Poll: Who's excited for the new Christopher Paolini book then? [Discussion may contain spoilers]

Tdc2182

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I remembered I loved the first book, but when the second book came around I ended up skipping through about 1/4 of it.

By the time the third book came along, I realized that there was really a lot of bad writing taking place and it sort of set me off the series as a whole.

Whole Chapters of characterization to characters that in all reality were very basic and simple.

Too many tropes.

OT: I guess I liked his brothers story arc much more than everyone else (Don't remember his name, it's been way too long since I read the books).

He seemed to actually have a good convincing redemption tale, and I particularly liked the fact that he kind of became a sort of boogey man to the other army despite not having magical fairy powers like the rest.
 

Genixma

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-pauses- That name rings a bell. But so does a monk in a church so.
Wait...what was I talking about.
Anyway it better end with an epic battle lasting the last half of the book because it sure has been building up to it.
 

Jumplion

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Eh, I never did quite get into the books. I read the first one and I thought it was alright, yet for some reason I could never make it past the first 5 pages of the second book. I don't know, but I just remember being overwhelmingly bored by it, but I have no idea why. I may give it another shot, but right now I'm planning to read "Game of Thrones", so I doubt it.
 

an_luas

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I had no idea what Eragon was until the film came out and I thought it was a prtetty good film (still didnt know about the series). The my grandad of all people said I was missing out and gave me all of his eragon books!
OT: I actually forgot about the new book but thanks for the reminder! will be getting this whenever i see it avaialable!
 

DanielDeFig

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I actually haven't gotten around to reading the first three, but I really want to (my "to read" list keeps growing, and by now this series is pretty far down the list)
 

AbstractStream

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You know what? I'll read it, but I'm not sure if I'll like it. I really liked Eragon and Eldest, but by Brisingr I stopped being so excited. I'll read it mostly to see how it ends...even though we can predict half of it.
Also, the movie was garbage. Just saying.
 

BrailleOperatic

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Jul 7, 2010
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I hate Paolini. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. The simple mechanics of his writing are horrifying. I tried to read Eragon, but I was so disgusted by what it contained, now holds the honour of being the only book I've ever actually thrown away.
His characters are unbelievable, who interact like a bunch of cardboxes, pandering to tired genre tropes at best. Eragon himself is a total Mary-Sue, and, worse yet, an incompetent one at that. Case in point, in the beginning of the first book, Eragon tracks a wounded animal for three days through the forest. A wounded animal. Simply because Paolini had fallen too in love with the idea of his character being out in the wild to come up with a valid reason for why he should be out there anyway. What kind of hunter tracks an animal for three days? A shitty one. A shitty hunter tracks animal for three days.
I'm not even going to bother pointing out how the entire series is a Star Wars rip-off, tarted up to look like Lord of the Rings. Fuck Paolini. He's incompetent, and untalented who only got published in t first place because his mother and father own the publishing house that originally printed the book.
 

SenorNemo

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Mar 14, 2011
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Well, the first book was bad, the second was a slight improvement (though he still needs an editor), but by the third book, he had developed as a writer enough that his prose was at the very least not aggressively bad. Of course, by the third book, narm or not I had become invested in the characters and the story, so yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to the next book. I'm curios to see what he tries to do next too, now that he's learned a thing or two about writing and editing.

I have a lot of books on my to-read list though, before I get to this one. I'm about 3/4 of my way through Shogun, and still got a ways to go. Great book though.
 

JambalayaBob

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spartan231490 said:
JambalayaBob said:
No offense, but the Eragon series kinda . . . sucks. I read the first one, started the second, then I stopped because I had to question why I was even reading it. I was in middle school when I read the first one btw, and I'm sure the majority of his fans were in middle school when they last read the books. I was in high school by the time I tried the 2nd one, which I'm sure is why I stopped. Point is, nostalgia doesn't make things good. Plus I got really pissed off at the map of the world because of its ridiculous inconsistencies, but that doesn't really matter too much.

Also, "Eragon is the first book in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, who began writing the book at the age of 15." This sentence pisses me right the fuck off. Nobody should start writing full fledged novels at the age of 15. I tried to write a novel when I was 16, and there was a reason I didn't finish it. I didn't get burned out or anything, I just looked at it after I was quite a few thousand words in, and I humbly said to myself, "Started out okay, but this is shit," and truly, it was.

