The Inheritance Cycle book covers

Welcome to Alagaesia.

The Inheritance Cycle, written by Christopher Paolini, is a four book series centered around a boy named Eragon and his dragon companion Saphira. While the series has received mixed reviews, the books have become vastly popular, and are one of the bestselling fantasy series of the new century.

The story takes place in the fictional Alagaesia, where the tyrant king Galbatorix reigns. Galbatorix is the last of the Dragon Riders, a group of people mentally bonded to a dragon, who subsequently magical abilities. Long ago, he declared war on the nation and massacred the remaining dragons and riders, and today he remained the last Rider with an iron grip on the country.

Map of Alagaesia

One day, a simple farm boy named Eragon came across a dragon egg while hunting in the woods, changing his life forever. A female dragon named Saphira hatched for him, and under the guidance of former Rider Brom, he grew to be a formidable Rider himself. He joined the Varden, a resistance group, and trained in magic and swordcraft. After several adventures travelling the country, learning secrets hidden deep and unravelling Galbatorix’s final plan, Eragon, with the help of his friends Arya and Murtaugh, kill Galbatorix and restore order to the nation.

Eragon and Saphira as portrayed in movie

Part of Eragon’s charm lies in the fact that Christopher Paolini wrote the book when he was only fifteen. As a result, the book has its flaws. Eragon is far too “perfect” of a character, flawless in all his skills. The writing of the book focuses far too much on unnecessary details, and the plot drags on a little. The book is also obviously heavily influenced by other works. The country of Alagaesia has the fair and tall elves, the stocky and sturdy dwarves, and the evil Urgals, similar to Orcs. All these are reminiscent of Lord of the Ring. In addition, the main character finds a strange creature that leads him on a quest after his foster family is killed – similar to Star Wars. The first book relies a little too heavily on common fantasy tropes to create a plot.

Eragon author Christopher Paolini

However, as Paolini grows, his writing matures. In the first book, everything Eragon needed would almost magically appear before him. Starting from the second book, Eragon is forced to make difficult decisions and work for his quest. The different races and characters are far more fleshed out and made unique over the course of the books.

Finally, the plot holes are beautifully wrapped up as the series finishes. The prophecies made by werecat Solembum in the first book are cleverly fulfilled in the last book. Small details thrown into the first book become important plot devices in the later books. For example, the first book mentions in passing that the name of the Ancient Language is unknown because a magician could use it to control everyone and everything in the universe. In the last book, it turns out that Galbatorix has unlocked this name, and our heroes must use all their knowledge to find a loophole that allows them to kill the tyrant.

The Inheritance cycle, in short, is perfect for readers looking for a simpler series to introduce them to fantasy. It also is a rare series that improves as the story progresses. I highly recommend it, and I hope my readers enjoy dragons as much as I do.

Photo credits:

http://dwa-schoolofdragons.proboards.com/thread/209/dragon-books

http://inheritance.wikia.com/wiki/Map_of_Alaga%C3%ABsia

http://inheritance.wikia.com/wiki/Eragon_(movie)

http://bookfans.net/christopher-paolini/