office chart but was met with rather dismal critical reviews, scoring only a 16% composite score on Rotten Tomatoes . A DVD of the movie was released March 20 2007.

Notes

• ISBN 0-375-82668-8 (hardcover, August 2003)
• ISBN 0-8072-1962-2 (audio cassette, August 2003)
• ISBN 1-4000-9068-7 (compact disc, February 2004)
• ISBN 0-9666213-3-6 February 2003

External links

• Official Inheritance Trilogy website
• Eragon page, from Random House
• Eragon page at Inheriwiki, the Inheritance Trilogy Wikia