Paolini, Christopher

About the Author:

Christopher Paolini wrote his first novel at the age of fifteen and became a New York Times bestselling author at the age of nineteen.

AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:

2 out of 5

(1 book)

Eragon

The first book of the Inheritance Cycle and Paolini's debut novel.  At its core 'Eragon' has a strong story of a young farm boy who finds himself a fugitive from an oppressive empire and who discovers that he is the heir to an ancient order of warrior-peacekeepers.  And that story is called 'Star Wars'. 

I'm sorry, I know the series has developed a massive following, but you simply can't escape the similarities between Eragon's tale and that of Luke Skywalker.  This book is literally what Star Wars would be if it was in a fully fantastical setting and had been written by a fifteen year old.  Having read more than a few Lord of the Rings clones over the years, I'm not averse to new authors reusing older ideas (after all, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars both do exactly that themselves), but it's important that the author bring something remarkable of their own to the table.  For me, Paolini failed to do so. 

Don't get me wrong, this book is an impressive achievement and far beyond the quality you'd expect to come from such a young author.  In fact, its not a bad book at all; it simply lacks the complexity of prose, plot and thought that you would hope for from an adult author.  Perhaps a good place for someone to get their start in reading fantasy, but compared to the likes of George R. R. Martin or Robin Hobb, this if fluff.  And stolen fluff at that.

2 out of 5

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Fantasy (here)