Christopher Paolini's story should be a humbling, cautionary tale for any aspiring authors. Look before you leap, but before you even look, make sure you actually know what the fuck you're doing. I think this dude really doesn't know what he's doing, especially since he was appalled at the lack of "quality writing" in fantasy when his dialogue is about as rich and nuanced as a horny 14 year old's FF7 fanfic (albeit markedly less disturbing).

TLDR: Eragon isn't good because its author is way too ambitious, and the sheer fact that this series is the only thing he's really written proves it on so many levels.
That's your opinion. The best-seller's list and national success would seem to work against you. As for being too young. Mozart wrote one of the worlds most praised compositions at what: 7? obviously, 15 is not too young for artistic achievement. Leann Rimes was a remarkably successful musician at 15. I'm sure I could find more examples if I tried, but I feel no desire to. Achievement has nothing to do with age. Joan of Arc died when she was 15 years old.
You're gonna say that because something's popular it's good? Well let's just take a quick peek at Twilight and see if you feel the same way. And it's less his age and far more the FACT, mind you, that he had written practically NOTHING before Eragon. The only reason I even write the word practically is because obviously he wrote for school assignments. Anyways, do you know any 15 year olds with enough life experience to craft compelling and thought provoking stories? I'd sure like to meet these people if you do.

Using someone like Mozart as an example does nothing to further your argument, instead it's a poor attempt to bring Mozart down to Paolini's level. Saying that they are even remotely close to each other is a crime. Reading Paolini's books would make me feel nothing outside of sheer boredom, whereas listening to Mozart can bring out emotions in me that I might have never experienced otherwise. Mozart was a genius, Paolini's just some dude who got lucky.

I'll list reasons why Paolini's writing is mediocre at best (and horrific at worst) if you really want me to, but for now I'll just leave it at that. You can find plenty of criticisms of him online if you spend 5 seconds of your time anyways.
 

Anchupom

In it for the Pub Club cookies
Apr 15, 2009
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spartan231490 said:
Anchupom said:
spartan231490 said:
Ok.
Favorite character is probably Arya, favorite moment is definitely when Roran kills almost 200 soldiers. speculation is my area of specialty. The name Galbatorix is looking for is probably the name of the ancient language, or maybe the name of the continent of Alagaesia. I think the Dragon will hatch for Arya. This will help even the balance between her and Eragon, allowing them to get together. Arya's father will turn out not to be the last king Evandar. It will be revealed that she is Oromis' daugher, and she will inherit his sword(and all the power stored in it) as well as hatching the green dragon.

Thorn will die, changing Murtagh's true name, allowing him to escape Galbatorix's control. He might actually steal the green egg, hoping it will hatch for him, and that's how Arya will get it. Arya and Eragon will kill him together, and in the end they will sail off together, either bound for the Elven continent, or searching for other dragons, or maybe just going to Vroenguard.(pursuant to Angela's prophesy of him leaving Alagaesia forever) Nasuada will marry Oren. Roran will become King.

The rock of Kuthian is the thing that I'm least sure of. It could be the vault where the wild dragons stored their hearts before the Dragon Riders were formed. It could also be the center of Alagaesia, and Kuthian is actually the name of Alagaesia in the ancient language, or it could be the name of the Ancient language. The way the word tends to bounce around the heads of anyone with magical blood makes me think that it is a powerful word in the ancient language. Probably the name that Galbatorix is looking for. The other possibility I see is that the "speak your name thing" is because it is actually the hidden vault that holds the heart of the first Eragon's dragon, and it will unlock for a rider with the same name, which would be an extremely old and powerful heart.

Told you I was uncertain about the rock of Kuthian, we just haven't had enough information about it. I'm 90% sure about the Oromis/Arya thing, and probably 80% about the Murtagh/thorn/egg thing. Everything else about 50%.

