Fantastic Fantasy: Eragon

Eragon

by Christopher Paolini

Important Links:

Amazon.com: Eragon

Official Inheritance Site: Alagaesia.com

Recommended Age: 15+ (due to violence and gore)

Not a typical dragon story. Eragon, a farm boy, finds a brilliant blue stone, which is actually a dragon egg. When she hatches, Eragon discovers his connection with her runs deeper than the silvery marking that appears on the palm of his hand when he first touches her. Their telepathic communication helps nuture a life-long bond of friendship, love, and a mutual goal: taking down the evil ruler of Alagaesia, King Galbatorix.

What begins as a quest for revenge, carries Eragon and the town's mysterious story-teller, Brom, into a centuries-old struggle for the freedom of the people of Alagaesia. Eragon must choose. Will he fulfill Brom's wishes and become the first Dragon Rider in centuries to lead the rebel group, the Varden, or will he join the king who had put an end to the peace-keeping Riders of old? And who were Eragon's parents? Why was he left to be raised by an uncle and aunt? Will Eragon avenge his uncle's death by the strange creatures known as the Ra'zac? These questions and more plague Eragon as he trains to become a legendary Rider.

The first book in a series of four, Eragon, begins us on a quest of unkown origins and an even more mysterious endings. Along the way, Eragon will meet elves, dwarves, and creatures abound in a magical tale of epic proportions.

Fantastic Fantasy: Brisingr

Well - it's been a really long time since I posted my first book review, but now it's time for my second. I'd love to promise that these would be regularly posted, but that's just not realistic. The truth is that when I have the time, I'll review the book. As always, if you're interested, check out my Shelfari shelf either on the sidebar or through the link. So - here's review #2:

Brisingr

by Christopher Paolini

Important Links:

Amazon: Brisingr

Official Inheritance Site: Alagaesia.com

Recommended Age: 15+ (due to violence and gore)

In book 3 of the Inheritance cycle of 4 books, Eragon and Saphira face more challenges and trials in their quest to take down the evil King Galbatorix. Full of action and new revelations, this book easily lived up to the previous two.

Around half-way through though, there is a section that just didn't quite do it for me. Roran, Eragon's cousin, is repeatedly in battle, which gets a bit monotonous. You can really only read about blood spattering and soldiers' guilt so many times. Also, Eragon must witness a clanmeet of dwarves in a very long drawn-out process to pick a new dwarf king. Unfortunately, Paolini chose to spend a bit too much time showing us just how long and boring this process was.

After this lull though, revelations come to light as Eragon's life is altered in new ways and his mission to kill the evil king seems more attainable than ever. The exciting conclusion makes up for the slow spot in the middle, and the whole book ends with you clambering for more.

Motiv8 Fantasy Fiction Tour

Well - it's tour time again and many of our favorite authors have finally made it over to the West Coast. Yes!

The Motiv8 Fantasy Fiction Tour is currently in progress and making a huge difference in the lives of Fantasy fans. It's running through October 11th, so you may still have time to catch them in a city near you.

I was blessed enough to be able to catch the tour in Portland, OR, (which is right across the river from where I live in Vancouver, WA) on Sunday, October 5th. It was raining and the spot the authors had to set up at, was an open-air gazebo in the midst of an outdoor mall. The roof of the gazebo was, thankfully, covered and rain-proof, however, it did make for an inconvenient place to gather. We, who call ourselves fans and Northwesterners though, didn't let that stop us from enjoying the authors we know and love, and even a few authors we hadn't known of until that day.

My husband, daughter, and I had a great time talking with Christopher Hopper, who is, well - there's no other way of putting it, a really cool guy. And Wayne Thomas Batson was even able to make a few minutes for us in the midst of a frenzy of teenage fans. We also had a nice chat with Eric Reinhold.

All in all, it was an awesome experience. I was inspired to keep writing, and my ten-year-old was inspired to keep reading. She actually said, "Mommy, you'll get to do that someday." I smiled and thanked God for giving me such a supportive family.

All eight of the authors will be touring for another four days. To see highlights of the tour and find out what's really been going on, check out the Motiv8 Fantasy Fiction Tour website as well as the authors' sites. Here's a quick list of links for you: Christopher Hopper, Wayne Thomas Batson, Eric Reinhold, Bryan Davis, Sharon Hinck, Donita K. Paul, Jonathan Rogers, and L.B. Graham.