Module 8 - Eragon

Eragon

by Christopher Paolini

ISBN 978-0-375-82668-9

Summary:
Eragon finds a smooth, blue stone on the ground.  He picks it up so he can sell it for food to help feed his family.  One night the stone begins to glow and a small crack appears.  Soon, a baby dragon hatches out of the stone and Eragon begins a life changing journey.  He discovers magic and power and evil.  He and Saphira, his dragon, encounter strange new creatures and learn of an entirely new world as they journey to the Beor Mountains to fight against the Empire.

My Impressions:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I thought it was a great example of fantasy literature, from the basic plot of the hero discovering who he is, to starting his quest, to the end of this particular quest.  There are mythical creatures such as dragons, elves, a witch and a werecat (who reminded me of Crookshanks from Harry Potter).  The escape from the jail in Gil'ead was heroic and exciting to read.  I did think it was a bit too fortuitous that Eragon discovers he can do magic and he's a Dragon Rider and he becomes the owner of the sword Zar'roc.  All of the keys to becoming great and rising above the situation were certainly handed to Eragon.  But, he's only 15 and has lead a tragic life.  I was left wondering about the lineage of his mother and the fate of his cousin, and I'm sure those things are revealed in the rest of the novels.

Professional Reviews:

WITH all the hoopla surrounding the publication of ''Eragon'' and its 19-year-old author, Christopher Paolini, it isn't easy to read this first novel ''plain'' -- that is, without preconceptions. The young author, who has been home-schooled, began writing a planned trilogy at 15, published the first edition himself with the help of his family, then sold it to Alfred A. Knopf for a large advance -- it's a real Cinderella story, one that makes J. K. Rowling's experience with Harry Potter appear modest. Nonetheless, there is the work itself, a 509-page fantasy, and what is one to make of it?

''Eragon'' is about an ordinary boy -- he's 15 at the start of this book, 16 by the end -- who finds a strange blue stone in a stretch of mountains known as the Spine. ''Nature had never polished a stone as smooth as this one. Its flawless surface was dark blue, except for thin veins of white that spiderwebbed across it. The stone was cool and frictionless under his fingers, like hardened silk.''

Eragon has all the makings of a classic literary hero -- he is poor, orphaned, brave and impulsive. His history is mysterious even to him; he scrapes out a meager living working with his taciturn uncle and a cousin -- and his life is swiftly overturned when the blue stone hatches a dragon, commencing a journey into murder and magic, among elves, warriors, kings and monsters, leading, of course, to a battle between good and evil. It is a familiar plot, but originality has never been one of the fantasy genre's strengths.

By its nature, fantasy draws upon archetypes -- less enchanted readers might call them stereotypes -- of heroes and villains, magic and magical creatures. Some writers, like Ursula K. Le Guin and Anne McCaffrey, use exquisite prose. Others, like J. R. R. Tolkien and J. K. Rowling, create reverberating plots that twist and dive with a dramatic flexibility that is like swordsmanship or dance.

Paolini does not yet have these strengths. He often slips into clichéd descriptions -- ''His tanned skin rippled with lean muscles'' -- or

B-movie dialogue: '' 'Boy!' roared Brom. 'You demand answers with an insolence rarely seen.' '' His prose can be awkward and gangly: ''Things that had been permanent and unquestionable were suddenly thrown into doubt. Eventually he had learned to live with it, but he always had a nagging suspicion that he had not been good enough for his mother. I'm sure there was a good reason for what she did; I only wish I knew what it was.''

The plot stumbles and jerks along, with gaps in logic and characters dropped, then suddenly remembered, or new ones invented at the last minute. And yet, as Beatrix Potter wrote, ''Genius -- like murder -- will out.'' ''Eragon,'' for all its flaws, is an authentic work of great talent. The story is gripping; it may move awkwardly, but it moves with force. The power of ''Eragon'' lies in its overall effects -- in the sweep of the story and the conviction of its storyteller. Here, Paolini is leagues ahead of most writers, and it is exactly here that his youth is on his side.

Some of our greatest writers have written badly, at least some of the time, from Tolstoy to Dreiser to Crane. Paolini has a passionate commitment to his story, and he has created some fine images. Eragon's room is cold and bare, but ''covered with objects he had collected. There were twisted pieces of wood, odd bits of shells, rocks that had broken to reveal shiny interiors, and strips of dry grass tied into knots. His favorite item was a root so convoluted he never tired of looking at it.''

