Helpful Score: 2
Well, at least it's finally over. I was not a huge fan of the previous books, but once involved in a series I like to see it through to the end. You know...to see how it all wraps up, to gain that sense of closure, to follow an adventure through to its completion.
My spoiler-free assessment of Inheritance is this: YOU. MUST. BE. KIDDING. What a depressing, poorly executed, hope draining, soul sucking, ill-fitting ending. Loose ends are everywhere. There is no real sense of closure, no feeling of peace, no contentment for any of the major characters, no true resolution. The entire ending left me with this weird feeling for days after I finished it. I don't know how to explain it, other than to say that I felt cheated. This series was not stellar, but the good that Paolini did have going was completely destroyed by the ridiculous ending. He took a mediocre series and literally ruined it all in just a few pages.
I really don't know what he was trying to accomplish...to be profound, to be ambiguous, to communicate some deeper message about the price of sacrifice? I honestly have no idea. The ending was cruel and pointless, both to the characters and the readers. The book itself was overly long by a good 250 pages as well.
Kudos to you, Paolini, for doing what you did at such a young age. I certainly couldn't have done it. But I can still be mad at you for being a total punk to your characters in the end, for being inconsistent with yourself (Eragon was a staunch vegetarian - did you forget that when you made him a meat eater again?) and for trying to make your ending look like Lord of the Rings. You might have been going for a story of epic transcendence, but it ended up a tragedy, in every single sense of the word.
My spoiler-free assessment of Inheritance is this: YOU. MUST. BE. KIDDING. What a depressing, poorly executed, hope draining, soul sucking, ill-fitting ending. Loose ends are everywhere. There is no real sense of closure, no feeling of peace, no contentment for any of the major characters, no true resolution. The entire ending left me with this weird feeling for days after I finished it. I don't know how to explain it, other than to say that I felt cheated. This series was not stellar, but the good that Paolini did have going was completely destroyed by the ridiculous ending. He took a mediocre series and literally ruined it all in just a few pages.
I really don't know what he was trying to accomplish...to be profound, to be ambiguous, to communicate some deeper message about the price of sacrifice? I honestly have no idea. The ending was cruel and pointless, both to the characters and the readers. The book itself was overly long by a good 250 pages as well.
Kudos to you, Paolini, for doing what you did at such a young age. I certainly couldn't have done it. But I can still be mad at you for being a total punk to your characters in the end, for being inconsistent with yourself (Eragon was a staunch vegetarian - did you forget that when you made him a meat eater again?) and for trying to make your ending look like Lord of the Rings. You might have been going for a story of epic transcendence, but it ended up a tragedy, in every single sense of the word.
Helpful Score: 2
First I would like to say that I agree with Samantha. I do not think that she ruined the book for anyone. Honestly if someone did not read the first three or did not see that the fall of Galbatorix would be in this book.....I would suggest reading the first three, or REreading the first three. It was pretty much all but said. What else did anyone else think would happen in the final book?? Uhmmm?
I would like to begin my review by saying this....I have loved this series from the start (I even named one of my cats Eragon). I found out about the book when the movie was made and wanted to read Eragon before seeing the movie. Which, I will say, I am glad I did. The movie distorted the book. (although, Jeremy Irons as Brom was the best) I had no idea that there was even a second book or that more was coming out. Once I did, I went directly to the library and got Eldest. I fell in love. I waited, and waited, and waited for Brisingr. I preordered it. I loved it too. I could not wait for Inheritance. Preordered it as well. I reread the first three (again, for it was not the first time I reread them). I started Inheritance and like the others it was action packed, heart wrenching.....dare I say, comical. I laughed, cried, laughed some more. After the great fall of the king, it did pick up pace. However there are some things that truly did not need to drawn out.
Now I will try not to RUIN the book....but I must say, the ending was disappointing. I felt heart broken, frustrated, and down right ticked off!! There are things that I expected, and expected because of the way the author portrayed things that were to come. Those things did not. Things were left.....unresolved. An Epilogue would have sufficed. But none is there. There will not be another book. Although the author said he would not let Alagaesia itself diminish. But what of those characters that were so important and not finished. Yes I mean Eragon!! I love him! I read a review and the person wrote: HOW. COULD. YOU! I fully agree.
