I read Eragon a while ago, and found it okay. At least enough for me to buy the second book, which I never finished. I think it’s cool that a young kid had the drive to write a novel, and get it published, but this book is just soooo kid-ish.
Which is fine normally. Heck I love Harry Potter and it doesn’t get much more kid-ish than that. But for some reason these books just never sparked my imaganation.
But I saw the trailer for the movie and that has me excited! The movie looks well done, and their hasn’t been a good dragon movie in a very long time (if ever really).
So if you are looking to read the books prior to the movie, I would hold off and just enjoy the movie. Or am I being to harsh here?
Definitely hold off and just enjoy the movie. I’d say don’t bother with the books at all - they’re derivative of derivatives, if you know what I mean. Any fantasy/sci-fi theme you can think of is in there, with very thinly veiled references as to where the original idea came from. Borrowing in and of itself isn’t bad, but a good author will borrow and expound, adding his or her own flavor. Paolini doesn’t do this - he only borrows.
To be perfectly honest, I feel the first book was published only because of author’s youth. Anyone over the age of 21 submitting this manuscript would’ve had a slim-to-none chance of getting it published. He’s lucky the book had such marketing behind it, otherwise the second never would’ve been published either. I’ve read both, and have no interest in reading the third - I doubt I’ll pick it up.
Not at all Dob, in fact I’d like to build on your point if I may:
Imagine you’re in a book shop looking around for something to entertain/stimulate/move/arouse you (hey, we all shop for different things at different times) and suddenly a monster bursts out from behind one of the shelves. It’s really something quite terrible to behold, a slavering, gibbering creature that resembles something from a Bosch painting. It’s got the feet and wings of a dragon, the strong body of a muscled and well-defined man, the lithe arms of a Jedi (which are wielding a light sabre) and the head of an incredibly sexy and attractive young man that you want desperately to have sex with (who surely can’t be more than 15!) that is screaming something about the true language in a way reminiscent of several books you once read by Ursula Leguin whilst calling out for someone named Saphire, or something like that.
Now, answer this question honestly: would you rush into the arms of such a terrible travesty of nature, or get the fuck out of the store and head for the nearest church? Oh, and that same monster is currently in every cinema waiting to pounce on you as well, so don’t think you’ll be safe in there either.
Hey, didn’t I run into that thing somewhere in Revelation or maybe Daniel? Considering what I’ve read about Eragon, I think you could probably take the apocalyptic nature even further.
I forgot to mention that the creature is, right now, in your parents house feasting on the freshly-spilled blood of their corpses. And it is responsible for George W Bush being President, thereby ushering in the end times as foretold in prophecy. Kiss your ass goodbye asterion as it, and the world, is already forsaken by all that is good any holdy.
Better? I feel I might be over-egging this a little though (saying that I’m currently reading the Paolini-hater’s paradise that is anti-shurtugal and the amount of bile there makes my near rantings seem tame by comparison).