Hey Jared,

I finished this book last week but never got around to writing it until last night. So it’s not a very good review but then again it’s not a very good book.

Title: Brisingr
Series: The Inheritance Cycle; Book 3
Author: Christopher Paolini
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Youth/Teen
ROTS Setting: UU, Medieval/Renaissance, Dragons, Magic, Higher Magic
Synopsis: Oaths sworn… loyalties tested… forces collide. It’s been only months since Eragon first uttered “brisingr”, an ancient language term for fire. Since then, he’s not only learned to create magic with words — he’s been challenged to his very core. Following the colossal battle against the Empires warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still, there is more adventure at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep. First is Eragon’s oath to his cousin, Roran: to help rescue Roran’s beloved from King Galbatorix’s clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength — as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices — choices that will take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice. Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king
Recommendation: I recommend this series for pre- and early teens.

I would consider this the true middle book of the series. The second book isn’t truly a middle book and mostly acts as an excuse to expound on the world that should have been done in the first book or this one. And since the second book hadn’t adequately setup for the final book we get Brisingr.

It was intended to be the “Inheritance Trilogy” but when Mr. Paolini started writing book 3 he discovered he had too much material and not enough pages to do it in. Thus the series became a “Cycle” and the book was split into two. Like all the book trilogies when they make movies out of them.

The majority of this book is used to end several loose plot lines left hanging, and actually introduce the potential means of winning the war. There was zero chance of winning until most of the way through this book……Ya, kind of bleak and not well thought out war.

The book did show some signs that the author was maturing and growing in his craft but it’s mostly spent patching up his previous mistakes. The whole main plot just doesn’t make sense in the big picture of the series.

Robert

LINKS

• Christopher Paolini’s Official Website