Before you ask: Yes. I have put a large amount of thought into this.
I think, of the list of things you're speculating that the Arya/Oromis thing is the least likely. I have ideas about speaking your name yadda yadda yadda, and that is that he needs to speak HIS TRUE NAME to this rock and open the vault of souls (which I also think probably contains at least one heart of hearts.) I like the idea of the name Kuthian being the ancient language for Alagaesia, but apart from that...
Time will tell.
Brom and morzan both have sons in the fight. Elves were more common and women equally common. it makes sense that oromis' daughter will be the next rider. that doesn't need to be Arya, but I think it is. It's the only way I can imagine Arya and Eragon ending up together, and I can't see any way that they don't end up together. also, remember in book one Eragon had one of those dreams that seemed more than a dream. It showed 3 people approach a boat. One man stayed behind, a man and a woman got on the boat. as the boat sailed away, he glimsped 2 dragons in the sky. Thorn dies, leaving murtagh alone, and Eragon and Arya leave him behind as they sail off into the distance. Arya just being a dragon rider doesn't make sense with the inheritance theme unless she ends up being the daughter of one of the riders. Also, Oromis' sword and most of his power were lost over Gilead, where the Elves almost def uncovered it, indicating that they will be given to the next rider.
That's my reasoning. If you still don't agree, I guess time will tell.
I don't know, elves don't really seem like the types to have affairs. As elf children are so rare, and the ultimate expression of love between two elves, then it's almost pretty certainly going to be a legitimate child.
 

Anchupom

In it for the Pub Club cookies
Apr 15, 2009
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an_luas said:
I had no idea what Eragon was until the film came out and I thought it was a prtetty good film (still didnt know about the series). The my grandad of all people said I was missing out and gave me all of his eragon books!
OT: I actually forgot about the new book but thanks for the reminder! will be getting this whenever i see it avaialable!
Comes out in November in the UK. ;)
 

Yarkaz

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Aug 22, 2009
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MorsePacific said:
Not very excited at all. I gave up reading them when I was younger and trying to go back through them is a test of my patience. Inevitably, Eragon will get into an "epic" battle with Galbatorix and Galbatorix will die, but not before Murtagh either sacrifices himself or helps Eragon in the fight. There'll probably be a big war scene and it'll all be very anti-climactic.

As a whole, I don't hate the series. I thought the first three were quite good when I was younger. They just fail to impress after my tastes have changed so much. The first one in particular is hard for me to get through because you can really tell how old Paolini was when he wrote it. It feels like something I would have written during my "I want to be an author!" phase and quite a bit of it does seem like it was lifted whole-sale from Star Wars.

I don't think I have any particular favorite moment, but I can distinctly remember a scene in the third book where Eragon's caravan is ambushed that sticks out. By far my least favorite moments are whenever Eragon starts pining over Aria. Or Arya. However it's spelled.
Well I was going to state my opinions on the book, then you came and summarized them for me! I pretty much agree to the last detail there, but I still feel like I should at least check it out from the library and give it a read, just to get closure on the story. Given the price of major hardcover books nowadays though, I won't buy it.

There's too much Brandon Sanderson out there to get.
 

Dirzzit

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Apr 16, 2009
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Necromancer Jim said:
I read about halfway through the second book.

When it came out.

Haven't touched one of the books since.

Chalk me up as "Not in the slightest".
Same here, Loved the first one but never finished the second.
 

Anchupom

In it for the Pub Club cookies
Apr 15, 2009
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spartan231490 said:
That's your opinion. The best-seller's list and national success would seem to work against you. As for being too young. Mozart wrote one of the worlds most praised compositions at what: 7? obviously, 15 is not too young for artistic achievement. Leann Rimes was a remarkably successful musician at 15. I'm sure I could find more examples if I tried, but I feel no desire to. Achievement has nothing to do with age. Joan of Arc died when she was 15 years old.
Sorry dude, I'm all for defending Paolini, but this argument holds little water. Being able to write/play music is a talent that doesn't really require worldly experience, something which writing can need. So his argument that he was too young when writing Eragon is logical.
 

zedel

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Sep 16, 2010
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Honestly, as long as Roran doesn't become a dragon rider, I'll be pleased. I can't stand Roran for some reason...
 

TankCopter

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I've read the other three, and to be honest I really don't like Paolini's writing style. It feels like he's been told to write a however-long-they-are novel when he only has enough story for a book about half the length. So he padded it out with more redundant words and cliches and side stories.

