Ah the newbie fantasy writer sets out on his first romp into the published world. Damn you Christopher Paolini, why couldn’t it be me?

            Okay, I didn’t mean that, I wish all new fantasy writers the best of luck... just don’t get in my way.

            The story of Eragon begins much like many other fantasies. A nameless boy with a lack of parentage and average life comes upon something magical. In this case it is a “Sorcerer’s Stone” in which lies what else but a baby dragon? But being the upstanding citizen he is, Eragon takes it upon himself to care for this baby dragon, only to watch it grow rapidly until the point where his life is turned upside down by an unknown evil.

            Many of the ideas expressed in Eragon aren’t new, what sets it apart from other fantasies is the mood Mr. Paolini created. I just found myself always happy to be in Alagaesia. I also really liked the way in which he made Eragon communicate with the dragon. (Thought dialogue is way underused in fantasy books.)

            I had a little bit of trouble placing this book in a category because it is far shorter than other epic fantasies, but I decided to put it here because it still manages the magical world, long journey, and unbridled interest that other epic fantasies are known for.

            Now let’s remember that this is his first entry into the book world. I don’t know how long Mr. Paolini has been writing for, but there are points in the book where his inexperience can be noticed. Fortunately these do not distract from the main story, and I truly commend him for that.

            Another small quarrel is that this fantasy seemed much lighter than other fantasies I have read. By that I mean the characters weren’t as in your face with evil or good. I was sure what the threat was, but generally in fantasy books there is a lot of time and effort put into building up the bad guy to make you hate him and scream for the hero to cut his head off. That isn’t as evident here. However I don’t think that is a writing problem, I just think Mr. Paolini is a little reluctant to go all out, a way of not offending anyone. But as he grows as a writer I can see this becoming much more refined.

            If you are a fan of fantasy, any kind, this book is definitely for you. I would also recommend this to any young writers like myself because it shows you that even someone like yourself can do this. Good story telling depends on the person, not necessarily age or experience. Seeing Eragon sell well has given me hope for my own books when they are released one day. And so now I sit in wait for Eldest, the next book in the inheritance trilogy. Don’t you ever stop writing Mr. Paolini.