Eragon

This article is about the novel. For other media, see Eragon (film) and Eragon (video game). For the title character, see Eragon (character).

Eragon

File:Eragon.jpg First edition cover
Author	Christopher Paolini
Illustrator	John Jude Palencar
Cover artist	John Jude Palencar
Language	English
Genre	High fantasy
Publisher	Alfred A. Knopf
Publication date	August 26 2003
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardcover and Paperback) and audio-CD
Pages	544 pp (first edition, hardback)
ISBN	ISBN 0-375-82668-8 (first edition, hardback)
Followed by	Eldest

Eragon is a novel written by Christopher Paolini. It is the first book of the planned Inheritance Trilogy. The sequel, Eldest, was released in mid-2005. Eragon is set in the land of Alagaësia and is a story about a farm boy named Eragon and his dragon, Saphira. The book was adapted into a film of the same title, which was released on December 15 2006 in various countries. In North America, the DVD was released on March 20 2007.

Background and publication history

After receiving his high school diploma at the age of 15, the home schooled Paolini started planning a novel which he would enjoy reading himself. After a month of planning out the trilogy, he started writing the first draft of Eragon, initially by hand, but after writing the first sixty pages he continued writing it on a computer. After a year of writing, Paolini finished writing the first draft of Eragon and commenced writing a second draft.

Paolini never intended that the novel be published. However, after finishing re-drafting the story he gave it to his parents, who decided to self-publish it. A further year was spent proof-reading and editing the novel, in addition to creating a cover and map of Alagaësia (both the first cover and the map were drawn by Paolini).

The following year was spent promoting the novel, touring across the USA. Paolini and his family gave over 135 talks at bookshops, libraries and schools. Many of these events were done with Paolini wearing a "medieval costume of red shirt, billowy black pants, lace-up boots, and a jaunty black cap". In summer 2002 the author Carl Hiaasen brought Eragon to the attention of a publisher after his stepson read a copy of the self-published novel. Knopf went on to acquire the rights to the entire trilogy. The novel was once again edited, and a new cover was drawn by John Jude Palencar.

Plot summary

Eragon, a 15 year-old boy, lives with his uncle Garrow and cousin Roran on a farm on the outskirts of a small village called Carvahall. While hunting in the Spine, a large range of mountains running down the West side of Alagaësia, which is believed to have mysterious happenings, Eragon is surprised to see a polished blue stone appear in front of him. After failing to sell or trade the stone, Eragon witnesses a baby dragon hatch from the "stone," which was in reality a dragon egg. He questions Brom - the elderly town storyteller - about the Dragons and the history and ways of the Dragon Riders. After this talk, Eragon names the dragon Saphira after hearing Brom mention the dragon's name. He raises the dragon in secret until two of King Galbatorix's servants, the Ra'zac, come to Carvahall looking for the egg. Eragon and Saphira manage to escape by hiding in the forest, but Eragon's uncle Garrow is fatally wounded and the house and farm are destroyed. Once Garrow dies, Eragon is left with no reason to stay in Carvahall, so he goes after the Ra'zac, seeking vengeance for the destruction of his home and his uncle's death. He is accompanied by Brom, the mysterious and seclusive town storyteller, who insists on helping them.

Eragon becomes a Dragon Rider through his bond with Saphira. On the journey, Eragon learns sword fighting, magic, and the ways of the Dragon Riders from Brom. They travel through several cities, and Eragon is shocked by the way that the Empire is harming the land and its people. Finally, after infiltrating a tower and acquired information in the town of Teirm, Brom, Eragon, and Jeod (Brom's old friend) conclude that the Ra'zac reside in the city of Dras-Leona. There, the Ra’zac lure Eragon, Saphira, and Brom into an ambush. Although a stranger, Murtagh, rescues them, Brom is gravely injured and dies shortly after — but not before finally revealing to Eragon that he was a Dragon Rider, whose deceased dragon shared Saphira's name. Saphira knew this from the moment she met Brom, but didn't tell Eragon because Brom requested her not to.

