On March 13, Knopf Books for Young Readers released “Eldest” in paperback by Christopher Paolini. This marks the second book in the Inheritance saga from Paolini, the author who astounded the world at age 17 with “Eragon.”
There I’ve said what everyone else says. Almost every critique of the Inheritance saga mentions Paolini’s age. But does that make a book great. No. It doesn’t even make the series moderately interesting. Fans of classic heroic fantasy tales by legends Terry Brooks and J.R.R. Tolkien, will easily be turned off by this series. “Eragon” had its compelling moments, but “Eldest” was an absolute snooze. The story is a tedious read, and I found it best used to battle late night fights with insomnia. Now I can’t be too critical of someone who was only a teenager when he started this series. Nor will I continue to bash someone who did what many have failed to do: create a hit book with a movie adaptation. As many readers know, “Eragon,” published in 2003, has already made its way to film in 2006 and will be available on DVD March 20.
Now, I may be biased. I’m not a die hard follower of fantasy fiction and this book is intended for “young readers.” But, I do like the Tolkien classics and more contemporary children’s fantasy fiction like Harry Potter. The book obviously was successful enough to catch the eye of Hollywood and earn itself a place on the silver screen. So I’ll give the “Eldest” a modest 3 out of 5. Hopefully, when Paolini releases his third book he will be able to rekindle the entertaining story he began in “Eragon.”
