Rating: 
Summary: A good book to read and re read despite what others may say
Review: Yes, you may hear others say that the book was not so good, and the story line has already been done by other authors such as JRR Tolkien. But after the great trilogy of the Lord of the Rings, I think it's hard for authors to write fantasies that are going to be better and different. After all we can't keep reading the same good fantasy books over and over again, we need something new. And that new book is Eragon. I think that Paolini did a good job. Eragon is a very interesting and good book to read. I would recommend it to any fantasy lovers out there. And I can't wait to read the next book of the inheritance trilogy.
Also I don't think that Tolkien would be rolling over in his grave. I think he would be proud that he has made a path for young author to follow. Tolkien didn't care about his fame, he cared about the literature.
I doubt that the author was trying to beat Tolkien's ghost at his own game. I bet JRR Tolkien would have read the book and enjoyed it. Plus it's only the first book in the trilogy. There is still more of the story to go.
I recommend that you give Eragon a try and pay no attention to those who gave the book 1 or 2 stars
Rating: 
Summary: embarrassing indeed
Review: Though I suppose that Mr Paolini is quite well off for the moment, somebody should get him down to earth and get him to know that things like that are no feat and that his readers (unless they do earnestly think that this bunk is "innovative") are bored to the bones.
Rating: 
Summary: Must we?
Review: Another in the long series of writers who would do single combat with Tolkien's ghost in a vain effort to beat him at his own game... A readable yarn, although it reads very much like a first novel written by a teenager with considerable parental editing assistance, which, as it happens, is exactly what it is. Sort of a swords-and-sorcery Mad Lib - the author selects McCaffrey's rideable dragons, Tolkien's elves, dwarves, and orcs (the latter under an assumed name, but they're still orcs, no mistaking that), magical powers, an evil king, a damsel in distress, swords (of course!), and then adds a hero coincidentally of about the same age and gender as the author himself, mixes them all together using a really motley assortment of standard fantasy place- and people-names, and there we have it, yet another offering in a genre which deserves better than this. Nonetheless, Mr. Paolini has done well for a teenager, and I would hope that the second and third books show improvement - the author may well cringe in later years when this work is mentioned.
Rating:
Summary: Addictive and enthralling
Review: This is the best book i've read since the lord of the rings. this amazing story has one of the best plots of any book i've every read. I highly recommend with the warning that it leaves you needing more.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice ideas but rough edges
Review: The main ideas were new and interesting. The idea of finding an egg, the dragon choosing its partner were inspired. Some of the characters had some interesting features. Brom's knowledge of magic but not being a "master" magician was a good change, more real than the more common Tolkien or Brooks approach. On the other hand, the plot was entirely linear. The kid plods from one episode to another. There is nothing going on in parallel. Nothing unexpected or hidden secrets encountered. The book gets a bit slow. The final duel with the sorcerer was anticlimatic. I liked the link to the elfin magic user while the kid was in his delerium, so am going to give the second book a shot.
Rating:
Summary: Nice try, but why did this book get published?
Review: On the one hand, it's kind of neat seeing a teenager writing a book and getting it published. On the other hand, it's not "neat" if it's a BAD book originally published by the kid's PARENTS, for god's sake! I agree with most of the 1-star and 2-star reviewers here, and will not repeat their points about how derivative, formulaic, uncreative, and frankly, embarrassing this book is. I would just add that Eragon is an incredibly obvious -- and cynical -- attempt by Knopf to cash in on the Lord of the Rings phenomenon. Let's see, "Eragon"/"Aragorn", "The Spire"/"The Shire", a stone that can't be damaged when struck by a sword/a ring that can't be damaged when thrown in the fire or struck by a sword, elves/elves, dragons/dragons, etc. etc. Yawn. Unfortunately, Christopher Paolini is no JRR Tolkien, by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, Tokien is probably rolling over in his grave right about now. Still, I will be curious to see what, if anything Paolini comes up with in the future. Right now, I've got to say I am NOT optimistic.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Original Recipe. But Still Good.
Review: Much of the hype surrounding this book has been more about the author than the actual story itself. For those who don't know the back story, Christopher Paolini was fifteen years old when he wrote the book. His mother edited it, and his family self published the novel before an editor at Knopf read it and bought it. Now nineteen and at work on the second of what he says will be three stories total, the book is about a young boy named Eragon whose life becomes linked to a dragon, and his destiny promises greatness.
