A review by sfusco
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I don’t think I’ve ever read high fantasy with a protagonist as compelling as Eragon. He isn’t special, he isn’t the best person to defeat the dark lord, and he’s crippled by self doubt (most of which is actually quite warranted). 

The way he ultimately prevails wasn’t through being more clever or  some deux ex machina style intervention. It was through desperation and a belief he had already lost.

It was such a compelling finish to what was kind of a rote high fantasy story for most of the series. The whole story is re-contextualized for me by the ending and places it in the top tier of fantasy works for me.