I kept reading the things, waiting to see if they grew on me at all, but they didn't. If anything, they got worse. Eragon was alright, not that interesting and it felt too long, but I liked Brom well enough. Plus, I was young and had no taste. Eldest and Brisingr both had way too much other, unimportant shit going on in the story to be interesting. Not only that, but I couldn't even force myself to care about the characters he brought in.
 

spartan231490

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JambalayaBob said:
spartan231490 said:
JambalayaBob said:
No offense, but the Eragon series kinda . . . sucks. I read the first one, started the second, then I stopped because I had to question why I was even reading it. I was in middle school when I read the first one btw, and I'm sure the majority of his fans were in middle school when they last read the books. I was in high school by the time I tried the 2nd one, which I'm sure is why I stopped. Point is, nostalgia doesn't make things good. Plus I got really pissed off at the map of the world because of its ridiculous inconsistencies, but that doesn't really matter too much.

Also, "Eragon is the first book in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, who began writing the book at the age of 15." This sentence pisses me right the fuck off. Nobody should start writing full fledged novels at the age of 15. I tried to write a novel when I was 16, and there was a reason I didn't finish it. I didn't get burned out or anything, I just looked at it after I was quite a few thousand words in, and I humbly said to myself, "Started out okay, but this is shit," and truly, it was.

Christopher Paolini's story should be a humbling, cautionary tale for any aspiring authors. Look before you leap, but before you even look, make sure you actually know what the fuck you're doing. I think this dude really doesn't know what he's doing, especially since he was appalled at the lack of "quality writing" in fantasy when his dialogue is about as rich and nuanced as a horny 14 year old's FF7 fanfic (albeit markedly less disturbing).

TLDR: Eragon isn't good because its author is way too ambitious, and the sheer fact that this series is the only thing he's really written proves it on so many levels.
That's your opinion. The best-seller's list and national success would seem to work against you. As for being too young. Mozart wrote one of the worlds most praised compositions at what: 7? obviously, 15 is not too young for artistic achievement. Leann Rimes was a remarkably successful musician at 15. I'm sure I could find more examples if I tried, but I feel no desire to. Achievement has nothing to do with age. Joan of Arc died when she was 15 years old.
You're gonna say that because something's popular it's good? Well let's just take a quick peek at Twilight and see if you feel the same way. And it's less his age and far more the FACT, mind you, that he had written practically NOTHING before Eragon. The only reason I even write the word practically is because obviously he wrote for school assignments. Anyways, do you know any 15 year olds with enough life experience to craft compelling and thought provoking stories? I'd sure like to meet these people if you do.

Using someone like Mozart as an example does nothing to further your argument, instead it's a poor attempt to bring Mozart down to Paolini's level. Saying that they are even remotely close to each other is a crime. Reading Paolini's books would make me feel nothing outside of sheer boredom, whereas listening to Mozart can bring out emotions in me that I might have never experienced otherwise. Mozart was a genius, Paolini's just some dude who got lucky.

I'll list reasons why Paolini's writing is mediocre at best (and horrific at worst) if you really want me to, but for now I'll just leave it at that. You can find plenty of criticisms of him online if you spend 5 seconds of your time anyways.
How do you know how much writing he did before this. You don't have any idea how many fan-fics/short stories/poor novels/writing exercise he wrote before he wrote Eragon.

Yes I do know many 15 year olds with the life experience to create a compelling story. I know a great many, especially considering how little life experience it actually takes to craft a compelling story.

Congrats, so Paolini isn't for you. Some of us are notably more effected emotionally by Paolini than by Mozart. I like his writing. I think it's good. So do all my friends who love reading. We have each read a quite literally insane number of books and fantasy books in particular, so I value our opinion more than yours.

If I look, I can find critisims of tolkein, or Mozart, or raising the debt ceiling if I look. That doesn't mean that those criticisms are accurate, or at all diminish the effectiveness and artistic merit of his work. I really don't care about your opinion anymore. You're saying that Mozart is an irrelevant example, and just plain ignoring the other two examples, is an evasion with no merit in a debate. an obvious and intentional evasion in a discussion speaks volumes about a persons character.
 

spartan231490

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Anchupom said:
spartan231490 said:
Anchupom said:
spartan231490 said:
Ok.
Favorite character is probably Arya, favorite moment is definitely when Roran kills almost 200 soldiers. speculation is my area of specialty. The name Galbatorix is looking for is probably the name of the ancient language, or maybe the name of the continent of Alagaesia. I think the Dragon will hatch for Arya. This will help even the balance between her and Eragon, allowing them to get together. Arya's father will turn out not to be the last king Evandar. It will be revealed that she is Oromis' daugher, and she will inherit his sword(and all the power stored in it) as well as hatching the green dragon.

