Eldest by Christopher Paolini

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Summary If you enjoyed Eragon then this is more of the same.

Darkness falls…despair abounds…evil reigns…

Eldest is the sequel to Eragon and is the second book in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle.

Eragon and Saphira, saviours of the rebel state must travel to Ellesmera, a land of elves to complete their Dragon Rider training. A journey begins, full of adventure and betrayal where Eragon will be lucky to escape with his life.

Eldest will once again thrill and excite young fantasy authors around the world. The tale is full if excitement, awash with swords and sorcery, full to the brim with friendship and betrayal. Eragon and Saphira once again play the leading roles but we now have Eragon’s cousin Roran playing the supporting role as he defends his mountain community from the evil King’s men.

If you were being kind you could say that Paolini was paying homage to Star Wars and the Lord of The Rings. However, if you were not so kindly you would state that he has no original bone in his body and is simply re-working classics from the past. I would personally go for the latter.

This book will be read and enjoyed by those who have never read fantasy by more accomplished authors but in time the reader will move on and come to realise that Paolini’s books are not as good as they once thought they were.

Still, having said that, reading a book is all about enjoyment and if Eragon worked for you then you will not be disappointed by Eldest.

Eldest (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: Christopher Paolini
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 704
Publication date: 2006-09-07
Publisher: Corgi Childrens

RRP: £7.99
Lowest new price: £2.18
Lowest used price: £0.01

There's a keenness in the storytelling, and an excitement for pure adventure and magic, that will ensure fans of Paolini's Eragon will find its much-anticipated sequel every bit as readable and captivating. This young author, who wrote that debut (very long) novel aged fifteen, has shed some his earlier less convincing turns of phrase and tendancies to homage other inspirational works, to come up with a deeper second novel that is more assured, better balanced and distinctly original.

Picking up from the exact point where its predecessor gave way, Eldest begins with dragon rider and now shade slayer, Eragon, on the battlefield of his greatest triumph. He is saddened by the death and carnage before him, and fearful for the future. King Galbatorix is, despite this battle won, still the cruel ruler of the Empire and must be defeated. Together with the beautiful and elegant dragon, Saphira, with whom he can communicate without speech, they must travel to Ellesmera – fabled land of the Elves to undergo further training in magic, swordsmanship and other worldly necessities.

Meanwhile, in his homeland, in the village of Carvahall, Eragon's cousin Roran faces challenges of his own. The king's men, and the dark creature that instructs them, lay siege to the tiny mountain community in the hope of finding Roran, and thus lead them to Eragon. After fierce resistance, Roran leads the villagers on a long, arduous journey to salvation (hopefully) with the community known as the Varden.

Told in alternate chapters, the stories of both young men on separate missions give this 'difficult second novel' a refreshing feel. Eragon is still the star, but has a substantial second cast to make this novel a worthy sequel to the first book and a tantalising bridge to the final chapter in volume three.

(Age 12 and over) --John McLay
Amazon.co.uk Review

ELDEST: Inheritance Book Two (Amazon.com)

Author: Christopher Paolini
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 704
Publication date: 2005-01-01
Publisher: Corgi Books

RRP:
Lowest new price:
Lowest used price: $2.18

Jaydev from India
"Its simply awesome. Waiting for Brisingr..."

Matthew from Wales
"I felt this book was an excellent follow up to the first with a blistering pace."

Tristan from South Australia
"It is the best book I have read in a long time. I can't wait for the 3rd and 4th books to come out."

anonymous from unknown
"If I could, I would rate it 110% wonderful! This had so many interesting twists to it. It wasn't what you would expect (in a good way). The movie was good, but didn't follow the story at all."

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