A case in point was the chapter in which Eragon and an Urgal War Chief travel together from the Varden camp to the Dwarven Kingdom. There are some amazingly insightful passages where Eragon and the War Chief talk after a meal and wonder how their two races could ever learn to live together in peace. Urgals and humans had fought many bloody wars and it would be difficult to break the cycle of violence. When Eragon asks what will happen if the Urgals break the peace agreement, the War Chief simply states that he hoped Urgals still lived across the sea, because there would be none left alive in Alagaesia.
And yet Paolini falls into a common trap for young writers, relying heavily on lists of items or events to set a scene. One example of this has Eragon and his cousin Roran putting on armor piece by piece in excruciating detail. Another instance occurred in the same chapter cited earlier with Eragon and the Urgal War Chief. Paolini describes the entire journey from the Varden camp to the Dwarven Kingdom nearly a blade of grass at a time.
One possibility I've considered about the difference between the first book and the last two is that he had much more time to consider his words carefully and edit the work before it went off to the publisher. Publishing cycles being what they are, he must have been writing fast and furious to get these books out by the deadlines necessary to have the books typeset and printed for his fans. However, someone should step in at some point and make some recommendations on how to tighten up his prose. He's gifted at writing dialogue and masterful at plotting the story, but the spaces in between are the places he seems to have problems.
All that aside, it's the story that has kept me reading the series so far. I want to see what happens to Eragon and Saphira. And now Roran has a much larger role to play, so I'm curious to see how that plays out as well. I will be one of those people in line to purchase the fourth book when it is finished and released. Brisingr has a thrilling tale hidden among the 748 pages and is worth the time to read. Definitely check it out!
Article comments
1 - Drew
First comment to the best book of it's time? Really shows how people who love the book don't have time to write good comments about it. Anyway, it was a really exciting book, right up there with the Harry Potter and LOTR books. Cristopher Paolini is a great author at a young age. He also picked out the name for this book since it was the first word Eragon learned in the Ancient Language. Not because the word brisingr builds in the end.
2 - vampire and dragon lover
this book is very exciting!!!!! i was sad that Ormis died tho.... this book is a thriler till the end
3 - Sharon
Extremely great book a must get
4 - ben
AAAMMMAAAAZZZZZIINNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
5 - Anon
Yes, I agree that the book is worth reading... but for an entirely different reason. Check out this [Link removed as it was incorrectly structured HTML-wise. Comments Editor] Brisingr Book Review that gives the reason I kept reading Brisingr more than because of it's derivative story.
6 - Dragonslayer
I loved the book, but Eldest is still the best of the cycle so far.