I do not believe I have said anything that would give the plot away. Of course if you feel that way....oh well. I will warn those who are going to read Inheritance. Do not skip through the book as I did looking for when the introduction of the Great Green Dragon will appear, DONT. I will tell you. It does not occur till page 785. Thats correct, in the monster of a 849 page book, it does not happen till page 785!! So, just wait. (and please, if you did not know there was a Green Dragon after looking at the cover, well, for shame on you).
I am giving the book 4 stars. I still love Eragon and cannot bring myself to go lower. However, I had given the other three 5 stars. I do not regret reading these books. I have all 4 in hard cover and first editions to boot. But it will be a long time till I can bring myself to read them again. I am in mourning. Yes, read them, love them, cry for them. But be warned, even in a good book, things do not go the way you think they will.
I would like to begin my review by saying this....I have loved this series from the start (I even named one of my cats Eragon). I found out about the book when the movie was made and wanted to read Eragon before seeing the movie. Which, I will say, I am glad I did. The movie distorted the book. (although, Jeremy Irons as Brom was the best) I had no idea that there was even a second book or that more was coming out. Once I did, I went directly to the library and got Eldest. I fell in love. I waited, and waited, and waited for Brisingr. I preordered it. I loved it too. I could not wait for Inheritance. Preordered it as well. I reread the first three (again, for it was not the first time I reread them). I started Inheritance and like the others it was action packed, heart wrenching.....dare I say, comical. I laughed, cried, laughed some more. After the great fall of the king, it did pick up pace. However there are some things that truly did not need to drawn out.
Now I will try not to RUIN the book....but I must say, the ending was disappointing. I felt heart broken, frustrated, and down right ticked off!! There are things that I expected, and expected because of the way the author portrayed things that were to come. Those things did not. Things were left.....unresolved. An Epilogue would have sufficed. But none is there. There will not be another book. Although the author said he would not let Alagaesia itself diminish. But what of those characters that were so important and not finished. Yes I mean Eragon!! I love him! I read a review and the person wrote: HOW. COULD. YOU! I fully agree.
I do not believe I have said anything that would give the plot away. Of course if you feel that way....oh well. I will warn those who are going to read Inheritance. Do not skip through the book as I did looking for when the introduction of the Great Green Dragon will appear, DONT. I will tell you. It does not occur till page 785. Thats correct, in the monster of a 849 page book, it does not happen till page 785!! So, just wait. (and please, if you did not know there was a Green Dragon after looking at the cover, well, for shame on you).
I am giving the book 4 stars. I still love Eragon and cannot bring myself to go lower. However, I had given the other three 5 stars. I do not regret reading these books. I have all 4 in hard cover and first editions to boot. But it will be a long time till I can bring myself to read them again. I am in mourning. Yes, read them, love them, cry for them. But be warned, even in a good book, things do not go the way you think they will.
Helpful Score: 1
Christopher Paolini and I go way back: Eragon was one of the books that in a way led me to starting this blog. When I finished it I wanted to talk about it, share my thoughts in a place that was mine and where my comments wouldn't get lost in the shuffle of thousands. So I posted my thoughts on my then-personal blog. Several months later I realized that what I really wanted to talk about was books, so after testing several platforms Bibliophile's Corner as we know it was born. Now, over two years later, I read the last installment in the story of Eragon and Saphira and their fight against the evil Galbratorix and I'm very impressed with Paolini who at such a young age created such an elaborate and sprawling story with excellent adventure, insightful commentary on the human condition, and characters who grew and evolved in the most satisfying way.
If there is a book or a series the Inheritance Cycle reminds me of it is Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. It is a bit simpler and scaled down but it has the same concept of a quest, an unlikely hero, lots of races and languages (can you even imagine creating a whole new language, let alone five?), armies marching through lands and a seemingly omnipotent villain. I'm not much of a fan of bloody battles and longish conversations about affairs of the state so there Paolini lost me just as successfully as Tolkien did. Fortunately there was enough to keep my interest in between and I particularly enjoyed the sections where Roran was the protagonist because it gave a different perspective of events as well as a view from a position of no magical powers and the struggle to keep up and hold one's own through sheer will, courage, determination, creativity and intellect.
