Eragon
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Christopher Paolini |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | John Jude Palencar |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Inheritance Cycle |
| Genre | Young adult Fantasy |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
Publication date | August 26, 2003 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) and audio-CD |
| Pages | 509 pp (Knopf) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-375-82668-8 (First edition) Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
| Followed by | Eldest |
Eragon is a 2003 fantasy novel written by Christopher Paolini, and the first book in the Inheritance Cycle, set in the mythical world of Alagaësia.
Eragon tells the story of a young farm boy named Eragon and his dragon, Saphira. After Saphira hatches for Eragon in the opening chapters, King Galbatorix sends his servants (including the Ra'zac, Urgals, and the shade Durza) after Eragon and Saphira, in an effort to capture or kill them. Eragon and Saphira flee their hometown of Carvahall, and embark on a number of adventures involving swordplay, magic, friendship, betrayal, and death.
Eragon was the third-best-selling children's hardback book of 2003,[1] the second-best-selling paperback of 2005,[2] and has placed on the New York Times Best Seller List for 121 (nonconsecutive) weeks.[3]
It was adapted into a feature film of the same name, released on December 15, 2006.
Background and publication history
After receiving his high school diploma at the age of 15, the homeschooled Paolini started planning a novel which he would enjoy reading himself. After a month of planning out the series, he started writing the first draft by hand. It was finished a year later and a second draft was started. After another year of editing, Paolini and his family decided to self publish the book. Editing proceeded through a third year, as well as the creation of marketing materials, promoting the novel as Paolini and his family toured across the USA. Over 135 talks were given at bookshops, libraries and schools, many with Paolini dressed up in a medieval costume. In the summer of 2002, Carl Hiaasen brought Eragon to the attention of a publisher after his stepson read a copy of the book. Knopf acquired the rights to the series, which led to another editing of the novel as well as a new cover, drawn by John Jude Palencar.[4][5]
Plot summary
Eragon 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, Eragon is surprised to see a polished blue stone appear in front of him. A few days later, Eragon witnesses a baby dragon hatch from the "stone", and realizes that it is in actuality, a dragon egg. After a talk with the town's elderly storyteller, Brom, Eragon names the dragon Saphira. 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 Garrow is fatally wounded and the house and farm are burned down. 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, an elderly story-teller, who insists on helping him and Saphira.
Eragon becomes a Dragon Rider through his bond with Saphira. On the journey, Eragon learns sword fighting, magic, and the Ancient Language, and the ways of the Dragon Riders from Brom. Their travels bring them to Teirm, from where they are able to track the Ra'zac to the southern city of Dras-Leona. Before leaving Teirm, however, Eragon has his fortune told by the witch Angela, who warns him of the many dangers he will face.
Once in Dras-Leona, they manage to infiltrate the city, but Eragon later encounters the Ra'zac in a cathedral in the city, and is forced to flee. Though Brom and Eragon manage to escape, their camp is ambushed later that night. 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 dragon was also named Saphira.
Murtagh becomes Eragon's new companion. They then travel to Gil'ead, a city where they should be able to find information on how to find the Varden, a group of rebels who want to see the downfall of Galbatorix. While stopping near Gil'ead, Eragon is captured, drugged, and imprisoned in the same jail that holds a woman he has been receiving dreams about. When he breaks out of his cell, he discovers that she is an 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 - named Durza. Murtagh shoots Durza between the eyes with an arrow, and the shade disappears in a cloud of mist.
After escaping, Eragon contacts the unconscious elf telepathically, and discovers that her name is Arya, She also tells them that she was poisoned while in captivity, and that only a potion in possession of the Varden can cure her. Arya is also able to give directions to the exact location of the Varden; a city called Tronjhiem, which sits in the mountain Farthen Dûr, hidden deep in the Beor Mountains. Eragon, Saphira, and Murtagh go in search of the Varden, both to save Arya's life, and to escape Galbatorix's wrath.
