Customer Reviews: Read 27 more reviews...
 Better than Eldest October 11, 2008
M. Hunter (England)
After reading Eldest (and being heartily disappointed), I comforted myself with the thought that things could only get better. Well, they did. But not by much.
The first sentence of the book shattered my hopes. I had expected that being older might have cured Paolini of his verbosity, but sadly not. The first sentence contained the word 'wherein'. Enough said.
The first half of the book was not much better than Eldest. Nothing happened, and it seemed to lack fluidity. The reader is also presented with a lot of pointless information. There are also the chapters devoted to the dwarves in the later half of the book, which are (to be blunt) mind-numbing.
The scenes with Arya, however, are vastly improved. Eragon no longer acts like a lovesick owl.
The thing that bothered me most about the book is that Paolini retains his 'anti-Christian' stance. Eragon is always looking for evidence, which shows that the author is sadly ignorant of the difference between evidence and faith. Most religions (as far as I know) are based on faith, not evidence.
Lastly, the end of the book did not fulfil expectations. Eragon is not even present for the most exciting scene in the whole book! In a nutshell, it was an anticlimax. Paolini seems to be developing a talent for those.
All in all, the book was miles better than Eldest but is nowhere near the standard we were led to expect it would be. Still too much verbosity, wooden dialogue and pointless scenes. I hope he improves in the last book.
Great Book, but why not end it? October 8, 2008
N. Patel (London)
I enjoyed the book immensely. The characters were well formed, the dialog flowed well and the action sequences were described with just enough accuracy to remain fast paced and interesting, without dulling us with too much detail.
My fault with the book is that it should have been the last on of the TRILOGY! There were at least 6-7 chapters that were not needed within this book, if not more. Within this time the book could have been ended and a conclusion given. Instead, the author decided to extend the series by another book. Why? I suppose, but I can't speculate. It could be that he truly found himself in a position where he needed to create another book to do his work justice. Either way I find myself frustrated at having to wait probably another 2 years to read the next book and conclusion... if in fact that is the last book?!
However, if you are not at all bothered by that then I definately recommend reading this. While its not Tolkien (though, nothing ever will be), it is enjoyable and an escape from reality every so often.
 Loved. It. October 6, 2008
Senbon_Zakura_xoxo
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Better than the first two put together (and bigger, too!)- it was a great break from my Uni studies and I wasn't disappointed! Paolini is certainly becoming a better writer as the series progresses; I think ending the trilogy here would have been a bit rushed- Brisingr allows Eragon to develop as a person and a Rider, and the result doesn't feel as if everything is being crammed in before the inevitable final conflict. Instead we have the continuing adventures of Eragon and Saphira as they mature and struggle to find Galbatorix's weakness (yes, he has one ^^)- there's enough revelations and action in this to satisfy any Inheritance Cycle fan.
And to those moaning about extensions for commercial reasons, etc... WE GET ANOTHER BOOK AFTER THIS!!! YAY!!!
Recommended 100% ;D
xoxo
A big dissapointment. October 5, 2008
Jammy (london)
After having thoroughly enjoyed the first two books, Eragon and Eldest, my expectations for the third were admittedly high. Even so, when I was reading Brisingr, the only thought that kept me reading on was that these rather lame side plots were building up to a "gripping" scene. To my dismay, this scene never came.
Paolini's influence from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is clearly noticeable, and this put me off the book. There is no doubt about it that the Paolini's creation of Alagaësia is very impressive, but it needs to be completely original, (gosh I sound so stuck up and pessimistic)!
In addition, some of the scenes were very long and I found myself losing concentration, and i'm not one for having a short concentration span. Despite the long scenes, it is not as detailed as I imagined it to be, and I believe that some stages of the book are completely unneccessary. Sorry, but parts of Brisngr have been poorly written.
To justify these perhaps hypercritical views, I came up with a thoery that, being 17, i was perhaps not young enough, and too critical to enjoy the book.
If this is the case, although i strongly doubt it, I am dissapointed that Paolini hasn't aimed Brisingr to the age group who were "the right age" when Eragon was released. But I will repeat again, "i strongly doubt it."
WELL... I think it is quite clear that I found Brisingr a big dissapointment, so I am surprised by my rating and my urge to buy the last book of the cycle. so I suppose Paolini's technique in dragging the 3rd book out has been to keep readers hopeful that the last one of the series will be worth the bore of the third.
 Ignoring everything else said, lets get the truth. October 5, 2008
stacie molgrot (dorset, uk)
Firstly I would like to say, it is a bit long and is slightly diluted, but nowadays everything equals money.
Ultimately it is a good book and deserves some appreciation. I also understand that many readers now are adults and some of the older generation. Let me remind you this is a young adult book. So if you are over 30 dont expect it to be your cup of tea. Many fans are teenagers and this is where the book is aimed at and many people dont go reviewing at that age. So please dont be put off by the lack of 5 stars 'cause nowadayds people have high standards.
The Book.
It starts at Helgrind with the Razac, quickly cutting into fast paced action. Soon they are dead and Eragon is stranded, after telling Saphire to leave him. But he is faced with the decision, spare Sloan-Katrina's dad or let him die for all the sins he has commited. His choice has much 'wisdom', leaving the reader feeling a bit shallow. And although
this start isnt exactly amazing it is good.
The characters progress, with Nasuada becoming more dominent over Eragon, and Arya bonding with Eragon and in one point in the book you think Arya is going to say 'I love you' but unfortunately to our demise this does not happen and leaves us thinking, wont be long now...
Summary
Many questions are answered throughout the book,and when you reach the end you want it to carry on and finish, but unfortunately we have to wait.
So is this your kinda book? Well if you like fantasy, a young<--- adult, or teenager, and youve liked the previous series. Yes it is.
Especially if youve finished Harry Potter and you've got nothing to read!
Think carefully on your decision to buy{its only a coupla quid if you do decide to buy} and not always others 'cause if you think a few bad reviews means it is bad, you might be wrong. Everyone has different opinions.
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