Thorn will die, changing Murtagh's true name, allowing him to escape Galbatorix's control. He might actually steal the green egg, hoping it will hatch for him, and that's how Arya will get it. Arya and Eragon will kill him together, and in the end they will sail off together, either bound for the Elven continent, or searching for other dragons, or maybe just going to Vroenguard.(pursuant to Angela's prophesy of him leaving Alagaesia forever) Nasuada will marry Oren. Roran will become King.

The rock of Kuthian is the thing that I'm least sure of. It could be the vault where the wild dragons stored their hearts before the Dragon Riders were formed. It could also be the center of Alagaesia, and Kuthian is actually the name of Alagaesia in the ancient language, or it could be the name of the Ancient language. The way the word tends to bounce around the heads of anyone with magical blood makes me think that it is a powerful word in the ancient language. Probably the name that Galbatorix is looking for. The other possibility I see is that the "speak your name thing" is because it is actually the hidden vault that holds the heart of the first Eragon's dragon, and it will unlock for a rider with the same name, which would be an extremely old and powerful heart.

Told you I was uncertain about the rock of Kuthian, we just haven't had enough information about it. I'm 90% sure about the Oromis/Arya thing, and probably 80% about the Murtagh/thorn/egg thing. Everything else about 50%.

Before you ask: Yes. I have put a large amount of thought into this.
I think, of the list of things you're speculating that the Arya/Oromis thing is the least likely. I have ideas about speaking your name yadda yadda yadda, and that is that he needs to speak HIS TRUE NAME to this rock and open the vault of souls (which I also think probably contains at least one heart of hearts.) I like the idea of the name Kuthian being the ancient language for Alagaesia, but apart from that...
Time will tell.
Brom and morzan both have sons in the fight. Elves were more common and women equally common. it makes sense that oromis' daughter will be the next rider. that doesn't need to be Arya, but I think it is. It's the only way I can imagine Arya and Eragon ending up together, and I can't see any way that they don't end up together. also, remember in book one Eragon had one of those dreams that seemed more than a dream. It showed 3 people approach a boat. One man stayed behind, a man and a woman got on the boat. as the boat sailed away, he glimsped 2 dragons in the sky. Thorn dies, leaving murtagh alone, and Eragon and Arya leave him behind as they sail off into the distance. Arya just being a dragon rider doesn't make sense with the inheritance theme unless she ends up being the daughter of one of the riders. Also, Oromis' sword and most of his power were lost over Gilead, where the Elves almost def uncovered it, indicating that they will be given to the next rider.
That's my reasoning. If you still don't agree, I guess time will tell.
I don't know, elves don't really seem like the types to have affairs. As elf children are so rare, and the ultimate expression of love between two elves, then it's almost pretty certainly going to be a legitimate child.
There's no such thing as an illegitimate elvish child, as they have no such thing as marriage. And Affairs do happen, look at Linea/menoa tree. Also, perhaps Evandar needed an heir, and was unable to provide one.
 

Cpu46

Gloria ex machina
Sep 21, 2009
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Well I think I'm just going to get it from the library and read it since I am torn after the third book. It simply felt to rushed and was obviously forced to end somewhere Paolini would have rather kept going. Also, Eragon is so ridiculously overpowered that he is faltering as a good main character. Roran held my interest a dozen times better than Eragon.

That being said, I enjoy the plot and the characters and Paolini brings the cultures and setting to life. I'm not refuting the people who say a lot of it is lifted off of other series made by more experienced authors because it is. However I do think books do deserve the amount of praise that they get. I am going to give this last one a try, despite now being a bit out of the target age group, because every plot point I have a problem with [sub]cough, Murtagh, cough[/sub] can easily be turned around and make this a wonderful ending.


Also I really hope that Katrina gets the green dragon; for two reasons.

1. It would be interesting to see what a more pacifistic character would do with magic and a dragon.
2. More Roran in the story, preferably pissed off Roran
...
[sub]Yay Roran.[/sub]