For those of you who didn?t see my last review where I elaborated on the meaning of the title, the topic title is a reference to the ?I am Beowulf!? line and it implies that I?m challenging whatever it is that I happen to be reviewing. What I?m challenging it to do is open to your own interpretations.
All right, then. Last time I reviewed a game that no one really seemed to know about. This time I?m reviewing a book. I know that?s a bit of a gear shift, but I think I can pull it off.
Brisingr is the third book by young author Christopher Paolini, and the second to the last book in the Inheritance Cycle. Brisingr is a sequel to Eldest which was itself a sequel to Eragon, the first book in the cycle. To those who haven?t read or aren?t familiar with the Inheritance cycle, the plot mostly centers around a young Dragon Rider named Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, as they battle against the forces of King Galbatorix, who destroyed the Dragon Riders 100 years ago, and nearly drove the dragons to extinction.
Brisingr picks up shortly after Eldest left off. You don?t have to read for very long before the action heats up, and Eragon and Saphira both get a crowning moment of awesomeness. After that, the action continues at a fast pace, incorporating some interesting and much needed character development on the way. Everything slows down for two or three noticeable intervals, but for the most part it is difficult to get bored when reading this book.
The entire cycle has been told in third person limited. Eragon was told entirely from the perspective of its titular character. Eldest alternated between Eragon and Roran, Eragon?s cousin, for the main perspectives. Brisingr keeps these two perspectives and adds in a third, namely, that of Saphira, Eragon?s dragon. This new viewpoint offers an excellent and much needed look into Saphira?s character. If Paolini continues this trend, we can expect a fourth main perspective to be present in the fourth and final book of the Inheritance cycle.
Since the Inheritance cycle is third person limited, character development can seem lacking in places. I?ve seen some fans and critics decry Paolini for creating ?stale,? characters, especially in the case of Arya, Eragon?s love interest. Paolini addresses this rather skillfully in Brisingr, although I?m not sure if this was his plan all along, or if he just did it to shut up his critics. Either way, Arya?s seemingly cold and unfeeling character is shown to have a great deal of depth, and the reasons behind her distant attitude are explained to some degree.
In my humble opinion, Brisingr shows a vast improvement on the part of Mr. Paolini. He seems to be getting the hang of arranging various aspects of the plot in ways that keep the reader enthralled. With a few exceptions, the battles are exciting, the character development is interesting, and the romance is?well?romantic. The romance between Roran and Katrina is one of the best parts of the entire Inheritance cycle. Paolini even throws in?I?m not entirely sure what to call it?a plot untwist...a double plot twist? Well, whatever it is you?d call a plot twist that debunks an earlier plot twist.
If it seemed like this review is vague at times, I apologize. I just didn?t want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn?t read the previous two books, Eragon and Eldest, and might want to do so. I won?t be vague on what I think of this novel, though! I loved Brisingr. It has its flaws, as anything does, and it?s not going to redefine the fantasy genre, but I enjoyed Brisingr. Why shouldn?t I? It?s like the bastard child of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.
All right, then. Last time I reviewed a game that no one really seemed to know about. This time I?m reviewing a book. I know that?s a bit of a gear shift, but I think I can pull it off.
Brisingr is the third book by young author Christopher Paolini, and the second to the last book in the Inheritance Cycle. Brisingr is a sequel to Eldest which was itself a sequel to Eragon, the first book in the cycle. To those who haven?t read or aren?t familiar with the Inheritance cycle, the plot mostly centers around a young Dragon Rider named Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, as they battle against the forces of King Galbatorix, who destroyed the Dragon Riders 100 years ago, and nearly drove the dragons to extinction.
Brisingr picks up shortly after Eldest left off. You don?t have to read for very long before the action heats up, and Eragon and Saphira both get a crowning moment of awesomeness. After that, the action continues at a fast pace, incorporating some interesting and much needed character development on the way. Everything slows down for two or three noticeable intervals, but for the most part it is difficult to get bored when reading this book.
The entire cycle has been told in third person limited. Eragon was told entirely from the perspective of its titular character. Eldest alternated between Eragon and Roran, Eragon?s cousin, for the main perspectives. Brisingr keeps these two perspectives and adds in a third, namely, that of Saphira, Eragon?s dragon. This new viewpoint offers an excellent and much needed look into Saphira?s character. If Paolini continues this trend, we can expect a fourth main perspective to be present in the fourth and final book of the Inheritance cycle.
Since the Inheritance cycle is third person limited, character development can seem lacking in places. I?ve seen some fans and critics decry Paolini for creating ?stale,? characters, especially in the case of Arya, Eragon?s love interest. Paolini addresses this rather skillfully in Brisingr, although I?m not sure if this was his plan all along, or if he just did it to shut up his critics. Either way, Arya?s seemingly cold and unfeeling character is shown to have a great deal of depth, and the reasons behind her distant attitude are explained to some degree.
In my humble opinion, Brisingr shows a vast improvement on the part of Mr. Paolini. He seems to be getting the hang of arranging various aspects of the plot in ways that keep the reader enthralled. With a few exceptions, the battles are exciting, the character development is interesting, and the romance is?well?romantic. The romance between Roran and Katrina is one of the best parts of the entire Inheritance cycle. Paolini even throws in?I?m not entirely sure what to call it?a plot untwist...a double plot twist? Well, whatever it is you?d call a plot twist that debunks an earlier plot twist.
If it seemed like this review is vague at times, I apologize. I just didn?t want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn?t read the previous two books, Eragon and Eldest, and might want to do so. I won?t be vague on what I think of this novel, though! I loved Brisingr. It has its flaws, as anything does, and it?s not going to redefine the fantasy genre, but I enjoyed Brisingr. Why shouldn?t I? It?s like the bastard child of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.
