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Eldest: The Inheritance Cycle, Book 2
- By Christopher Paolini
- Genre: Fantasy
Common Sense Media says
The epic saga continues -- and improves.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that, as is typical in high fantasy, there is plenty of fighting and bloodshed, though not as much as in the first book. Fighting and war, though sometimes bemoaned, are pretty much accepted as the way to solve problems.
What's the story?
Eldest picks up where Eragon left off, at the end of the battle between the Varden, aided by Eragon, Saphira, and their friends, and the evil emperor Galbatorix's forces in Farthen Dûr. With barely time to mourn his fallen friends Eragon is first caught up in political intrigue among the humans, and between the humans, elves, and dwarves, and then sent across the empire to complete his training as a Rider with the elves in the vast forest of Du Weldenvarden.
At the same time, Eragon's cousin Roran is sought by Galbatorix, who sends soldiers and two of the vicious Ra'zac to Carvahall, Eragon's home. Roran leads the villagers in holding them off, but Roran's fiancé is captured and the villagers are force to flee across the mountains, pursued all the way, to try to make their way by land and sea to Surda, the stronghold of the rebels.
As the story flips back and forth between Eragon and Roran we get to see both of them grow in maturity and power, Eragon as a result of his training with the last survivor of the old Riders, and Roran in a trial by fire as the de facto leader of his villagers fighting their way across the empire. These parallel streams, of course, converge in a climactic battle which once again ends the book.
Includes map and language guide.
Is it any good?
ELDEST is considerably longer and more dense than its predecessor, Eragon, but it's exciting, dark, suspenseful, and imaginative. This is a considerable step forward in Christopher Paolini's development as a writer. Eragon and Roran are compelling characters, and the relationship between Eragon and Saphira can be touching.
It may take some of the younger fans quite a bit of plowing through to finish it, but Paolini's writing is, like his main character, growing more fluid and sure here, with almost none of the embarrassing clunkers that marred the first book. His dialogue, though still the stilted, formal speech beloved by authors of high fantasy, is less hackneyed and clichéd. This is the work of a growing young writer who is learning as he goes and gradually but surely getting a firmer grip on his considerable talent, like an inexperienced charioteer with a frisky team.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about Eragon's training and its parallels in Roran's trials. Does Eragon deserve Roran's blaming him for the village's troubles? Was Oromis right to withhold forms of magic that Galbatorix possesses? What are the parallels with the Star Wars saga? It can be fun to play Find the Matching Characters -- if Oromis is Yoda, who is Obi-Wan? Darth Vader? Princess Leia?
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Kid, 10 years old
September 22, 2010
AGE
Needed to be shorter, but still very fun
This book describes Eragon's training and a major battle. The training part was fun, because I liked seeing Eragon learn new spells. The battle also was exciting. However, the story would have been better if it had been shortened, because there was a bunch of parts that got bogged down in uninteresting dialog. I found the first book more enjoyable, but this one was fun, too.
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AGE
The thing about this book is- well, it's kind of hard to say if I liked it or not. It was almost like a copy- cat of all of the great, original fantasies that I can never look at the same way ever again. (These includes The Lord of the Rings, Lord of the Flies, The Chronicles of Narnia, Ender's Game, His Dark Materials, The Hobbit, the list is a lot longer then this, these are just a few of them, don't get mad at me if I've missed any that you've loved, I know, there are MANY!) Any way, Paolini's book almost feels like he tries too hard to write a fantasy for young adults. These books suffer from many things, too many pages, to much to remember from past books, over- long descripctions, and to many LONG- LONG- LONG words like: monosyllabic page 249, seclusion page 71, belligerent page 615, who knows what any of these words? Not me! (Thank gosh for Websters'!) LOL (no grandma, not lots of love, laugh out loud) The book dragged on for too long! I mean the huge, and I mean HUGE battle really made the book worth reading. I think that Roran is a very good role model, yes he does not ask permission to marry Katrina, but who would be able to pluck enough courage to ask him?!?! He doesn't try to be cool, he tries to be as human as possible. Some of the violence can be laughable (espically looking at wounds like Roran, if you were bit by a Ra'zac, you wold not have a scrape, you're arm wouldn't even be there! The plot fallows Eragon training in Ellesmere with the elves. The book does have a few twist, one being so large I slammed the book down onto the floor with surprise! I don't know if this book was good enough for me to want to read the next one, only because I'm not ready to spend months slaving over one book (more like a volume) and a dictionary! Read and enjoy!
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AGE
great for lovers of fantsy!
i love this book. it's awesome!
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AGE
Perfect for tweens and teens and adults intreseted
I love this book! There is just the concern about sex where it mentions that Katrina, Roran's fiance, slips inside his bedroom and remains there for the night. And it's not mentioned in the least bit, which is disturbing.
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AGE
eh
@ Heq073198 Jeez man chill out. Its all opinion, and guess what, you think ur all smarty everything now, well ur not. So chill out and take ur finger off caps lock. And you said I need the correct punctuation, well this is the internet, not school. So why even use it? Stop hating and chill. And let's stop arguing cause I agree with your new review.
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AGE
loved it!
Good, a little to many politics, tho there r even more in the third... kinda violent but if u can't handel that its kinds sad. I finished it in a day!
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AGE
I and of course my daughter read this book and yet again (like Eragon) really liked it! It is more bloody and seeing the side effects killing has on Roran can be pretty disturbing if you are younger than 10. All in all it is a great book with a great ending that is worth all 600 something pages, but make sure that you have Brisingr after you finish cause it does leave you hanging! If you liked Eragon you will LOVE Eldest! Oh and for the sexual material, you just have to be mature about it because most of it can be harmless unless if you think the worse! :D
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AGE
Can't get enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This book starts Paoilini's trademark different point of view style of writing, telling us of Roran's adventures in Carvahall. Eragon's training with Oromis is extremely interesting, tying up loose ends of different types of magic and Galbatorix's past from book one. Overall, FANTASTIC!
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AGE
not for under 10.
Eldest is better than eragon by only a little bit......
eragon tries to win Arya's heart ( and fails ) quite often.
lots of description of the blood - oath celebration ( good description ) which is my favourite part!
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AGE
Okay for mature kids, Great for teens to adults
Paolini has done it again give has given us a great book!!! There are epic Battles, saying farewell to a cuple main characters, saying hello to some new ones and cliff-hangers!!! but most of all Eragon is one step closer to defeating Galbatorix. There is, one part how ever the one part I didn't like. Ronan and Katrina (his fiancé) get a little to "social" (if it can be called that) which really didn't need to be put in there. When all is said and done It's a great book and part two of the epic saga!
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| Topics: | magic and fantasy |
| Author: | Christopher Paolini |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Publisher: | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Publication date: | August 23, 2005 |
| Number of pages: | 704 |
| Hardcover price: | $27.95 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 12 - 17 |
| Read aloud: | 10 |
| Read alone: | 11 |
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