The hatching of the dragon's egg is a lovely scene, and more wonderful is the fledgling dragon herself: ''When dawn came, the dragon was sitting atop his bedpost, like an ancient sentinel welcoming the new day. Eragon marveled at its color. He had never seen such a clear, hard blue.''

But this is fundamentally a gloomy book.

Eragon, a true teenage hero, is moody, angry and somber, questioning the meaning of life. ''Love, family, accomplishments -- they are all torn away, leaving nothing. What is the worth of anything we do?'' He punches things a lot, and spends most of the time injured or bruised. Yet it's impossible not to become attached to him and care about his fate. Paolini never dwells on evil, though its presence haunts the novel. But unlike the vast majority of contemporary writers, he keeps most blood and gore offstage; brutality is something to mourn, to resist.

There are marvelous surprises, as in the first contact between Eragon and his dragon, or their first flight together: ''She crouched and her wings rushed upward. They hung there for an instant, then drove down as she flung herself into the sky. Eragon yelled as the ground dropped away and they rose above the trees. Turbulence buffeted him, snatching the breath out of his mouth.''

Paolini's best turns often strike the reader like splashes of icy water, refreshing if stinging: ''The air was chill and dry. Bare walls extended to a vaulted ceiling that was so high Eragon felt no taller than an ant. Stained-glass windows depicting scenes of anger, hate and remorse pierced the walls, while spectral beams of light washed sections of the granite pews with transparent hues, leaving the rest in shadow. His hands were shaded a deep blue.'' His sense of place is acute, with a vividness reminiscent of Poe: ''A mountain of bare rock speared the sky with spires and columns, a tenebrous nightmare ship. Near-vertical sides rose out of the ground like a jagged piece of the earth's bone.''

''Eragon'' is filled with nightmare moments, dreams, visions. It never falters in its velocity. Its plot is episodic rather than climactic; it is clearly part of a larger work. The 500-plus pages race past. I found myself dreaming about it at night, and reaching for it as soon as I woke. Like countless other readers, I am waiting to see what happens next, with wonder, with admiration and with hope. As Eragon's dragon tells him, ''All will be well, little one.''

Rosenberg, L.  (2003, November 16).  Children's books; The egg and him [Review of the book Eragon].  The New York Times.  Retrieved      from      http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/16/books/children-s-books-the-egg-and-him.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

Having Fun in the Library:
1.  Students could draw a map of the realm Eragon lives in, then have them trace his path on the map.
2.  Students could make a character map (graphic or artistic or online) of Eragon.


Awards:

• Arizona Young Readers’ Award (2006: Teen Book, Winner)
• Beehive Award (Utah) (2004-2005: Young Adult, Winner)
• Book of the Year Award (2004: Kids’ Non-Illustrated, Winner)
• Book Sense Book of the Year Award (2004: Children’s Literature, Winner)
• Books I Love Best Yearly (BILBY) Award (Australia) (2007: Shortlist Older Readers)
• Borders Original Voices Award (Finalist, 2003: Intermediate/Young Adult Literature)
• Buckeye Children’s Book Award (Ohio) (2007: Grades 6-8, Winner)
• Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award (2004-2005, Winner)
• Colorado Children’s Book Award (2005: Junior Novel, Winner)
• Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (2006, Winner)
• Evergreen Young Adult Book Award (Washington) (2006, Winner)
• Florida Teens Read (2006, Winner)
• Gateway Readers Award (Missouri) (2006: Young Adult Division, 1st Place)
• Golden Archer Award (Wisconsin) (2006: Middle/Junior High School, Winner)
• Iowa Teen Award (2008, Winner)
• Kanga Award (Australia) (2005: Year 6-7, Top 15 Book)
• Nene Award (Hawaii) (2006, Winner)
• Pennsylvania Young Readers’ Choice Award (2005: Grades 6-8, Winner)
• Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award (Illinois) (2006, Winner)
• Rhode Island Teen Book Award (2005, Winner)
• Sequoyah Book Award (United States) (2006: Young Adult, Winner)
• Soaring Eagle Book Award (Wyoming) (2005: Grades 7-12, Winner)
• South Carolina Young Adult Book Award (2006, Winner)
• Teens’ Top Ten List (2004, Winner)
• Virginia Readers’ Choice Award (2006: Middle School, Winner)
• Volunteer State Book Award (Tennessee) (2006: Grades 7-12, Winner)
• West Australian Young Readers’ Book Award (2005: Older Reader, Reading List)
• White Ravens Award (2004, Winner)
• Young Readers’ Choice Award (2006: Grades 7-9, Winner)

Paolini, C. (2002).  Eragon.  New York: Alfred A. Knopf.