Book Review: Eldest

“It is better to be taught to think critically than to be told on what to believe.” 

  “If any honor existed in war, it was in fighting to protect others from harm”

I have given myself the rule that I will review books in series only as a series.  I break that rule, because by the time I finish this series, blogs may have become obsolete, and I feel like it took so much effort to finish it, that I need to share now. 

Eldest is the sequel to Eragon.  I read Eragon many moons ago, and tried to read Eldest, but just never got very far due to the awful, 100s of pages of a dwarf, a human, an elf and a dragon traveling and more traveling.  Eragon is a farmboy in Carvahall in the fantastical kingdom of Alagaësia.  Pronounced al-uh-gay-zee-uh.  Even though the trema should make it al-uh-guh-ez-ee-uh.  But I don't think the author knew what half of the diacritics he used throughout the book actually meant, but knew that they made the words look more Tolkien-y.  Anyways, Eragon, in the last book, found a dragon egg, it hatched for him, making him a dragon rider.  He has to save Alagaësia from the evil empire, Galbatorix, and blah-blah-blah.  Basically,  when all is said and done, Eragon is Luke Skywalker, Alagaësia is the galaxy, riders are jedi and Galbatorix is Darth Vader.  Does that make it clearer? 

Now, in the second book, he has to complete his training, and the Varden (the rebels), are fighting to survive, ya-da-ya-da-ya-da.  It's like The Empire Strikes Back.  The rebels even have to abandon Hoth--oh, whoops, did I say Hoth?  I meant Farthen Dûr.  (Again, I don't think he actually knows what that diacritic means).

I have very mixed feelings about this book.  As already illustrated, the plot is basically the illegitimate love child of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.  There is some thoughtful philosophy that has been woven throughout it, but I found it hard to get through.  I had to renew my library borrowing on this not one, but two times, and usually I get a book done way before it is due.  Part of the problem is that as soon as the perspective switches back to Eragon, all I can think is, "PLOT EXPOSITION!  Get me back to Roran.  What's going on with him is interesting."   

A few things I must say about it: 

I really got tired of the elves.  They constantly were saying to Eragon, “You would be wise, Argetlam, to not insult our race again.”  I was waiting for, “Well, why not? You insult my race every time you talk about them.”  Really?  I thought you were supposed to be wise.  You get insulted by a farm boy who just doesn’t know your customs.  How wise of you?  And then, they had this whole “better than all the others,” and were constantly rude to Eragon because he was—gasp—a human.  I was waiting for him to lose it and just say, “Look.  I get it.  I’m not as beautiful as you.  And I don’t have your knowledge of magic, because, newsflash, I am about twenty, and you’re about 356+.  So, I just haven’t had the time.  Oh, and here’s an interesting tidbit that I learned from Oromis, my Yoda-figure here in Degaba—I mean Du Weldenvarden--since my Obi-Wan-Kenobi-figure was killed by Ringwraiths--I mean Ra'zac.  All the traits that you act like make you better…the longevity, the skills with magic, the wisdom, etc?  Those are all traits which you have derived from the power of the dragons, who are fettered to you by the dragon riders.  And since I am the last dragon rider, except for my Yoda-figure, who, let’s be honest, is old and decrepit because he is a Yoda-figure, and Darth Vader…I mean Galbatorix…who is excessively evil, that would be me.  You’re welcome!” 

By the way, I will just spoil a bit and tell you that Galbatorix is not Eragon's father, but that might just be because the author thought that that would be too much like Star Wars. However, Eragon's parentage is just about cliche.  In the other direction.  And yes, for fans of the book who will fight me on that, I know that I can't say that for sure until the last book, but I know about that, too.

Next.  They say that Ginger did everything Fred did backward but in heels?  That’s kind of how I feel about Roran, Eragon's cousin, in relation to Eragon.  Roran fights the Ra’zac.  These are the things that brought down Obi Wan Kenobi.   Eragon can hardly hurt these things.  But Roran fights them anyways, using nothing but a village of farmers (who he charisma-ed into action, by the way), farming implements and sheer will-power, in a "fortress" made out of wagons and cut-down trees.  Roran may not have magic or a dragon or any battlefield experience, but I think he’s kind of more awesome than Eragon.

Like I said, it had some good thought.  I didn't agree with all the thought (like the atheism), but some of it was very wise, and also indicative of the writer's education.  Over all, I would say that my feelings about the book were an inverse sine wave over a 2pi period.  Started meh, got awful, got to be really good, ended meh.    

I may try to read Brisingr and Inheritance, but I make no promises. 

2 stars.  3 if I'm generous.