Throughout the book Paolini revealed secrets and brought plot lines to conclusion, many of which began as early as the first volume, and I couldn't help but admire his plotting prowess. With Inheritance it becomes that much more obvious how much planning went into this series, and anybody who can do this as well as Paolini did is undeniably talented. Not all mysteries were revealed but there are plenty of hints to allow the reader to connect the dots and draw their own conclusions. I do wish however that we learned the true names of Eragon, Saphira and Arya - in the course of the book they discover and reveal them to each other but not to the reader. Then again, maybe it was intentional to avoid possibly disappointing the readers, it happens so often that the hype surrounding the affair is greater and more exciting than the affair itself.
When I think about what is my favorite part of this book I inevitably come back to the battle with Galbratorix. That chapter was so full of bare humanity despite all the magic, of intentions true and misguided, and alliances that seemed unlikely but nonetheless made perfect sense that it made for an excellent culmination of the struggle that's lasted through most of the series. It was very satisfying to see how things turned out despite the fact that it wasn't exactly a 'happily ever after' for everyone, and, fittingly, it was the strongest chapter of the book.
Now that the last book in the series is finished I have been thinking about the kind of person Paolini must be to have written a book and a series such as this. He is very young, not even 30 years old, and yet his books are full of the kind of thoughtful perceptiveness I would expect from an older person. His examinations of right and wrong and how one gets there as well as his insights into human nature are often startling in their simplicity and truthfulness, and I still have one of the quotes I copied from Eragon or Eldest hanging on my cork board. I'm glad to have given Eragon a chance way back when and I look forward to what Paolini will reveal next, and judging by the hints he's dropped in an interview for the Pacific Northwest Writers Association there's much more to come.
If there is a book or a series the Inheritance Cycle reminds me of it is Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. It is a bit simpler and scaled down but it has the same concept of a quest, an unlikely hero, lots of races and languages (can you even imagine creating a whole new language, let alone five?), armies marching through lands and a seemingly omnipotent villain. I'm not much of a fan of bloody battles and longish conversations about affairs of the state so there Paolini lost me just as successfully as Tolkien did. Fortunately there was enough to keep my interest in between and I particularly enjoyed the sections where Roran was the protagonist because it gave a different perspective of events as well as a view from a position of no magical powers and the struggle to keep up and hold one's own through sheer will, courage, determination, creativity and intellect.
Throughout the book Paolini revealed secrets and brought plot lines to conclusion, many of which began as early as the first volume, and I couldn't help but admire his plotting prowess. With Inheritance it becomes that much more obvious how much planning went into this series, and anybody who can do this as well as Paolini did is undeniably talented. Not all mysteries were revealed but there are plenty of hints to allow the reader to connect the dots and draw their own conclusions. I do wish however that we learned the true names of Eragon, Saphira and Arya - in the course of the book they discover and reveal them to each other but not to the reader. Then again, maybe it was intentional to avoid possibly disappointing the readers, it happens so often that the hype surrounding the affair is greater and more exciting than the affair itself.
When I think about what is my favorite part of this book I inevitably come back to the battle with Galbratorix. That chapter was so full of bare humanity despite all the magic, of intentions true and misguided, and alliances that seemed unlikely but nonetheless made perfect sense that it made for an excellent culmination of the struggle that's lasted through most of the series. It was very satisfying to see how things turned out despite the fact that it wasn't exactly a 'happily ever after' for everyone, and, fittingly, it was the strongest chapter of the book.
Now that the last book in the series is finished I have been thinking about the kind of person Paolini must be to have written a book and a series such as this. He is very young, not even 30 years old, and yet his books are full of the kind of thoughtful perceptiveness I would expect from an older person. His examinations of right and wrong and how one gets there as well as his insights into human nature are often startling in their simplicity and truthfulness, and I still have one of the quotes I copied from Eragon or Eldest hanging on my cork board. I'm glad to have given Eragon a chance way back when and I look forward to what Paolini will reveal next, and judging by the hints he's dropped in an interview for the Pacific Northwest Writers Association there's much more to come.
