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Eragon  By  cover art

Eragon

By: Christopher Paolini
Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
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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)

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What listeners say about Eragon

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    31,384
  • 4 Stars
    6,526
  • 3 Stars
    1,961
  • 2 Stars
    597
  • 1 Stars
    353
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    23,139
  • 4 Stars
    5,928
  • 3 Stars
    2,163
  • 2 Stars
    670
  • 1 Stars
    561
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
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    26,748
  • 4 Stars
    4,088
  • 3 Stars
    1,197
  • 2 Stars
    291
  • 1 Stars
    184

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Utterly Awesome!

This was one of the rare books that so fully absorbed me that I forgot to worry or think of anything else. No "rewind because I've lost track" throughout the entire story. The author is very descriptive in creating the characters, enabling you to envision the events as they unfold. Equally as important, the narrator was more than excellent! While this type of fiction will never make a classic or provoke mind altering thought, if what you want is entertainment value, this is for you.

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188 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Saphira's Voice is Immersion Breaking

When Gerard Doyle voiced Saphira's first line ("Eragon.") in that deep, masculine, gravely voice, I thought, "oh this is just what baby Saphira sounds like. Strange choice, but I'll go with it. Maybe it'll change as Saphira matures." I was wrong. Doyle sounds like he's drunk doing an impression of the goblin/beast/thing Ludo from the movie Labyrinth (1986). Each time he reads a line for Saphira, I laugh a little, but I also cringe. It's hard to listen to and take seriously. The story overall is well written and has great momentum, but every time Saphira has anything to say, it breaks the immersion completely. I can't describe how disappointed I am.

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137 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Narrator ruined it for me.

Ok the story is good! HOWEVER i had a real problem with the way the narrator made the female dragon sound just like Cookie Monster from Sesame Street.

it's a telepathic connection. No vocal cords are being used. The Dragon is not straining her throat to mimic human speach. ITS TELEPATHIC!!! Why on earth would you make her sound like that?
I can only imagine what the author reaction would be listening to this (face palm)!
I continued listening anyway because i like the story but the more i listened the more it grated on my nerves and i started thinking of the dragon as a sumo wrestler with laryngitis. I really hope the rest of the books in the series aren't like this. If so i may have to return them.

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91 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Delightful and Enjoyable

I don't hate to admit that I'm over 50 and absolutely loved this book. I didn't want to quit listening, I was saddened to hear it end -- and already started looking for the next part. This was, in my mind, not written for any particular age group - it far transcends that. I've already recommended it to several others and even thinking about listening to it again (and again). I'm sure that the second time around I'll pick up something that I missed or didn't find significant the first time around.
I've definitely formed my opinions on who I think the traitors might be - I'm on pins and needles until I find out.
I highly recommend this book to any that enjoy a good book - I don't even think that most would find the characters that unbelievable.

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90 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very Captivating Book

Being a fan of fantasy, I very much enjoyed this Book, it was great. It had all the details that hold your interest. i never wanted to put it down! This Book doesn't have alot of in depth surprises around the corner, however the book is not lacking for it. The Charachters are easy to identify with and the story flows well.For readers like myself who simply want to enjoy a well told story, this one is a definate jewel and i can't wait for the next installment!

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82 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

narrator ruined it

I couldn't even finish listening to the first chapter. I have read/listened to this whole series before a nd know that it's excellent...but the narrator simply read it...and too fast...and did not "tell the story"

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78 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Winner. Captivating from beginning to end.

I downloaded this book mainly for my almost teenage son because it was written by a young man not much older than he is. I decided to go ahead and "screen" it first on my 2 hour daily commute and absolutely enjoyed it immensely. It is written in a simple, straightforward way and is filled with plenty of action and adventure. Besides "Envy", this is the other of my 2 favorite audiobooks I have listened to on audible so far. I can't wait for the next one in the trilogy.

Download this book. It is masterful storytelling. You won't be disappointed!

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77 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

How to Tell If this Book is For You In 2 Easy Ques

To determine if you should read this series, answer these two questions. (1) Do you like traditional fantasy? The kind that might have a noble death but not the kind full of gang rapes and torture. This kind has farm boys with heroic destinies. (2) Are you bothered by books that borrow strongly off of books written before them? in this case most strongly The Lord of the Rings. That is, will it be unbearably annoying to you that a book that is not LotR has elves who sailed to our shores in silver ships, and powerful silver haired wizards blowing smokes rings, etc. Or can you overlook that and enjoy a different story with similar world building? If you like traditional fantasy and can handle the similarities, then you can enjoy this series. On a side note: I disagree with those who think the dragon's voice should be more feminine. I like it the way it is - after all, even Eragon himself assumed at first that Sapphira was male. The voices are dramatized but I think it is done well.

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63 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

The Dragon is a GIRL

this is a great book which is only hurt by the nararator's inablilty to create a female dragon's voice. if you think you can get through this though than you will enjoy the read. I would have given it 4 stars but the naration brought it down a notch IMO

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61 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Nothing new here...

From Ursula K. Le Guin, David Eddings, Tad Williams, Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey, and others, the author has pulled various ideas of magic, fantasy, and dragons together into a tale that is mildly entertaining but presents no new ideas. In this world, all things have a 'true name' in a mystical language that grants power over whatever is named--a direct pull from A Wizard of Earthsea. The protagonist travels with a mysterious old storyteller who is more than he appears, and has extensive knowledge of all things magical--The Dragonbone Chair. I could go on and on with numerous examples; suffice to say that every concept in this book has been directly lifted from various works of fantasy fiction and congealed together into a story with an entertaining plot but nothing new in the genre. To his credit, the author started this book at the age of 15 and finished it by the age of 19; unfortunately, it shows. The writing is simplistic, the dialogue is often wooden, and the character development feels rushed and occasionally forced. This is not a BAD book, and if you have never read fantasy extensively you will be generally entertained. Fans of the genre, however, will find it lacking of real substance and will easily identify all of the concepts as direct references to other, better works. Perhaps as his writing matures, the author will truly shine. At this point, however, this is book written by, for, and about teenagers.

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55 people found this helpful