Eldest by Christopher Paolini

Reviewed by: Angela W.
Grade 9

Soar with Eragon and Saphira over the Hadarac desert. Hike through a deadly mountain chain with the villagers of Carvahall and Roran, Eragon’s cousin. Dance with the elves of Ellesmera. To get there, all you need to do is jump into Eldest, the second book in the Inheritance Cycle, and then join Eragon and Saphira, two unlikely partners that are out to save Alagaesia from the evil King Galbatorix.

Eragon, a sixteen year-old Rider who grew up on a farm, and Saphira, a young dragon that, as an egg, was rescued from the king, are sent to train with the elves in the forest of Du Weldenvarden. Eragon begins to show his affection for Arya, a century old elf-maiden who works with the Varden. Can they ever be together? Meanwhile, Saphira’s hopes of finding a mate are renewed when they make a sudden discovery at the edge of Ellesmera, the elven city where they are staying. Will anything come of it? Back in Carvahall, Eragon and Roran’s hometown, the village has just been attacked by the king’s soldiers. Several people have died, and Katrina, the one Roran holds most dear, has just been stolen from him. Is it at all possible the she is still alive? Roran manages to convince the village to leave their homes in search of safety, with an underlying mission of avenging Katrina’s death or rescuing her if she is still alive. Throughout the story, you receive many surprises, both pleasant and unpleasant, with one final twist that will totally surprise you.

I found that although Eragon has such a high stature and is revered all over Alagaesia because he is a Rider, he is still just a normal, sixteen-year-old boy on the inside. One example of this is when Eragon was sparring with another elf. The elf was chiding him about how he was inferior to the elves, who were much more agile, and Eragon lost his temper and bound the elf with magic. I commend Mr. Paolini on creating a whole new language (called the Ancient Language), and a different, new kind of magic that seems so versatile and diverse in how the characters use it.

I enjoyed reading this book, but it sometimes seemed a little bit slow. The descriptions were very good though, and I could clearly picture the places they went to. I think I would probably recommend this book to people that like fantasy and action, especially if they always think to themselves, “The thicker the book, the better!” I would also recommend that you read Eragon, the first book, before you read this one, but if you don’t, Mr. Paolini has kindly placed a detailed summary in the beginning of this volume.