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becthree 's review for:
Inheritance
by Christopher Paolini
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
What a long, entertaining trip it's been.
As many will say and I agree, this book and the series as a whole is far from perfect. Here, more so than some of the other books, the inspirations cribbed from Star Wars and [b:The Lord of the Rings|33|The Lord of the Rings|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566425108l/33._SX50_.jpg|3462456] are readily apparent, particularly from the final confrontation with the evil king onwards. And while Paolini was probably right that the finale needed to be split into two volumes, I didn't realize until now how much of those two books could reasonably be called filler: things are just happening for the sake of providing action, rather than actively developing characters or contributing to the plot. Really makes you wonder how it would have ended if the editor had used a more critical eye to the material.
Speaking of endings, the way the evil king was finally defeated was an ass pull with no real lead up in the various happenings of the story. I applaud Eragon for thinking on his feet, but it's not a great way to write the most major confrontation of the series. After that, Paolini does an admirable job of tying up loose ends, though honestly, taking Tolkien's approach and leaving some of that to appendices might have been the better move. I'm much more upset about the former than the latter though, as this does lay the groundwork for interesting future stories in the world, which I will be happy to return to whenever I get around to doing so.
I guess the biggest compliments I can give this book are that Paolini's ability to write prose is at its sharpest here compared to the preceding volumes, and the ending was mostly satisfying, which is something that I was genuinely concerned about after getting invested in the series. I give both this book and the series as a whole 4.5/5 and will definitely recommended it to the age group the series initially targeted with a note that the author was a teenager when he began writing it, both as a point of inspiration for the budding writers and a point of caution for those expecting something on par with Tolkien.
As many will say and I agree, this book and the series as a whole is far from perfect. Here, more so than some of the other books, the inspirations cribbed from Star Wars and [b:The Lord of the Rings|33|The Lord of the Rings|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566425108l/33._SX50_.jpg|3462456] are readily apparent, particularly from the final confrontation with the evil king onwards. And while Paolini was probably right that the finale needed to be split into two volumes, I didn't realize until now how much of those two books could reasonably be called filler: things are just happening for the sake of providing action, rather than actively developing characters or contributing to the plot. Really makes you wonder how it would have ended if the editor had used a more critical eye to the material.
Speaking of endings, the way the evil king was finally defeated was an ass pull with no real lead up in the various happenings of the story. I applaud Eragon for thinking on his feet, but it's not a great way to write the most major confrontation of the series. After that, Paolini does an admirable job of tying up loose ends, though honestly, taking Tolkien's approach and leaving some of that to appendices might have been the better move. I'm much more upset about the former than the latter though, as this does lay the groundwork for interesting future stories in the world, which I will be happy to return to whenever I get around to doing so.
I guess the biggest compliments I can give this book are that Paolini's ability to write prose is at its sharpest here compared to the preceding volumes, and the ending was mostly satisfying, which is something that I was genuinely concerned about after getting invested in the series. I give both this book and the series as a whole 4.5/5 and will definitely recommended it to the age group the series initially targeted with a note that the author was a teenager when he began writing it, both as a point of inspiration for the budding writers and a point of caution for those expecting something on par with Tolkien.