Eragon

Inheritance, Book 1

By: Christopher Paolini

Narrated by: Gerard Doyle

Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner, Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award, 2005

Winner, Colorado Children's Book Award, 2005

Winner, Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award, 2006

Winner, Kentucky Bluegrass Award, 2005

New York Times Bestseller, 2004

Nominated, Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award, 2004

Winner, Tennessee Volunteer State Award, 2005

Winner, Texas Lone Star Reading List, 2004

Winner, Texas TAYSHAS High School Reading List, 2004

Winner, Wyoming Soaring Eagle Book Award, 2004

Don’t miss the eagerly anticipated epic new fantasy from Christopher Paolini—Murtagh, coming 11.7.23!

A new adventure hatches in Book One of the Inheritance Cycle, perfect for fans of Lord of the Rings! This New York Times bestselling series has sold over 40 million copies and is an international fantasy sensation.

"Christopher Paolini is a true rarity."—The Washington Post

When fifteen-year-old Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.

Overnight his simple life is shattered, and, gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire.

©2003 Christopher Paolini (P)2002 Random House, Inc., Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"It's an impressive start to a writing career that's sure to flourish." (Booklist)

"Doyle's range of accents is perfect for the multiple characters of this epic....On paper Eragon is a sprawling fantasy, filled with obvious nods to Tolkien and too many convenient plot devices. But on audio, it fills the ears with vivid characters, witty dialogue, and nail-biting battle scenes set in a magical world where a beautiful blue dragon and her rider are at the noble center of it all." (AudioFile)

"An impressive epic fantasy." (Publishers Weekly)

Absolutely Fabulous

About one month ago, I bought Eragon (the book) at Borders and at the time, knew nothing about it except what a few of my friends had told me. Once I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down! Christopher Paolini creates a book that is like a combination of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings all in one. The Audio book really captures the sense of how the characters "speak" in the novel. The words spoken in the Anceint Language are spoken with an accent that the reader would think of while reading the book. Overall this Audio gets a solid 5 stars.

Fun, a bit shallow

I liked portions of this book, but I felt like it ran out of steam near the end, like the author had run out of ideas (I might not have felt this way if I've never read Lord of the Rings or other somewhat similar books). The narration was decent, but not great. If the dragon is communicating telepathically, why does it need to be read with such a gravelly voice? Overall I enjoyed the book, and I thought it was fun, so I've given it 4 stars.

A Great Trip

When I started this audiobook I really was just looking for something interesting to help pass the time as I puttered around the house. Well, this one is more than I time passer. I get less done listening to it because I just don't want to miss anything! After Eragon's amazing discovery his life is not the same and after running away from home he brings you on this wild adventure! Racing across deserts, meeting creatures and characters brought to life on an MP3 or CD player is quite a lot of fun. Just like when you read a really good book you can't put down, you'll never want to turn your MP3 or CD player off till your done this one. Worth the time!!

Worth your Creditt

I was very happy to have taken a chance on this one, as I was with my first Potter book. Now I am hooked I think, the most shocking thing of all was to find that the author was 15 when he wrote it! Very well done.

Sensational

I fell in love with this book as a young teenager. Hoping to start over and finish the series, I purchased this audiobook hoping to reignite my passion for reading. I fell in love all over again as the narrator performed the novel for me. I enjoyed the voice and voices of the narrator, although not especially creative, each voice did its intended part and brought the story to life.

A must read for those who love Dragons

If you could sum up Eragon in three words, what would they be?

As two become one

What was one of the most memorable moments of Eragon?

Outside of the dragon hatching, I would have to say the battle at the end of the story.

Which scene was your favorite?

I adored eragon and Sophira's first flight together and seeing through the dragon's point of view.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

SPOILER aALERT: The death of Brom.

Any additional comments?

Christopher Paolini is clearly influenced heavily by The Lord of the Rings series. Some say this story is a rip off of Tolkien, however in my humble opinion it is not. You must remember the author wrote this when he was 18 (I think). Parents of young readers take note: this is an excellent series with which to introduce to your kids as a family reading. If your Home Schooling your child take note: Christopher Paolini began writing this series at 15 and self published it before graduating high-school. What a great example for others. There is no bad language in the story, which is a big deal to me. It does take about 50 pages to get the story going though. Many people have said over the years that the books took too long to be written and they lost interest in it. I think that is a dreadful reason to put down this series. Now that the entire Inheritance cycle has been out a while, I hope you will hang in there with the author for the entire series. Seriously, it evolves over the course of 4 books to be a world all its own no matter what influenced it in the beginning. I was not much of a fantasy reader as a child, but as a lover of the Epic Fantasy genre now this is in my top 10 favorites. I hear Christopher paolini is writing another book set in this world. I can tell you right now audible: put me on the preorder list.

My Favorite Fantasy Book!

I first read this book years ago and I absolutely loved the series from the very beginning. I remember being furious that the series was going to be four books instead of three because I wanted to know the ending so badly. However, when I read inheritance I was so glad it was four books because there is just SO MUCH to take in.
The characters are crafted so carefully. You have no problem envisioning them because Paolini gives so much detail for your mind to use. The setting is the same way. You feel completely immersed in this fictional universe.
If you consider yourself a fan of fantasy novels this whole series is a MUST! I have read the books multiple times and I love listening to the audio books just as much. Gerard Doyle, in my opinion, is the perfect narrator for this wild tale.

Epic Series

If you could sum up Eragon in three words, what would they be?

Epic, interesting, and fun

What about Gerard Doyle’s performance did you like?

Good work

Any additional comments?

This was a pretty good book. As an adult I found myself pleasantly surprised by this series. While the main character did initially have that slightly annoying sense of honor and black/white view of the world, the situations his encounters throughout the series change him to a more contemplative hero who still believes in good, but approaches it with a respect for the possible negative external effects of his actions.

I love the story.

One thing I would change. Saphirah sounds too non-female. I think more of a female voice would be nice.

DO NOT JUDGE BY THE MOVIE

It is a wonderful book. I have heard it 4 times and love it. Yes it's true it's a mixture or Lord of the Rings, Dunes, Star Wars and other fantasy classics, but beautifully done. Elves, Dragons, Dawrfs are not a new idea, but Paolini makes a wonderful mixture and a brilliant story. I was terribly offended by the movie and hope people don't judge the story by the movie. Read/listen to it. It's worth it.