Kevin Gerard, the author of Conor and the Crossworlds, a fantasy series for young adults, from time to time makes a guest appearance on Fantasy Fan. His first article here was about becoming a sci-fi / fantasy writer. Today he's bringing the review of Eragon by Christopher Paolini.

Eragon Review

Upon hearing about this book and its generalized plot, I honestly thought it would be another Lord of the Rings knockoff. After all, there was an evil wizard, elves, urgals (re: trolls) and a dragon. Oh yes, and a boy to tie all of the corners together.

Surpassing its popular prequel Eragon, this second volume in the Inheritance trilogy shows growing maturity and skill on the part of its very young author, who was only seventeen when the first volume was published in 2003. The story is solidly in the tradition (some might say derivative) of the classic heroic quest fantasy, with the predictable cast of dwarves, elves, and dragons--but also including some imaginatively creepy creatures of evil.

You hear it in school; you hear it from your siblings; you see it on book-fan sites. A name: "Eragon." But who or what is Eragon? 'Eragon' is the story of a fifteen-year old farm boy named Eragon (what a coincidence) who, during a hunting trip, discovers a blue stone that appears out of nowhere.

Here's a great big fantasy that you can pull over your head like a comfy old sweater and disappear into for a whole weekend. Christopher Paolini began Eragon when he was just 15, and the book shows the influence of Tolkien, of course, but also Terry Brooks, Anne McCaffrey, and perhaps even Wagner in its traditional quest structure and the generally agreed-upon nature of dwarves, elves, dragons, and heroic warfare with magic swords.