Kamal Jones: btw u cant really create something completely new and original these days. most ideas are used up and sometimes you might think you have and original idea but someone else might have already used it. basically what i'm saying is most authors get their inspiration from others but don't copy it. what's wrong with a good old-fashioned fantasy book?? its not like he completely copied it jesus christ. go ahead make your little quip or "smart ass" remark.

[Oh look, you can read my response here!]

Michael Kopischke: I would like to thank you so much for writing an informative yet halarious paper on this book. I agree with you on just about everything you had to say about him.

Skiba: Well, this definitely helped me out a lot. My mom picked up Eragon some time ago, claiming that it would be "the next Harry Potter" or something to that effect. I read the description and was immediately disgusted. I'm very passionate about my fantasy creatures (though not so much the stories), and they did the same thing Harry Potter did with their dragons--dumbed them down and made them more like pets than the magnificent beasts they are.

I personally couldn't get into any of Tolkien's works, however, so my idea of fantasy is a little more skewed and atypical.

When it comes to dragons, however... Ciruelo and the Dragonlance series rule all. Ciruelo's definitely done his homework and provided a beautiful guide to the dragon (along with his luscious art) that he had carefully researched from semi-historical accounts. Dragons are powerful, intelligent creatures who possess the ability to speak (with an enchanting effect) and a thirst for knowledge and wisdom. They rarely take on humans as pupils, because human affairs are much too ignorant for their tastes. The ones they do accept, however, are on a search for ultimate truth and justice in life, something the dragon respects.

Harry Potter and Eragon, however... hideous creatures with beyond pitiful intelligence abound in HP. The fact that Eragon's dragon couldn't speak and that Eragon almost OWNED her completely turned me off to the book and made me know at once the book was absolute junk.

On the subject of fantasy novels... I have a huge idea myself based on an incredible dream I had a while ago. I won't bore you with the details, though, unless you're really interested. In that case, you can email me if you'd like.

All-in-all, I like this review, and I feel a lot better knowing that more people dislike Eragon than just me (even though my reasons are a little more shallow--I hated the book the moment I read the back). I should join that hatelisting...

merlinsbeard: Excellent work! Agree very much with you. I think the essay is summarised best with this sentence of your's:

"I can't pick out a single thing that this book has that has never been done before, the characters didn't interest or capture me, the storytelling was riddled with too many attempts to be grand that I was just entirely turned off by it."

Well done! I am sure to use refer people to that article in future, when talking about Eragon and Eldest.

(although it was Murtagh, who is his brother and betrays him, rather than his father, Morzan, or whatever the name is. But as you pointed out, tweaking the end answer does not mean that it is original)

Elarra: Great review, I agree with every single bit.

Eric: I'm so glad there are others who view Eragon as I do: a complete rip-off of others' great works, while the author considers himself great.

Eragon the book...well, I read it and I finished it, and it's better than some books I've read, but Paolini's attitude, placing himself at Tolkien level, is ridiculously nieve and repulsive. Thank you for proving that so officially.

Marintha: Haloo, I'm only 16 but even >I< agree with you. Your essay is absolutely right. Eragon was terrible. I finished it in stages because I couldn't stomach it. x.x It was just so.... so.... bleeecchhh.

I was mostly annoyed with the way Paolini kept slapping things into the story. Eragon got new abilities too fast. Like the magic and the language/reading lessons.

I didn't even KNOW the book had been written by a kid. My parents got it and said it was popular and it disappeared into my shelf two days later, never to be seen again.

Later my friend told me he was 15/19 and it was just a little... OH! That explains SO much.

I think this whole book was so, SO nicely summed up in the "new movie" catchphrase.

"Dragon. With an E."

