Eldest by Christopher Paolini
Author: Christopher Paolini
Published: 2005
Genre: YA Fantasy
Book Two – The Inheritance Cycle
Book One Review | Book Three Review | Book Four Review | Book Five Review
Synopsis From Goodreads:
Darkness falls…despair abounds…evil reigns…Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon Rider. Ages 12+.
Darkness falls…despair abounds…evil reigns…
Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon Rider: magic and swordsmanship. Soon he is on the journey of a lifetime, his eyes open to awe-inspring new places and people, his days filled with fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and nothing is what it seems. Before long, Eragon doesn’t know whom he can trust.
Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle–one that might put Eragon in even graver danger.
Will the king’s dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life. . . .
My Take:
Eldest begins almost immediately after Eragon ends and continues the adventure of Eragon and Saphira, but this time, additional storylines are added. You will follow Eragon’s cousin Roran and find out what happened to his hometown of Carvahall after Eragon left, and how Nasuada leads the Varden rebels after the battle at Farthen Dur. As for Eragon, he is still on a path of learning and growing so he can be the Rider that the Varden, and the whole of Alagaesia, need. But the timeline is short as more and more signs indicate the king is moving and Eragon will be needed to fight.
As Eragon’s character grows in this book, Paolini is expanding his themes as well. There are added histories as well as poems, songs, and riddles (a nod to Lord of the Rings), philosophies, religions, and viewpoints of life in general. One of Eragon’s tasks is to learn to think and reason, and that is explored through various topics and through his encounters with his surroundings and other people groups. The first blush of physical attraction, as well as uncertainty and possible rejection, are part of this season as he struggles with pain, sorrow, and guilt from past battles. Those competing thoughts and emotions immerse you into the monumental changes that he is going through and helps give you an understanding of the confusion and uncertainty that he is beset with at times. But as with all good character stories, there is hope. There is growth and Eragon is not finished yet.
Roran’s story follows the question, “What would you be willing to do for love?” You pick up his story line a few months after Eragon has left. Roran is about to start rebuilding his life, but soldiers from the king and the monstrous Ra’zac return and change the course of the whole village. Roran has a difficult path before him and faces many challenges that result in his own personal growth and change before he can gain revenge against the kingdom and the Ra’zac for what he has lost.
The separate back-and-forth storylines can take a little getting used to and can feel a little clunky, especially because the timing of them is most often when you do not WANT to switch to another viewpoint. A few times you may think, “Why do I care about this again?” But if you give it a page or two you will be drawn into that storyline again. Even with that, the pacing of the book is quite fast, especially considering it is over 700 pages in length. It keeps you interested and reading until they merge towards the end. Even though Eragon, Saphira, and Roran have gon through struggles and growth, betrayal and pain, and glimmers of hope and triumph, they are not done yet. There is still a lot more to come in this epic adventure through Alagaesia.
Language:
There is almost no profanity at all in this book. There are references to people cursing but with no words used, or someone cursing in a different language which isn’t translated.
Sexual Content:
This area is explored a little more in this book compared to the last as it is an area included in the growth of two of the characters. There is an occasional kiss, one mention of someone being led by “one’s loins”, one scene where a body is described in a clinical way as having no hair “even by his groin”, one scene where someone comes to someone else’s bedroom at night and a reference to that later of being with them “under the cover of darkness” but no descriptions in addition to that. One character deals with being attracted to someone, caring, and longing for them like a crush.
Drug/Alcohol Use:
This book is very similar to Eragon in its treatment of alcohol. It is mentioned less often than the first book but with a bit more emphasis when it is. There is a scene where there is a party to celebrate and casks of ale are opened and characters become inebriated, a different scene where a character comes to someone’s house already drunk, and elvish celebrations where the amount of magic in the air can make the unwary act and feel a bit drugged. One character smokes a pipe.
Violence:
As with alcohol, the violence in this book does not occur quite as much as in the first book, but when it does it is a little bit weightier. Dead bodies after battles are mentioned, a boy is seen “methodically stabbing” an already dead body, people are eaten and blood is drunk by monsters, in one battle there is someone “gored through the eye with a knife”, people stabbed, hit smashed, bleeding, etc. One character poisons others before a battle. Even with all that, the descriptions are not extensive or glorified. They are mentioned as part of the reality of what is happening in the book and the horribleness of it, then the story moves on.
Plot/Storytelling:
This is a character-driven story that switches between two main POV and one minor POV. It is fast-paced even with less actual action and battles than in the first book and more philosophy, thinking, and character growth. It is a very fun, adventuresome read that will make you want to go on to the next book.
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