Reviews

A #1 "New York Times Bestseller
A "USA Today Bestseller
A #1 "Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A "Wall Street Journal Bestseller
A Book Sense Bestseller
A 2004 Book Sense Book of the Year
"Full praise to "Eragon, and I want more! A winner . . . tip of the hat to young master Paolini."--Anne McCaffrey, author of The Dragonriders of Pern series
"Christopher Paolini make[s] literary magic with his precocious debut."--"People
"An authentic work of great talent."--"The New York Time Book Review
"Unusual, powerful . . . fresh and fluid."--"Booklist, Starred
"An auspicious beginning to both career and series."--"Publishers Weekly
"Will appeal to legions of readers who have been captivated by the Lord of the Rings trilogy."--"School Library Journal
"From the Trade Paperback edition.

A #1 "New York Times Bestseller
A "USA Today Bestseller
A #1 "Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A "Wall Street Journal Bestseller
A Book Sense Bestseller
A 2004 Book Sense Book of the Year
"Full praise to "Eragon, and I want more! A winner . . . tip of the hat to young master Paolini."--Anne McCaffrey, author of The Dragonriders of Pern series
"Christopher Paolini make[s] literary magic with his precocious debut."--"People
"An authentic work of great talent."--"The New York Time Book Review
"Unusual, powerful . . . fresh and fluid."--"Booklist, Starred
"An auspicious beginning to both career and series."--"Publishers Weekly
"Will appeal to legions of readers who have been captivated by the Lord of the Rings trilogy."--"School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-Christopher Paolini creates memorable characters in a detailed fantasy world (Knopf, 2003) in this tale about Eragon, a teenager who is newly homeless and uncertain of his ancestry, but meets his destiny head on. The odd blue "stone" he found has hatched into a dragon. He and Safira are able to communicate telepathically, so even when they are parted during their high and low adventures with magicians, dwarves, inhuman monsters sent to do the evil king's bidding, elves, and simply crafty humans, they are able to work together as a team. Paolini has received some popular press because of his own youth, and indeed some of the details here are naive-Medieval common people certainly didn't retire to their own personal bedrooms!-but overall he has designed a well integrated epic, complete with a Latinate language, politically acute issues, and well-realized emotions. Narrator Gerard Doyle's extensive repertoire of voices provides a compelling atmosphere that will hold the audience's attention through Eragon's travails. His slightly British accent lends just the right storytelling texture, making the audio performance an extension of the story itself. In addition to fans of Tolkien and Bradley, this will appeal to listeners looking for psychological suspense accessible to teens and adults alike.-Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

"From the Trade Paperback edition.