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Eragon and Eldest
I was sick in bed a couple of weeks ago and desperate for something new to read. I'd acquired digital copies of Eragon and Eldest and figured, what the heck.
Eragon fell into the "mostly harmless" category. The youth of the author, Christopher Paolini (15 when he started the book) shows somewhat. Paolini set out to tell a "hero's journey" story and doesn't stray from the path. This makes the plot seem very familiar to anyone who's read much fantasy (or watched Star Wars). I was a little disappointed that Paolini had apparently borrowed so many common fantasy elements (e.g. elves and dwarves) without extending or re-interpreting them at all.
Eldest was more interesting. I think Paolini set out to deconstruct nearly every stereotype or cliche in Eragon. The difference between the writing quality of the two is considerable. Some may find the philosophizing in the middle tedious -- I found it relevant to the plot. After reading Eldest, I went back to look at Eragon again and I think the stereotypes in the first book are somewhat deliberate. Interviews with the author that I've subsequently read seem to confirm that Paolini intended this contrast between the two books. I'm interested to see where he'll go with the third. If my guesses are right, the events of the first two books will be re-interpreted yet again, with nothing as simple as it appeared on first read.
If you don't like "high fantasy," skip these, obviously. If you've read a lot of fantasy, you may want to consider Eragon as a tribute to the classics, rather than as a completely original work. It's probably worth reading before Eldest, though, which uses Eragon as a foil to contrast with different interpretations of events and themes. You'll probably need to completely disregard the marketing hype in order to enjoy either.
Happy reading,
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