Eragon is a fifteen year old orphan who lives in a small village with his uncle and cousin in the world of Alagaesia. He finds a beautiful rock in the mountains, and to his surprise it hatches a sapphire blue dragon, who he names Saphira. Unfortunately, King Galbatorix sends his dark soldiers, the Ra’zac to retrieve Saphira. A hundred years prior, the King killed off all the other dragons, so that he could be the most powerful Rider.
After Eragon’s uncle is killed by the Ra‘zac, he sets out to find the Varden, a group of rebels determined to end Galbatorix’s reign. He is accompanied by a story teller named Brom, who trains him to become a Dragon Rider. This was completely brushed over in the movie, but this was an important part of the story. This is when Eragon becomes a Dragon Rider. It is a huge part of his growth and the fundamental bond between him and Brom. Brom teaches him magic, sword fighting, and the ways of the Dragon Riders. This is where I, as the reader, really connected with these characters. Skipping over it in the movie left even my husband, who didn’t read the book, feeling unsatisfied.
Brom is mortally wounded when they are ambushed by the Ra’zac. A stranger named Murtagh comes to their aid, and becomes Eragon’s new companion on his search for the Varden. Shortly thereafter, Eragon is captured and imprisoned. While in prison, he finally meets the mysterious woman he has been dreaming about; an elf named Arya. Saphira and Murtagh rescue Eragon and Arya, and the elf directs them to the Varden, where the final battle of this book ensues.
I think a lot the bad rep of this book came from the movie, and the rest I found to be completely biased interpretation. The biggest complaint seems to be that the author was strongly influenced by other fantasy authors. How can any artist not be influenced by other great artists? In my experience this is common place in literature. As long as the story has its own unique twists and turns with an engrossing plot and well-developed characters it can stand out on its own.
The movie rushed through way too many important details, and skipped others completely. Although, the movie was an utter failure, the book was on the New York Times Children's Books Best Seller list for 121 weeks, and won numerous awards. In 2003 it was the third best-selling children’s hardcover book, and in 2005 was the second best-selling children’s paperback. I couldn’t put it down, and devoured the following books in delight.