As I was reading the book I kept thinking, "Wow! A fifteen year old penned this, that's pretty terrific." However I guess that's more a statement of the story teller than the story itself. Paolini is a gifted writer. Clearly there's a wonderful imagination at work and I'm sure he'll have a long career ahead of him. Admittedly he says he grew up reading lots of fantasy books, and they all seem to be here in some form. For a younger reader who is looking for something beyond Hogwarts this will be great. He creates a detailed and textured world that you can lose yourself in including a pronounciation guide and a language dictionary of words used in the book. For readers very familiar with the fantasy terrain this will all seem like rehashed-well Tolkien to begin with. As well as Robert Jordan and Anne McCaffrey. Yet even with the obvious comparisons, I found the book entertaining and well written. I actually thought he managed to move through the story with much less excess than any of Robert Jordans recent books. So if you're not concerned with something not being 100 percent original, you might enjoy this book. I did.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Read for All Ages
Review: Just finished this book by 15-year-old (at the time) Christophoer Paolini, and it's fantastic. It's a sort of Harry Potter meets J.R.R. Tolkien, an epic tale of a young boy who discovers a dragon egg. The story is told in the epic style of Tolkien, and is full of tragedy, mystery, and political struggles. On a grander scale, the book is about the battles raging between the oppressive King Galbatorix, and the rebelling Varden, a war which hinges on control of the Riders, of which Eragon is one of only two alive - and the other is King Galbatorix himself.
Along the way, Eragon travels with Brom the Storyteller, a secretive but wise old man, and encounters all sorts of vile things, from orc-like Urgals to the evil Ra'zac to the cold-hearted Shade. All the while, his powers grow, as does his dragon, and, as he quickly realizes his effect on the world, he grapples with being forced to take sides in a vast power struggle at the young age of 16.
While this is definitely a first-book-in-the-series kind of book, clearly setting up a larger, longer plot, it's a fantastic and quick read, and it will leave you wanting more. If nothing else, it's a perfect book to fill the void while you wait for the next Harry Potter to come out ;) The next book in the Inheritance series should be coming out soon, and I can't wait - if this is how he writes at 15, I can't wait to see his writing matures!
(And while yes, this book is targeted at high school-age teens, it's perfectly enjoyable for adults - of course, I think the Harry Potter books are enjoyable for adults as well, so think of that what you will.)
Rating:
Summary: Eragon
Review: Although I can see some similarities with other author's books, it doesn't bug me at all. As a fourteen year old who loves to write, and hopes to publish a book while still in highschool- Chrisopher Paolini is a complete role-model. He has done what I *dream* to do one day.
And you have to admit, it is nearly impossible to come up with a true, original idea. I also love his writing style- I keep refering back to his book for adjectives that I can never think of while writing myself.
While severe (adult) editors may dislike the book, I recommend it to people of my own age who love reading. Keep in mind that he is not the only writer who has used the ideas of elves, dragons and named swords... It's all fantasy!
Rating:
Summary: Greatly, Reluctantly Disappointed
Review: I first heard of this book while watching the Today show. The promising interview (and Mr. Paolini's terrific artwork) convinced me that I had to read this book. So I was thrilled when my husband surprised me with a copy. Sadly, I soon realized that ERAGON (which had been described as "better than Harry Potter" by a young reader referred to in the interview) was nothing more than a cobbling together of stories by more talented writers. How I can justify the incongruity between the praise in the interview and my poor reading experience? Perhaps this book would be pleasing to someone who's time spent with the fantasy genre consisted of the Harry Potter stories excusively. But for anyone who's come within ten yards of David Edding's BELGARIAD series, or Anne McCaffry's DRAGONRIDER series, or a dozen other well-known stories, ERAGON is a sad and frustrating copy. For an intelligent tale of magic and self-discovery, start with Edding's PAWN OF PROPHECY. His characters are compelling and three-dimensional. The occasional humor is a delightful counterbalance to the action. Unlike Eragon and his companions, you actually care what happens to young Garion and company. If the concept of dragonriders is appealing to you, check out McCaffry's DRAGONFLIGHT. Here you get fully-fleshed dragon-dragonrider relationships, not to mention a complex, believable social structure. Besides Paolini's obvious borrowing from these and other authors, I found the extensive list of made-up words highly annoying. With few exceptions, they were poorly crafted, unnatural-sounding, and failed to add interest to the story. If only Paolini had read Vonda McIntyre's "Pitfalls of Writing SF and Fantasy" (see her website), particularly "Pitfall #7: Neologisms, or, Calling a Rabbit a Smeerp, or, This Essay Almost Made My Spell-Checker Toss Its Cookies". To paraphrase Ms. McIntyre, unless you have a particular talent for inventing words, made-up words sound made-up. Despite the effort it took to finish this book, I wish Mr. Paolini well. With more experience and original ideas, this young writer has the potential to create an enjoyable story.
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