Jan: I think you are crazy
you love lotr to much and you most get some common sense
i love this book and i have read lotr and Eragon and Eldest are much better because he write with more passion

and get a life by the way

hate the dragon riders? come on

swankivy: As you can see from little Jan's writing style, there is more than just a bad argument going on here. Specifically, this person has no literary skills to speak of, which is why it's amusing that MINE are the ones being criticized. In fact, Jan could not even be bothered to type in a correct e-mail address, as my response mail bounced. As a result, you win a prize, Jan: You get to be replied to PUBLICLY!

I'm crazy and need to get some common sense. Ahh yes, that much is obvious. After all, lack of common sense is what causes one to not be able to understand the glory of these books. OR this opinion is being voiced by an obviously immature and borderline illiterate kid who therefore has no business judging my essay. Don't agree with what I'm saying? Fine. That's your opinion and I've expressed mine. But I've got very well-supported reasons, while I see no reasons cited for my lack of common sense or insanity. Moving onward.

I love LOTR too much. Untrue, sorry, wrong again. I respect Tolkien for his ORIGINALITY and SCOPE, but as far as writing style and character I'm just not a huge fan. I'm not insulted by Paolini's LOTR-like story just because I want to have Tolkien's baby. I'm insulted by it because his writing is a hack job. End of story.

Eragon and Eldest are better than LOTR because they have more passion. I've already explained in my essay why I didn't fall for the cardboard passion of "a single tear" and all that bull. I'm done discussing that. I already did it once and it isn't overturned by someone who writes like a grade-schooler coming in and saying "nuh-uh!"

I need to get a life. Oh, the old standby of the personal insult in response to not liking my opinions. Observe: This is what I know about Jan from reading this comment. The comment has poor punctuation, spelling, and grammar, which hints that Jan certainly isn't any expert in writing or editing. I'm a writer and an editor and I write in complete sentences, not to mention that I support my conclusions. Which one of us is better suited to judge literature? Me. Does that mean I need to get a life because I took a stand and dumped on this terrible book? No. It means I'm good at it and I felt strongly enough about the issue to write such a piece. But resorting to personal insults like "get a life" is beyond childish, and shows that Jan didn't know how to verbalize the frustration of disagreeing with me. All I got from this comment is "I liked the books, so since you didn't, you suck. Get a life/get common sense/you're crazy." Jan? Get an education and a reading level in the double digits before you try to argue about a book's attributes with one of the industry's frigging professionals. Insulting me for having a different (and justified) opinion is on the same level as telling "yo momma" jokes.

I hate the dragon riders. I don't even know what the hell that means. I hate Paolini's writing and pretty much everything about his books, but I don't think I made any opinions public about dragon riders. Regardless, I dislike Paolini's writing and his approach to publication, but I never said his mom was fat or told him to get a life. There are just some things that you won't be respected for saying unless they're a) relevant, b) true, and c) backed up with facts.

Sorry, Jan, but you lose. BZZT! Want to try again? Type your e-mail address correctly and we'll see.

Vernon: Your Essay was great. It good to see people with their own opinion i hadn't been thinking of reading this but you put me off even thinking of it. Ian Irvine now their a good writer highly original too. So what if this writer was fifteen when he started writing this. I'm 16 and yet to finish an actaul story not because i can't, but because i'm trying to do something original. check out this site www.youngwriterssociety.com it rocks and has loads of smart writers.

JORGE: I'm 47 years old and because of a fast life I usually listen to audio books on my ipod. I make a point of not finding out anything about a book before i listen to it because I like to be surprised.
I picked up ERAGON because of the flashy cover and the feel that this was an "event" book.
I was patient. But it was when Bron revealed himself to Eragon when I thought "wait a minute... this is freakin' Star wars!" and then ALL the points you wrote about became painfully obvious. Specially "he said...(fill in your most overused modifier)" As an audio book it was soooo incredibly painfull to listen to, he said angrily.
So I skipped ahead after Bron's death and the meeting of the new youth to almost the end and now the youth and Eragon are fighting and... pheww! 'Nuff said.
Please keep up the good work and boycott the movie.