Murtagh becomes Eragon's new companion. The three of them travel (although Murtagh is very reluctant) in search of the hidden hideout of the Varden, a strong rebel faction that Brom had mentioned on their journey. On the way, Eragon has dreams of a strikingly beautiful elf, all of which feature her suffering in a prison. While stopping near a city with an inhabitant that could potentially reveal the Varden's whereabouts, Eragon is captured, drugged, and imprisoned in the same jail that holds the elf. Murtagh and Saphira stage a rescue and Eragon escapes with the unconscious elf. During the escape Eragon and Murtagh battle with a Shade - a sorcerer possessed by evil spirits. The fact that a Shade is walking freely in the land deeply disturbs Eragon and he suspects that Galbatorix is planning something terrible. The Shade (Durza) is shot between the eyes by an arrow from Murtagh and disappears in a mist.

After escaping, Eragon, Saphira, and Murtagh go in search of the Varden across the Hadarac Desert into the Beor Mountains, carrying the unconscious elf with them. When she does not wake after a week, Eragon becomes increasingly concerned and tries to reach her using a form of telepathy. He discovers that her name is Arya and that she has been afflicted with a rare poison. She tells Eragon that she has put herself into a self-induced coma, to slow the poison, but also mentions that if they do not reach the Varden soon, she will die. She then tells Eragon how to find the Varden.

The party are pursued by an army of extremely large Urgals, called Kull, as they travel to the Varden's fortress, hidden deep within the Beor Mountains. Along the way, Eragon discovers that Murtagh is the son of Morzan, the first and last of the Forsworn(the thirteen Dragon Riders who turned on their own and helped Galbatorix rise to power, also known as the wyrdfell).This causes Eragon to lose trust in him. When they reach the Varden, their pursuers are defeated. Arya is given the antidote just in time and recovers quickly. Meanwhile, Eragon learns of the pact between the dwarves, the elves, and the Varden. He also learns that Saphira's egg was magically teleported to the Spine by Arya. He is then told that the Shade Durza was, shockingly, not destroyed by Murtagh's well placed arrow. For the only way to kill a shade is to stab it's heart.

The group is at last able to rest, although a new invasion is imminent. When the battle begins, the Varden and dwarves are pitted against an enormous army of Urgals, deployed by Durza and Galbatorix. During the battle, Eragon faces Durza again and uncovers the Shade's childhood memories. Eragon receives a serious disfiguring wound on his back during the fight. Durza is about to capture Eragon, so as to take him to Galbatorix, when Saphira (now able to breathe fire) and Arya create a distraction, diverting the Shade's attention long enough for Eragon to stab him in the heart, just before he blacked out. After Durza's death, the Urgals are released from a spell which had been placed on them and begin to fight among themselves. The Varden take advantage of this opportunity to make a counter-attack. During Eragon's unconsciousness, a stranger contacts him through his mind and informs the young warrior that he is wanted for training in the land of the elves. He then awakes to find Angela the Witch tending him. He then realizes that he has a long painful scar where Durza slashed his back.

Characters

Main article: List of characters in the Inheritance Trilogy

Reception

The New York Times Book Review stated that the novel, "for all its flaws, is an authentic work of great talent."

Eragon has been criticized for its derivative nature. The two most commonly discussed sources are Star Wars (due to a similar plot) and The Lord of the Rings (due to the setting, elven and dwarven races, the language and character names). Many positive reviews note that the work pulls strongly from the conventions of fantasy, in character, dialogue and concepts. School Library Journal's review of Eragon was positive, yet lukewarm, noting that Eragon is overly simplistic in its resolution of plot issues.

Common Sense Media called Eragon's dialogue long-winded and clichéd, with a plot "straight out of Star Wars by way of The Lord of the Rings, with bits of other great fantasies thrown in here and there". The website did concede that the book is a notable achievement for such a young author, and it would be appreciated by younger fans, but still labeled it "overblown and derivative".

Adaptations

On December 15 2006, a film adaptation of Eragon was released. The movie, starring Edward Speelers, Jeremy Irons, and John Malkovich, was produced by 20th Century Fox and directed by first-timer Stefen Fangmeier. The screenplay was written by Peter Buchman. Principal photography for the film took place in Hungary and Slovakia. The film came in at #235 in the all time worldwide box office chart but was met with dismal critical reviews, scoring only a 16% composite score on Rotten Tomatoes . A DVD of the movie was released March 20 2007.

Publication details

• ISBN 0-375-82668-8 (hardcover, August 2003)
• ISBN 0-8072-1962-2 (audio cassette, August 2003)
• ISBN 1-4000-9068-7 (compact disc, February 2004)

External links

• Official Inheritance Trilogy website
• Eragon page, from Random House