I finished Inheritance at 2:30 this morning.

I actually really enjoyed the book. Paolini did a good job at tying up the numerous plot threads lying around in a satisfying way. Also, I loved the final battle. It managed to be epic without being cliche or predictable.

I thought he left too many promises unfulfilled. We all wanted to see happy endings but none of them really showed up. I also didn't like the numerous references to Monty Python and Doctor Who. It really ruined the mood for me. I was somewhat annoyed by the typical "Wait, the Earth is round?" conversation. A lot of people don't realize how educated (and I mean, c'mon there are magicians studying this sort of thing!) people are in ancient times.

The worst parts for me though, were when things would make sense to characters in a way totally opposed the Scripture. Having the "Name of names" especially annoyed me as well as knowing yourself being the ultimate power.

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Though I do feel like there could be another three book cycle, because he left it close to a cliffhanger.

I agree!

Could you give an example? I didn't think much of the series and so never finished it (and didn't notice this in the parts I read), but I'm curious about this.

Funny thing, though... For how much everyone bashes the series, Christopher is still the young teen who got published and generated enough interest to have his book made into a movie. That's why I read the series. Because he had something which drew people.

Someday, I will get around to writing that blog post about modern fantasy and how it relates to the modern occult. *scratches head* It's been a while so I don't remember most of the ones that annoyed me at the time... The true name was pretty big for me though because of the verse in Revelation that said God has a name for each of us that no one can ever know. It gives us the brain power of God, especially if we know that name.

I started Eragon once, but didn't finish it.

Did anyone catch the bit at the end where the weird magician woman is explaining some "strange runes" and says they say raxacori...(cofallapatorius).

I'm reading Eragon right now and I am in love with it.

I don't think it's similar to Star Wars at all! o.0

I finally got around to reading Eragon.

It started out very slow. I think (And this is my personal opinion) that those first forty pages could have been cut down to about 10, and it would have sucked me in much more. It had some other slow parts too.

As I continued to read it improved. The book kept me up till midnight to finish it. There seemed to be a lot of mistakes, such as showing and telling and the dialogue tags. The biggest one I would say was the character Eragon. He was, well, rather boring. He could have died and I would not have cared. I also couldn't get much of a character arch in Eragon. He frequently annoyed me, and if Eragon was better, the whole book would be much better.

Also, I'm using this to vent the thing that really annoyed me in the series. All the important characters had cool names like Eragon and Roran and Murtagh. But all the ones who only came in for a moment or didn't really matter to the story had English names, like Trevor and Evan. It drove me nuts.

Another thing that annoyed me was the description. He had long pages of description that should have created a clear mental picture, but instead left me staring at the words for a full ten minutes till I eventually moved on, still feeling confused, which drew me out of the story. So while there was lots of description, it was hard to follow and I didn't like it much.

So as a whole, I enjoyed it, but it's not something I feel like instantly re-reading or racing to the next book in the series.

I've read Eragon and Eldest, but never finished Brisingr. I didn't finish Inheritance either.

Eragon was my favorite. Mostly because Brom and Murtagh were my favorite characters, and in the books after that, Brom diedand Murtagh turned evil. I've re-read Eragon several times, but after about the fifth time I moved on and kind of lost interest. Kind of. I still skim through it from time to time.

I got to see Christopher Paolini at my library, though! He was at Redmond Library here in Washington State, and my mom let me go. Unfortunately, she didn't let us stay long enough to get our copy of Inheritance signed. I was really put-out, but I got to see him in person, and listen to his little speech, which was epic.

I started them, I bought Eragon and Eldest. I did start off enjoying Eragon, but I lost interest near the end of the book. I don't like them enough to read the whole series. I have read some of Eldest, but I haven't finished it, and am not interested enough in what happens to get the other books.

Is it bad that this excites me?

Not at all, Airi!! I love your books; in my opinion they are far superior to the Eragon series. I could read yours over and over again. *Grins*

*chuckles * See, you knew right where I was going with that. *hugs *

Just got the series and am excited to read it and find out for myself where I come down in the never-ending debate of its quality.

Yes; tell us what you think. I hope you enjoy it!

I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on them.

I should have lots of time to read during our vacation next week, so hopefully I'll have the first book finished by the time we get back.

Did you read them, Tarin? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

I bought and read all four books and loved them; they're one of my favorite fantasy series to this day. I thought the plot, even if it mimics other stories in Eragon, was still unique and well thought out, and in the following books you learn that it really doesn't play out like SW at all. Personally, I couldn't put them down. I laughed, cried, gasped, and cheered the whole way through. Especially Brinsingr and Inheritance.
And on there being 4 books: I was so happy he did that. You get to know the characters so much more!
I love the style, the detailed and vivid descriptions of the world he created in his mind, from the village Eragon grew up in to the big cities to the elves' forest, the Beor Mountains, the desert, the islands... everything was extremely well thought out.
I love how you really get to know so many characters- Eragon, Saphira, Brom, Arya, Jeod, Oromis, Roran, Murtagh, Orik, Nasuada, Elva, Angela and so many others. Each of them has a unique relationship to Eragon, a story, a personality, a part to play that looks small but ends up being really important in the end.
I loved the final battle with Galbatorix.... so unpredictable, brilliant, and satisfying! If there's a way to take on a seemingly all-powerful tyrant, that's it.
The actual ending... well, it tied up a LOT of loose ends, but it also opened up others and felt a little forced in places, as though he said things early in the series that actually aren't the best ending, but he has to follow through with it. That being said, it is still well done even when you feel a little frustrated that not everything ends all happily ever after (which is life, isn't it?) I think he purposefully left a few threads hanging that he could pick up as a whole new series if he wanted. And I certainly hope he does
I'll admit Eragon isn't my favorite hero, but I like the way he changes over the series and how he and Saphira compliment each other. I think I like the series so much because his style and everything is right up my alley; I understand if not everyone likes it