Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle series opens in a world dominated by an evil emperor. Long ago, an ancient order of magical peacekeepers ruled the land; however, a prominent member of this order turned traitor, thus allowing this emperor to come into power. Brisingr, the third book in the Cycle, takes place in this world — called Alagaësia — and chronicles the adventures of a young hero named Eragon.
Paolini has a lot to live up to. The second book in the series, Eldest, was chosen as one of Entertainment Weekly’s five worst books of the year. Eragon, the first book, had similar reactions. Unfortunately, with Brisingr, Paolini has failed to redeem himself.
Alagaësia is a world populated by elves and dwarves that have the same qualities as the elves and dwarves in Tolkien’s books. And one can’t help but notice the eerie similarities between the names — for example, Eragon and Aragorn, Arya and Arwen, Isenstar and Isengard.

Paolini has come most under fire, though, for lifting the plot from Star Wars.

Both Eragon and Luke Skywalker are the newest members of an ancient order of magicians. Both are fighting against an emperor. And both are assumed to be sons of the emperor’s right hand man, who, in the Inheritance Cycle, bears an uncanny resemblance to Darth Vader.
Even little details are the same: Eragon rescues a princess who is a leader of the rebellion against the Empire. Eragon’s mentor, Brom, like Obi Wan Kenobi, dies in the first installment, selflessly sacrificing himself to help his protégée.

Brisingr flops as well. The biggest problem is the plot. In a pathetic attempt to steer away from copying Star Wars, Paolini decides instead to have no plot at all. Paolini states in his “Acknowledgements” that the first draft was “much longer.” The reader can’t help but wish that his editors had forced him to cut more. The book drags – we mainly follow Eragon around in circles as he deals with the various petty concerns of the other characters around him. About 500 pages in, Paolini decides to throw in some action. To no one’s surprise, what he adds is mimicry of Harry Potter. Eragon is given the task of destroying the Emperor’s multiple hearts that make him practically indestructible. Horcruxes, anyone?

One of the main flaws of the series is that Paolini fails to create a world that is consistent. For example, Roran, Eragon’s completely normal and unmagical cousin, kills nearly 200 people with a hammer. The next day, he is brutally whipped until he passes out. When he awakes, he kills yet another ridiculous number of people; however, Eragon — who is one of the most powerful magicians and warriors in the world — cannot fend off a team of ninja dwarves, even with his usual set of bodyguards.

And although Eragon spends a good 200 pages moaning about how he hates killing people, Paolini seems to take special pleasure in gory scenes. For example, Eragon encounters cult members that cut off limbs for the heck of it; he fights hordes of soldiers bewitched to be impervious to pain, killing hundreds; one man has his eyes pecked out by Ra’zac, which are demonic bird creatures.

Paolini first began writing the books when he was 15 years old. While that might partially excuse the terrible writing and near plagiarism that abounds in both Eragon and Eldest, Paolini is now in his mid-20s and has no such excuse for Brisingr. One can only hope that things will improve with the fourth book — although the prospects seem slim to none.

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Created Jul 09, 2009 at 1:53pm • Submit your own review...