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Cy's Reviews> Eragon
Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle, #1)
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by
This book spells 'trite' excellently. Unfortunately, that's the best quality it possesses.
This idea has been overworked many times before, and, if I may borrow a baking metaphor, overworked dough makes for flat product. Not only does he steal from successful greats, but ignores completely that the reason why they were great would be because of their ingenuity with GOING TO THE SOURCE and making it their own from there. The book takes information from mouths others, throws it together into a conglomerate mess, tries to serve it with a different label on an old beverage and expects the reader to eat this previously chewed, bland, ill-matched blob of scraps.
On top of the clearly traceable sources for ideas (almost all of which come from this century), his characterization is static and mary-sue. Eragon, a name in itself that is clearly not an ingenious solution, trots through the story with no growth or believability. Sure, he may outwardly follow a hero's journey, but there is no internalization of the theme. The physical journey is the hero's journey in this tale, despite the fact that the hero's journey is a representation of spiritual changes.
It was a stale story even before it had a sequel.
I could probably write a doctorate thesis on why this is not a prime example of a truly successful novel, but this is neither the time nor place for such a rant.
In conclusion, I will admit that I did learn something from Paolini: it helps to have parents who own a printing press.
This idea has been overworked many times before, and, if I may borrow a baking metaphor, overworked dough makes for flat product. Not only does he steal from successful greats, but ignores completely that the reason why they were great would be because of their ingenuity with GOING TO THE SOURCE and making it their own from there. The book takes information from mouths others, throws it together into a conglomerate mess, tries to serve it with a different label on an old beverage and expects the reader to eat this previously chewed, bland, ill-matched blob of scraps.
On top of the clearly traceable sources for ideas (almost all of which come from this century), his characterization is static and mary-sue. Eragon, a name in itself that is clearly not an ingenious solution, trots through the story with no growth or believability. Sure, he may outwardly follow a hero's journey, but there is no internalization of the theme. The physical journey is the hero's journey in this tale, despite the fact that the hero's journey is a representation of spiritual changes.
It was a stale story even before it had a sequel.
I could probably write a doctorate thesis on why this is not a prime example of a truly successful novel, but this is neither the time nor place for such a rant.
In conclusion, I will admit that I did learn something from Paolini: it helps to have parents who own a printing press.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
January 23, 2008
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Jan 12, 2016 09:13AM
I agree with Eragoniscool, even LOTR was a rip off, a book is about extraordinary events, and when you take a basic plot and put your own twist to it, it broadens the readers horizon. Writing is about creating a world and making the impossible happen, and frankly, I disappointed in most authors. They may have a good book but the plots have been used and reused, stretched, and squished. The new views and opinions are great. I've been inspired to write a new book with new themes and points that haven't been used yet. Something totally new. And I encourage any authors to try something like this. Totally new!
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