When they arrive in Farthen Dûr, Eragon is led to the leader of the Varden, Ajihad. In this meeting, he learns that Saphira's egg was under the care of Arya, until she was ambushed while transporting it. He is then told that the Shade Durza was not destroyed by Murtagh's well placed arrow, because the only way to kill a shade is with a stab to the heart. It is also revealed that Murtagh is the son of Morzan, the first of Galbatorix's forsworn, the dragon riders who swore an oath of fealty to him.
Eragon is at last able to rest, although a new invasion is imminent: Galbatorix has discovered the location of the Varden, and plans to have his Urgal army destroy them. When the battle begins, the Varden and dwarves are pitted against an enormous army of Urgals. During the battle, Eragon faces Durza again, but fails in battle against him. Durza is about to capture Eragon when Saphira and Arya break Isidar Mithrim, the Star Sapphire, diverting the Shade's attention long enough for Eragon to stab him in the heart, after which, Eragon blacks 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, and the battle turns in their favor. During Eragon's unconsciousness, a stranger calling himself 'The Cripple Who is Whole' contacts him telepathically and informs him that he needs to further his training in Ellesméra, the elven capital city. He awakes to find Angela, the witch from Teirm, tending to him. He then realizes that he has a long, painful scar where Durza slashed his back. The story ends with Eragon promising the presence in his mind that he will find him and continue to train.
Reception
The New York Times Book Review stated that the novel, "for all its flaws, is an authentic work of great talent."[6] The book won a 2006 Nene award, which is awarded by the children of Hawaii.[7]
Many positive reviews note that the work pulls strongly from the conventions of fantasy, in character, dialogue and concepts.[8] School Library Journal's review of Eragon was positive, yet lukewarm, noting that Eragon is overly simplistic in its resolution of plot issues.[9]
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."[10]
In 2006, it was the winner of Illinois' Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award. The award is determined by students at schools voting.
Adaptations
On December 15, 2006, a film adaptation of Eragon was released. The movie, starring Edward Speleers, Jeremy Irons, and John Malkovich, was produced by 20th Century Fox and directed by first-timer Stefen Fangmeier.[11] The screenplay was written by Peter Buchman. Principal photography for the film took place in Hungary and Slovakia. The film currently ranks at #252 in the all time worldwide box office chart[12] and was met with dismal critical reviews, scoring only a 16% composite score on Rotten Tomatoes.[13] It ranks slightly better on Metacritic, however, with a score of 38/100.[14]
The film was released on DVD on March 20, 2007.[15]
Paolini, himself, has said very little about the film since its release. However, before its release, he stated:[16]
The Eragon movie is Fox 2000's version of my story. I had no control over their decisions. I have not seen the final version of the screenplay, nor the movie itself. We just have to wait and see how it turns out and hope for the best. In any case, the books speak for themselves.
References
- ^ Publishers Weekly (2005-04-30). "Best-Selling Children's Books, 2003".
- ^ Publishers Weekly (2005-04-30). "Best-Selling Children's Books, 2005".
- ^ "New York Times Best Seller List for Jan 06, 2008".
- ^ "Official website". Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ "Waldenbooks feature" (Interview). Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ Liz Rosenberg. "CHILDREN'S BOOKS; The Egg and Him". New York Times Book Review.
- ^ Nene Award Website - 2006 winner
- ^ Barnes & Noble Editorial Reviews
- ^ School Library Journal
- ^ Commonsense Media: Review of Eragon
- ^ "Eragon on the Internet Movie Database".
- ^ Box Office Mojo information
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes Score
- ^ "Eragon film reviews on Metacritic".
- ^ "Eragon on DVD".
- ^ "Paolini on the film adaptation of Eragon".
External links
- Alagaёsia Official Inheritance Cycle website
- Eragon page, from Random House
- Inheriwiki, the site of the Inheritance Cycle Wikia