Book Review: The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini

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Okay, this is a long-due review of the book series that inspired me to write fantasy. I found the series to be very inconsistent in writing style and such. In the first book, Paolini took an almost casual tone, but by the end his language was so formal that I felt as if I was reading Lord of the Rings. Now, I loved these books while reading them, but after having time to mull them over a little, I decided on these opinions.

Overall review: The Inheritance Cycle is worth getting from the library first before buying them. I mostly enjoyed reading the books, but the writing was very inconsistent and things came too easily to the hero (you know, heroes are supposed to actually have trouble doing some things...isn't that what makes them a hero?). I also can't seem to pull any moral from the story; it lacked completely in a message. Still, the storytelling aspect of this series is excellent and the elements of Paolini's fantasy world are very interesting.

Eragon

7 out of 10 stars: Well thought-out, entertaining, but overall not very memorable.

It took me a while to finish this book, but it was very good. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and the technical fantasy aspects were well-thought out. It was an excellent beginning to a series, and I was excited to read the next installment. The characters were well-constructed and the story was intriguing. The only thing it seemed to lack was a solid structural backbone; there didn't seem to be any underlying moral to the story, which left me feeling a bit empty. I don't remember there being a terrible amount of gore, but one character cursed a few times in the beginning.

Eldest

5 out of 10 stars: Not unbearable, but not good. Badly paced and inconsistent with the former novel.

I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as I enjoyed Eragon. Eldest set a whole different tone and doesn't have as much action as the others in the series. It focused more on the elves and magic and not enough on the war going on; it was almost like a cultural lesson in Christopher Paolini's version of elves. It got very boring and very dragging at times, but it picked up near the end. Again, there was no underlying moral that I can discern. Plus, Roran's relationship with Katrina was very unhealthy. I can't exactly say I hated it, but I definitely didn't love it.

Brisingr

7.5 out of 10 stars: Best book in the series; action filled, best written, consistent, paced.

This was my favorite book out of all of the series. It was a perfect mix of action and emotion. At this point, Eragon was still working out his magical powers and such, so he still struggled (as opposed to the next book, where he breezed through every challenge with ease). There were more POV shifts, which kept the book moving even in the slow parts, and the depth of the writing really revealed a lot more about the world Paolini was constructing. The whole scene where Eragon built his sword was totally unnecessary, but I get Paolini is one of those people who have to describe every little thing his character does. There was actually a smallish message in this book, I guess, about different races joining together and trusting each other...(???) But again, it's a subtle message. Some gore, but I don't remember any language.

Inheritance

6 out of 10 stars: I'd rather read this than Eldest, but it was a disappointing ending. Still, not horrible, since some parts were very cool.

I started this book out expecting an epic ending to the series but didn't get what I wanted. Things were way too easy for Eragon; I felt more attached to the secondary characters than to the hero because Eragon seemed too perfect. The action was a-plenty, though, with emotions down to a minimum. No moral that I can detect. The defeat of the villain was okay, I guess...I didn't really understand it all too well, but I think I got the general idea. The ending was so sad I nearly passed out. Paolini stated in the acknowledgments that he might write more about Alagaesia one day, but I think that might have been an excuse to leave all of the complicated subplots unresolved (if I'm wrong, please forgive me, Chris). It's like he got so confused by his own subplots that he couldn't think of a way to resolve them all. Not to mention Paolini had to insert his own religious beliefs into Eragon, which didn't end very prettily.

To make a long story short, this series is worth reading. I guess it really depends on your taste. If you're one who doesn't read too much into books and their messages and morals, then you'll probably enjoy these books. If you're a sensitive type and like to be moved by the material you read, then I'd go with something more Bryan Davis-y.

Have you read the Inheritance Cycle? What are your thoughts?