 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
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 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Inheritance: The Inheritance Cycle, Book 4
- By Christopher Paolini
- Genre: Fantasy
Common Sense Media says
Epic tale concludes in battle- and blood-filled saga.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this epic fantasy is the conclusion to the story that began in Eragon and continued in Eldest and Brisingr. Its many battles and fight scenes are filled with frequent gory deaths via sword, hammer blow, magic, heavy masonry, and many other methods of dispatchment; bodies pile up at an alarming rate. Characters are also tortured, one at length. Many of the main characters, including the hero, are able to kill hordes of enemies single-handedly, a fact they seldom seem to worry about or regret. There's also a bit of romantic tension and one scene in which two characters get quite drunk.
What's the story?
On the warpath with the Varden, determined to finally overthrow the evil King Galbatorix, Eragon and his bonded dragon, Saphira, find that they still have challenges to overcome before they'll get their chance to confront the powerful monarch. The most important may be solving the cryptic words of the werecat Solembum, which send the pair on a side quest to the Dragon Riders' ancestral (and long-destroyed) home after a strike at the heart of the Varden's leadership puts the whole army in jeopardy. It will take all of Eragon's skills -- plus help from his many allies, including his cousin Roran, the elf maiden Arya, and the wise dragon Glaedr -- to succeed against Galbatorix and his chief henchman, Eragon's half-brother Murtagh.
Is it any good?
There's no question that author Christopher Paolini is able to tell an entertaining story; INHERITANCE is very readable and full of adventure. But that adventure is stretched out over more than 800 pages, too many of which are spent inside Eragon's head as he mulls over some decision or another, practices his swordplay, or moons over Arya. And at this point, Paolini has made Eragon so nearly perfect -- he's a killing machine, he's a powerful magician, he makes the right decisions in a crisis, and he doesn't even really need to sleep -- that he's a little bit boring; it's hard to be worried that he won't prevail in the end. The more humanly flawed Roran and Murtagh are often more compelling.
Inheritance has some very exciting set pieces, and it brings Paolini's Lord of the Rings-and-Star Wars-influenced saga to a mostly satisfying conclusion, but it also leaves some key questions and plot points unresolved -- which is frustrating after bearing with the story through four doorstopper-sized tomes. But the book also leaves the door open for more adventures in Alagaesia, so perhaps we haven't quite seen the last of Eragon and Saphira after all ...
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how the book depicts duty and loyalty. Are they important motivators? Should they be the most important motivators? Is loyalty always freely given?
Do you consider Eragon a role model? Are things too easy for him at this point in the story? Does he still have room to grow as a character?
How do you feel when a long fantasy series like this one comes to an end? Do you wish it would keep going? Is that always in readers' best interest?
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AGE
NOT AS GOOD AS THE FIRST THREE....
I agree completely with the last review. The green dragon doesn't even come out until the very end! And, he didn't really have to go to a land away from alegasia. It was kind of dissapointing. The first three were better. I'll stick to the Hunger Games. But in some parts, it WAS kind of good. I would recomend it, though. I give this four stars.
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AGE
Disappointing
Okay the the back-cover description promised a romance! They LIED!!! Arya and Eragon admit their feelings for each other, but do nothing about it. Oh and Eragon "HAD to leave Alagaesia, it was the only way." That's FALSE!!!! This ending was worse than Mockingjay!! I feel roped in, nothing happens until forever!! I had to read it just to see who dies. *Sigh* Let's just say, I got mad. Read 900 pages just to have the ending stink. It's like the author was ending a book, not the whole darn series! Eragon and Arya DO NOT get together, which is the only reason I cared to finish it. @HugeReader123 I feel the same way about the green dragon. I was so looking forward to another dragon in the series, I love their personalities and their points of view. I AM SICK AND TIRED OF THESE CRUDDY CONCLUSIONS!!!!!
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Kid, 12 years old
January 8, 2012
AGE
Good read! ;
This book was great,but for more mature kids,seeing as there was drinking,violence,and a few uses of bad names.
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Kid, 12 years old
January 8, 2012
AGE
I recomend this book.
This is a good book, and I recommend it. It is a very "Tolkienesque" world, and it has developed into a wonderful story. I did like the ending and I think it shows an aspect of a promising new teens fiction writer (I don’t mean vampire romance novels I mean a GOOD fiction writer) anybody who has a good sense of literature would like this book (and respect the outcome of Eragon and Arya.) Paolini does, though, have many things to improve in his writing; but this is a very good book. Again, I recommend it.
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Kid, 12 years old
January 5, 2012
AGE
The best piece of literature in my life to this day.
Good lord people have to understand a book is not bad because it's the spirit of the author the skill and work they put into it. this book had an author that poured his thought feelings and emotions into a series that has become a book that takes Twilight and spits on it. Mr. Paolini did not just writee a series he wrote a classic that will be remembered for the next hundred years. It will not die like twilight. I believe that Mr. Paolini decided to catalog his friends family and dreams we just can't see it. Think about the good these people do this happens very early in the book (Spoiler Warning) a baby is born with a catlip. so Eragon heals her and makes it so that she will survive and be able to fit in(End Spoiler). These people in this book do whatever they can do grant the people of this other region freedom from a terrible dictator. Battles rage just like the characters interactions and emotions changing the way you think about these characters people lose family and you feel the loss to it's like nothing I've ever felt before in a book. This book is utterly amazing in every way.
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AGE
read
@Heqo73198 Last time I was annoyed with your review but let's put that behind us cuz I COMPLETELY agree with this one. ugg
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AGE
Amazing and Magical Story
When Eragon first came out, I couldn't stop reading. It was so wonderful, intense, and intriguing. And now, several years later, the fourth book is just as good. Paolini has grown as an author, so the book is less Star-Warsy. Parents, be warned that it is quite violent and has some grisly images, but it's manageable. It's all led up to the final showdown between the Eragon and Saphira team versus Galbatorix. The first three books were a little overlong, but this final installment is a wonderful wrap-up to a beloved story.
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AGE
Disappointing, but well written.
While literally and structurely better written than the previous three, it seems Paolini hasn't gotten the hold of an satisfying ending just yet. He also seems to be a bit still too fond of his Thesaurus for my comfort. Still, this was a relatively entertaining yarn, even if it did not live up to expectations.
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AGE
dissappointing
Coarse language is used a bit throughout the book.
Eragon and Arya get drink some intoxicating beverage and get drunk together. Lots of violence and gore.
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Kid, 10 years old
April 16, 2012
AGE
Really good ending-leaves the door open...
The ending to this epic series is good, but some of the ways characters are killed may not be appropriate for some smaller children. For instance, some characters die in great detail, although some of the worst deaths happen in a corner alley when they are crushed by a boulder. At this point in the story, Eragon is perfect, too perfect-He always makes the right decisions, and it is hard to believe that he will not prevail over the king.
-SPOILER ALERT-
After he wins the battle, a new story sort of begins, making you feel like the ending to this saga is very much not an ending, so maybe we have not seen the last of Eragon and Saphiria... I think that, after this "the story is not over" prompt in book 4, we will see book 5. (not for a few years, because it takes a while to write 800 pages)
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| Topics: | magic and fantasy, adventures |
| Author: | Christopher Paolini |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Publisher: | Knopf |
| Publication date: | November 8, 2011 |
| Number of pages: | 880 |
| Hardcover price: | $27.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 12 - 17 |
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