Brisingr
Brisingr (Inheritance Bk. 3) by Christopher Paolini
Hardcover: 784 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (September 20, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0375826726
From Publishers Weekly
The much-anticipated third book in Paolini's Inheritance Cycle continues to rely heavily on classic fantasy tropes. The novel launches with magician and Dragon Rider Eragon, his cousin Roran and the dragon Saphira on a quest to rescue Roran's betrothed. The cousins soon split up, and Roran undergoes his own series of heroic tests, culminating in a well-choreographed and intense fight against an Urgal (a ram-human hybrid). Eragon, at the same time, encounters treacherous dwarves, undergoes even more training with the elf Oromis and gains a magical sword suitable for a Dragon Rider. The silly revelations about Eragon's background in the previous book, Eldest, are given a new spin near the end, but the change is neither unexpected nor interesting. Predictably, the book concludes with even more character deaths and another battle, but those expecting a resolution will have to wait until the next novel. The cliched journey may appeal to younger readers of genre fiction.
Let me begin by saying that although I found some things in the first two books that didn't exactly thrill me, I did think there was a viable story being told here and that the author was not great, but on his way.
I am writing this in 2 parts. Right now I am about 400 pages into the book and it's dragging badly. Normally, I am all for not rushing into things and liking to find out more about the characters in the books I read, but I have to admit that up to this point so little is happening that I am amazed he took 400 pages to tell it!
(days later) Well... I finally finished the book.
I guess I'm glad that I didn't give up... but I still don't have a lot good to say about this book.
The first two books I found better paced, and more interesting. For all the 784 pages this book has, it could have done without most of them. By sticking it out I will say that the last 200 pages picked up and got a whole lot more interesting. In those pages Eragon learns about his father, revisits the elves that have been training him, gets a new weapon to aid him, and looses someone who means a lot to him.
It's the first 400 pages I could have done without. (well, maybe not "without" but it could have been trimmed down severely!) Although things continue to happen to Eragon there was little to make me want to keep running back to the book.
At the end I found out there will be a 4th book... ahem. I am uncertain at this time if I will want to read it or not.
I do like Eragon and Paolini has made some interesting characters but he has drawn out the story longer than needed. And for me to say that is disheartening, since when I like characters and the story line, I rarely, if ever, want the story shorter!
So, I guess... depending on how much you liked the first two books (I liked them, but they weren't "wow" books) would depend on if you will enjoy book 3. Be prepared for it to be long and drawn out, but in the end it builds nicely and makes you want to find out the conclusion that will only happen in book 4.
posted by DesLily | 6:21 AM
15 Comments:
Great to see I'm not the only one who thinks this book's dragging. I'm not through with it yet. I enjoyed the first two, but boy oh boy is this book slowwww moving.I usually relish the use of adjectives, but when you use so many that a sentance lasts the majority of a page, it gets a little distracting...lol
I'll continue on, but i'm soooo looking foward to the ending :D
animiwookie: I too enjoyed the first two books... this tome could easily have been only 3-400 pages!!
I don't believe I could have stuck it out that long Pat. Glad that the ending was better for you. Hugs, Helen
lol me either Helen! haha.. then i read there will be another book! argh! lol
Sorry that this one was a little o a let down. I gave up after Eragon...in fact, I didn't even make it through that one :p I wanted to like these books so bad, but I just couldn't do it...
Hmm. I won't rush to get this then. I read the first one and thought it was *okay* but not wonderful, and have got the second on my tbr pile. Will get to it at some stage I imagine but for some reason am not falling over myself. They *look* stunning though, don't they?
Chris: well the other books I enjoyed.. not "wow" but I did enjoy them.. this one could have been half the size and been enjoyable too.
Cath: no don't rush LOL.. plus there will be one more book!! I thought it was just a trilogy and would conclude with this book! duh.
Oooh, you're reading Sabriel!
chris: took you long enough to see that! LOL.. almost done with it!!
I plan on re-reading (or maybe listening to the audio book) of the first two before reading the third since it's been so long.
Nice honest review. I'm sorry that it was a bit painful to go through. I certainly give it to the kid for getting his books published, but for some reason, maybe because of the fact that they seem to so strongly pull from other books, I have just never been interested. I'm sorry to hear there is going to be another book and that you'll have to agonize over whether it is worth it or not.
dang - I just bought it but haven't started it yet. I don't want to read it if it drags that badly.
lady: i was surprised that I didn't have to do any rereading for this one.. but still disappointed. had the book been a lot shorter it would have held me better. and I'm someone who has no quams about a long book
Carl: I found the first two better than most people reviewed it as, but i'm more easily entertained. this was not a favorite for this years reading.(but at least I did read it all..with a bit of skimming here and there)
Karamyn: I didn't give up on it and that says something I guess. there just seems to be a lot of writing that doesn't really move the story along.
I am so not interested in this series. People get really mad at me, but I keep saying that if this kid was an adult, the books would never have been published! I did read the first book just to make sure before I said anything, though....
kailana: I had some of the same feelings and more that his father "edited and possibly did changes for him" but still.. I didn't toss the books aside, I didn't NOT get thru them.. and there have been books I've put down and gave up on, and wondered how the heck they got published.. so.. that being said there's some good to them for me..but surely not a "wow" series. This last book though.. if they are truely written for YA I don't think they will sit thru this one!
Post a Comment
<< Home