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A review by writervid
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
3.0
Disclaimer: Since I have nostalgia this rating should probably be lower than it is. I'm also tired when writing this.
Gahhh. I don't entirely know how to approach this book. On the one hand, I think this is one of the best books of the series, if not the best (I remember hating Inheritance so I look forward to that, because Eldest was also...unenjoyable). Eragon's not totally annoying in this, some of the concepts explored are pretty interesting, and we get some of the most dynamic and fascinating scenes in the whole series (I think about the scene where Eragon's making his own blade more than I realized. It's just so cool!) However, on the other hand, this book is unnecessarily dense, spends a lot of time puttering around themelessly, and seems very much like a stepping stone to the *epic conclusion* of the series, meaning it lacks an arc for its own plot.
So, plot wise, what happens in Brisingr?
First 50%:
-Helgrind battle and escape
-The Trial of the Long Knives (I always thought this scene was so cool as a kid but something about the way the trial is something the "dark-skinned tribes do" is described as barbaric by all of the white characters and that's the only real interaction with that culture feels racist)
-Eragon has a moral conundrum over Sloan
-He and Arya hang out and talk about spirits on the way back to Surda (waste. of. TIME. i do not care about him simping over her she's rejected him so many times)
-Musky Elf comes to Surda (why is he so musky? I'm legitimately curious.)
-Elva is finally freed of her curse (and we don't hear from her at all for the rest of the book)
-Nasuada offers Roran a temporary position in the military to test it out
-Murtagh and Thorn attack again with invincible soldiers attacking on the ground
-Roran and Katrina wedding because she's pregnant (and for what? like I get that it's to raise the stakes...but come on)
-Nasuada asks Eragon to vote for dwarf king because he was adopted into the dwarves last book
The first half is where we spend a lot of time tying up loose ends from the last book. It's a whole lot of "let's talk about it and figure this out and consciously tie up this loose end so it doesn't bother us in the next book," and a lot of setup for the next book. It's also during the first half of the book that we're given a somewhat weak look at the trauma Eragon and Roran have gone through that seems to disappear in the second half of the book. I'm completely here for a discussion and strong portrayal of trauma--Mockingjay is my favorite book in THG trilogy--but this falls short and feels completely unresearched.
Similarly, act one is where Roran's character starts becoming a badass superwarrior. That's not inherently a bad thing. However, it creates another protagonist-centered morality situation. I don't always like having the heroes win. I don't always like having characters be the best ever at something. It makes them less nuanced and makes the plot more pred ictable. What I LOVED about Roran last book was that he was normal. Arya and Eragon and Nasuada are young prodigies in every way. Roran was the last pillar of reality and a reminder of the types of people our revolutionaries were and fought for. Although Eldest was incredibly weak, Roran's arc was consistently enjoyable through it. This transformation--to quote another reviewer--makes him "Eragon Lite."
Second 50%:
-adios Varden, time to travel with Gharzvhog (I do admire the nuance added to the Urgals in the series, and how we get a look at their culture in this section.)
-Eragon is chilling with dwarf politics
-Eragon gets attacked by that random clan from the last book and breaks his new falchion during it (oh, no)
-the random clan is banished
-Roran kills 200ish men and *saves the day* but defies orders to do it (I hate it here)
-Eragon and Saphira rejoin and decide to go to Ellesmera even though Nasuada's not into it
-Roran gets whipped (and not just for Katrina)
-Roran is then placed in a command, where an Urgal fights him for the right to control their tribe of Urgals. Roran wins because of course he does. (I want heroes to lose sometimes. Protagonist centered morality is boring)
-It's revealed that Brom is Eragon's father because only heroes can come from heroes! We get some fun exposition about Brom and dragon hearts
-There's a really cool scene where Eragon forges his own sword after asking the Menoa tree for the brightsteel needed to make it (I do think about this scene a lot for not having read this book in ages)
-Taking over Feinster; Arya kills a Shade that Galbatorix's spellcasters there create (which was not a high-stakes scene, especially compared to the Eragon climax)
-Oromis dies in a confrontation with Murtagh and Thorn
SO MUCH happens in the second half of the book! Plot-wise, everything is set up for later! And yet. And yet we spend so much time doing the seemingly unimportant things from the start of the book, and even in here. I am interested in the concept of dwarf politics--I think it sounds really cool, actually--and yet because Eragon is uninterested in it as well, I also feel apathetic. Similarly, I think the main arc of this series lies in the "overthrow the evil empire and restore dragonkind to the land," not dwarf politics. One of the core weaknesses of this book is that, in its efforts to tie up all the loose ends, we lose sight of the main plot arc. We spend much of this book WAITING, and not necessarily developing characters, either. Eragon's main external motivation throughout the first chunk of this book is just to get a sword and survive. He doesn't develop as a character at all. While I prefer plot-driven books as a general rule, Eragon's lack of growth saddens and irritates me, as does the weakness of his motivation throughout the series.
