In the same vein as such great fantasy writers as C.S Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien, Christopher Paolini creates an enticing and captivating world full of wonder and excitement in the audiobook of his debut novel Eragon: The Inheritance Cycle, Book 1, narrated by Gerard Doyle. The story, set in a magical realm, follows a young boy named Eragon. Living in a rural farm with his uncle and cousin, fifteen year old Eragon leads a nondescript life. One day while hunting in a nearby mountain range, however, he stumbles upon a magic blue stone that, unbeknownst to him, will change his life forever.
This stone, Eragon later discovers, is in fact the egg of a Dragon. He witnesses its hatching and immediately grows attached, naming the dragon Saphira. The dragon, however, is keenly sought by the corrupt King Galbatorix, and soon his servants have raided the farm in search of the egg, killing Eragon's uncle in the process.
This grave injustice begins Eragon's journey away from home, ultimately searching for a way to take vengeance on those responsible for his uncle's death. Along the way, he encounters much magic, adventure, and danger, and learns new things about his dragon and himself. For the fantasy fans of all ages, this is a modern day classic not to be missed.
Chris Paolini was born in Montana, the mountainous landscape of which he credits for the inspiration to write the Inheritance Cycle series. This novel, his first, was published in 2002 when Paolini was only 18. It has gone on to sell more than 33 million copies. He is considered by many to be one of the great contemporary fantasy writers.
"To all whom might see this comment as a waving red flag; let me remind you that it's within my right to give my opinion. I understand that the inheritance cycle as well as the author have raised some heated debates and hatefull reviews, so please, keep spitefull comments to yourself. Whilst Paolini's writing style is simplistic if somewhat devoid of enthusiasm in places, I found it a great pleasure to read. Although, his chapters written from Saphira's perspective fell short of my expectations as he failed to envelop me within the mind of a dragon, he merely scratched the surface of the pool of possibilities he could have indulged in within that area of the story but I'm loth to accept that this was Christopher Paolini at his best as some twists, turns and plots were astounding and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Paolini published his first book Eragon in 2002 through his parents company, which I think I'm right in saying he started writing when he was 15. Many people are probably right, Paolini might not have published his book if his parents hadn't owned a publishing company. But Eragon was published and I think Its within me to ignore any hiccups he had whilst writing it. So as my passion for reading sits largely with fantasy books, I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy books. It's an invigorating tale that had me bound to the books for hours on end."
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Adam (4 out of 5 stars)