Eragon

Title: Eragon

Author: Christopher Paolini
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: Older child/young adult
Characters: Eragon, Sapphira, Brom, Arya, Angela, and Murtagh
Plot: Eragon is a teenage boy who has spent his whole life in Palancar Valley. Raised by his uncle, who is now a widower, Eragon lives on a remote farm with his uncle and older cousin. While hunting in The Spine, a wild mountain range, Eragon, through an unexpected series of events, finds a strange blue stone. He takes it home with him and later tries to sell it but discovers that it isn’t valuable.
Eragon has always enjoyed and been fascinated by the tales of ancient history. He himself is thrust into them when one night the “blue stone” cracks open and a dragon emerges. Afraid of others’ opinions and antagonism (since dragons are quite rare), he attempts to hide the dragon, whom he names Sapphira. This endeavor is successful until his uncle’s farm is burned to ashes one day while Eragon is away from home. Plagued by guilt because those who destroyed his uncle’s farm were hunting for Sapphira, Eragon leaves on a vengeance quest immediately following his uncle’s death. Brom, the wise but stern village storyteller, joins Eragon and trains him in the arts of magic and sword-fighting. Eragon discovers that he is talented in both of these areas and learns quickly, although not without making occasional (and sometimes costly) mistakes. Through adventure and peril, Eragon and Brom search for the murderers, rescuing an elf, Arya, along the way. Eragon also meets and becomes friends with Angela, a quirky witch who is kind to him and predicts his future. Brom dies, and Eragon, joined by a mysterious comrade named Murtagh, continues the quest. Meanwhile, Eragon, as one of the last remaining dragon riders, wrestles with decisions about where to place his loyalties. The corrupt king hates dragons and dragon riders who are not allied with him, but Eragon is unsure whether to join the elves or the Varden. He finds refuge in a dwarf city. The book draws to a close in a huge battle.

Precautions: Although adventuresome with a fascinating plot, this book has too many objectionable elements to make reading it worthwhile. Angela, a witch, is portrayed as a good character who is sympathetic to Eragon. This confusion of good and evil might confuse younger readers and is definitely contradictory to a Biblical worldview. Also, the basic theology/philosophy permeating the book is counter-Biblical. Brom (a "good" character) teaches Eragon morally ambiguous lessons (i.e. stealing is sometimes permissable). Eragon, although the hero of the book, consistently lies, deceives others, etc. and does not seem repentant afterwards. Arya shows a complete lack of Biblical femininity (Biblical femininity is, in essence, what a woman should be like according to the Bible- character qualities she should exhibit, etc.). There are also a few suggestive scenes in the book (for instance, when Eragon heals Arya). Although the character handles the scenes well and does not succumb to temptation, the reader is prompted to wonder why the author chose to include such things in the first place. When Brom dies, the only thing for Eragon to do is to immortalize his grave and say a last farewell, accompanied by a vague hope for the hereafter. In addition, magic and spells are made to seem attractive and alluring. There are a few bright spots and thoughtful, wise insights scattered throughout the book, but they are few and far between, and several of the shining elements seem actually to have been plagiarized from works by other authors.

Ratings: I would not recommend this book except as a example in fantasy of the emptiness of a worldview devoid of God. Although Eragon has some interesting parts and is definitely adventuresome, it lacks a sound theological/philosophical base. Many other fantasy works have been written that are much more worthwhile to read.