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Here's a great big fantasy that you can pull over your head like a comfy old sweater and disappear into for a whole weekend. Christopher Paolini began Eragon when he was just 15, and the book shows the influence of Tolkien, of course, but also Terry Brooks, Anne McCaffrey, and perhaps even Wagner in its traditional quest structure and the generally agreed-upon nature of dwarves, elves, dragons, and heroic warfare with magic swords.

Eragon, a young farm boy, finds a marvelous blue stone in a mystical mountain place. Before he can trade it for food to get his family through the hard winter, it hatches a beautiful sapphire-blue dragon, a race thought to be extinct. Eragon bonds with the dragon, and when his family is killed by the marauding Ra'zac, he discovers that he is the last of the Dragon Riders, fated to play a decisive part in the coming war between the human but hidden Varden, dwarves, elves, the diabolical Shades and their neanderthal Urgalls, all pitted against and allied with each other and the evil King Galbatorix. Eragon and his dragon Saphira set out to find their role, growing in magic power and understanding of the complex political situation as they endure perilous travels and sudden battles, dire wounds, capture and escape.

In spite of the engrossing action, this is not a book for the casual fantasy reader. There are 65 names of people, horses, and dragons to be remembered and lots of pseudo-Celtic places, magic words, and phrases in the Ancient Language as well as the speech of the dwarfs and the Urgalls. But the maps and glossaries help, and by the end, readers will be utterly dedicated and eager for the next book, Eldest. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell

I started reading this book today after deciding that I needed a novel to read.

Eragon reads like it was written by a teenager; I suppose that's no surprise, as the author was fifteen when he graduated high school and began the book. The language is a bit simple, and at times gets quite repetitive, but given the youth of the author one can forgive amateur writing.

The depth of the world created by Paolini is impressive. The map shown at the beginning of the book was drawn by the author, and again and again the book makes it clear that he has a very definite sense of the geography of his world. It has its own languages, its own cultures, and its own story. Certainly elements of other fantasies are found here - Tolkien is clearly a heavy influence, and from what little I know of McCaffrey she seems to be quite strong too - but Paolini still creates his own vision of Alagaësia.

That said, the book isn't particularly unique or special in the fantasy genre. If dragons didn't figure so prominently I would dismiss it completely, but as I like Saphira and her relationship with Eragon, and I'm quite pleased with the ancient language that Eragon uses to summon magic (not so much the words themselves, but the idea that every object has a word that expresses what it actually is and knowing the words gives you power over that thing) I will probably continue reading.

RELEASE NOTES:

sent to C. L. Stofel of Norman, OK to fulfill a request on Bookmooch.com.