And yet I think this might be the best one of the series.
Gahhh.
Gahhh. I don't entirely know how to approach this book. On the one hand, I think this is one of the best books of the series, if not the best (I remember hating Inheritance so I look forward to that, because Eldest was also...unenjoyable). Eragon's not totally annoying in this, some of the concepts explored are pretty interesting, and we get some of the most dynamic and fascinating scenes in the whole series (I think about the scene where Eragon's making his own blade more than I realized. It's just so cool!) However, on the other hand, this book is unnecessarily dense, spends a lot of time puttering around themelessly, and seems very much like a stepping stone to the *epic conclusion* of the series, meaning it lacks an arc for its own plot.
So, plot wise, what happens in Brisingr?
First 50%:
-Helgrind battle and escape
-The Trial of the Long Knives (I always thought this scene was so cool as a kid but something about the way the trial is something the "dark-skinned tribes do" is described as barbaric by all of the white characters and that's the only real interaction with that culture feels racist)
-Eragon has a moral conundrum over Sloan
-He and Arya hang out and talk about spirits on the way back to Surda (waste. of. TIME. i do not care about him simping over her she's rejected him so many times)
-Musky Elf comes to Surda (why is he so musky? I'm legitimately curious.)
-Elva is finally freed of her curse (and we don't hear from her at all for the rest of the book)
-Nasuada offers Roran a temporary position in the military to test it out
-Murtagh and Thorn attack again with invincible soldiers attacking on the ground
-Roran and Katrina wedding because she's pregnant (and for what? like I get that it's to raise the stakes...but come on)
-Nasuada asks Eragon to vote for dwarf king because he was adopted into the dwarves last book
The first half is where we spend a lot of time tying up loose ends from the last book. It's a whole lot of "let's talk about it and figure this out and consciously tie up this loose end so it doesn't bother us in the next book," and a lot of setup for the next book. It's also during the first half of the book that we're given a somewhat weak look at the trauma Eragon and Roran have gone through that seems to disappear in the second half of the book. I'm completely here for a discussion and strong portrayal of trauma--Mockingjay is my favorite book in THG trilogy--but this falls short and feels completely unresearched.
Similarly, act one is where Roran's character starts becoming a badass superwarrior. That's not inherently a bad thing. However, it creates another protagonist-centered morality situation. I don't always like having the heroes win. I don't always like having characters be the best ever at something. It makes them less nuanced and makes the plot more pred ictable. What I LOVED about Roran last book was that he was normal. Arya and Eragon and Nasuada are young prodigies in every way. Roran was the last pillar of reality and a reminder of the types of people our revolutionaries were and fought for. Although Eldest was incredibly weak, Roran's arc was consistently enjoyable through it. This transformation--to quote another reviewer--makes him "Eragon Lite."
Second 50%:
-adios Varden, time to travel with Gharzvhog (I do admire the nuance added to the Urgals in the series, and how we get a look at their culture in this section.)
-Eragon is chilling with dwarf politics
-Eragon gets attacked by that random clan from the last book and breaks his new falchion during it (oh, no)
-the random clan is banished
-Roran kills 200ish men and *saves the day* but defies orders to do it (I hate it here)
-Eragon and Saphira rejoin and decide to go to Ellesmera even though Nasuada's not into it
-Roran gets whipped (and not just for Katrina)
-Roran is then placed in a command, where an Urgal fights him for the right to control their tribe of Urgals. Roran wins because of course he does. (I want heroes to lose sometimes. Protagonist centered morality is boring)
-It's revealed that Brom is Eragon's father because only heroes can come from heroes! We get some fun exposition about Brom and dragon hearts
-There's a really cool scene where Eragon forges his own sword after asking the Menoa tree for the brightsteel needed to make it (I do think about this scene a lot for not having read this book in ages)
-Taking over Feinster; Arya kills a Shade that Galbatorix's spellcasters there create (which was not a high-stakes scene, especially compared to the Eragon climax)
-Oromis dies in a confrontation with Murtagh and Thorn
SO MUCH happens in the second half of the book! Plot-wise, everything is set up for later! And yet. And yet we spend so much time doing the seemingly unimportant things from the start of the book, and even in here. I am interested in the concept of dwarf politics--I think it sounds really cool, actually--and yet because Eragon is uninterested in it as well, I also feel apathetic. Similarly, I think the main arc of this series lies in the "overthrow the evil empire and restore dragonkind to the land," not dwarf politics. One of the core weaknesses of this book is that, in its efforts to tie up all the loose ends, we lose sight of the main plot arc. We spend much of this book WAITING, and not necessarily developing characters, either. Eragon's main external motivation throughout the first chunk of this book is just to get a sword and survive. He doesn't develop as a character at all. While I prefer plot-driven books as a general rule, Eragon's lack of growth saddens and irritates me, as does the weakness of his motivation throughout the series.
And yet I think this might be the best one of the series.
Gahhh.