# WHY Eragon is a very bad book, and shouldn't be read, EVER



## blademasterzzz

*The Book That Is Eragon*

I admit, Eragon is something of an obsession of mine. 
I just cannot grasp the fact that something so bland, predictable, full with boring characters and plagiarism attracts so many people. 



*Fans especially, I would like to read this, and answer some of my questions. *

ERAGON FAULTS: 

Oh boy, where do I start. 

1) Paolini seems unable to write anything remotely original. 
The whole story, from cover to cover, is a huge mix of all possible books I have ever read. 

Dragons, Dragon Riders - been done. (ie. Pern Books)

Evil Empire, evil king - been done. (Ie. a million stories, including Star Wars)

Magic - been done in EXACTLY the same fashion as described (The Earthsea Trilogy)

The "true speech" of creation that Brom teaches Eragon in order that he may work magic comes from Ursula LeGuin's incomparable Earthsea series right on down to the detail about one not being able to lie in the true speech. See a Wizard Of Earthsea by LeGuin and the entire Earthsea series for the best and most majestic depiction of dragons I have ever read -- and that beats Tolkien and McCaffrey. 



Characters: The female characters are a joke, while Eragon is a teenager that seems to get angry whenever he takes a breath. 
He also seems to fall unconsious or asleep at the slightest touch or sound. 
Saphira is mildly orignal, but nothing that hasn't been done before. 

Creatures: 
Elves - Tolkien Stereotypes
Dwarfs - same
Urgals - orcs with horns. Not 1% original. 
Shade - bah. Seen it, read it. 
If there are more creatures, I can't remember them because they are bland and forgettable. 


*I DARE YOU TO NAME FIVE THINGS IN ERAGON THAT ARE ORIGINAL!*

2) Crappy writing. 
Insane overuse of adverbs, while insane UNDERuse of the word "said". 
instead, he uses 5 000 Synonyms like "snapped" "instructed" "barked". 
Most of us here at WF know that it is OK to use said - it just faints away for the reader. 

An example: "Sorry," Brom apologized quickly. 


COMMON DEFENSES FOR ERAGON'S FAULTS: 

"He was just a teenager when he wrote the book" 

Ah yes, the most famous one. 
Well, yes, but he PUBLISHED it. Which means, it is treated like ANY OTHER book published. 
And just because he was young, that doesn't mean that people, especially children, should read this excuse for fantasy, which teaches BAD THINGS (More on this in "Why you shouldn't read Eragon")


"He wasn't STEALING, he was inspired."

Inspiration and theft are different things. It is one thing if I look at your painting, think it is wonderful, and paint my own in a similar theme. 
IT IS ANOTHER if I take your painting and write my name on it!

What Paolini has done is BLATANT PLAGIARISM, and I am amazed that he didn't get sued. 


"It is a children's book!"

Ah, no. It isn't. From his quote, "In my writing, I strive for a lyrical beauty somewhere between Tolkien at his best and Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf", he clearly compares his writing to classics. 

If he does it, why can't we?!

FANS, DO TELL ME THAT!







*PAOLINI QUOTES: *

Things "master" Paolini has said: 


_"I have the greatest job in the world! I get paid to write down my day-dreams!"_

Yep, that is exactly what you do, I couldn't agree more. However, that sounds remarkably like FANFICTION, the lowest form of writing. 
Real writers work hard on developing their stories, and the meanings tey yearn to send the reader through their book. 

It is clear Paolini envisioned himself in Eragon's shoes. 

He obviously thought himself very talented, since Eragon can go from farm boy to the GREATEST SWORDSMAN IN THE LAND in a month. Oh yea, and he is also stronger than the his mentor, apparently also one of the best wizards in the land. 

*That's like having Frodo beating Gandalf at Magic, and Aragorn at Swordsmanship.*

_"Eragon has all things a good story needs: A hero, an unspeakable evil, magical beasts, magic, and an epic romance!" _

Yea. A story also needs ORIGINALITY. Forgot that one, heh? 
And as for epic romance, the female character is a joke, with slightly more depth than a watering can. 



*WHY YOU SHOULDN'T READ ERAGON: *

The most important part of my message. 

Usually, I agree that any book that motivates children to read is a good book.  (Despite that Harry Potter seems to have effects like: "_A story about someone learning magic comes from Rowling, and anyone else writing about something similar is a very bad writer that we won't read, because he stole that idea_!" (ACTUAL REVIEW, albeit from a kid). 


But in the case of Eragon, the things is seems to teach are quite horrible: 

_"Anyone can become a rich and best-selling author, and it doesn't matter how clever you are. It matters how dumb your readers are!" _
Actually, Dan Brown seems to teach that as well... 


_"With the right marketing, a book about clock repair can become a bestseller!" _
Yep, that is the ONLY reason Eragon ever sold so well. Shameless publishers. 


_"Fantasy is all about dwarfs and elves, and ideas ripped off from other books. IT IS OK TO DO IT! See, I did it, and I'm more successful than most suckers who tried coming up with fascinating plots, characters and ideas!" _



So, in conclusion: Don't read this book. Buying it just inflates Paolini's already gigantic ego, causing him to churn out more crap like this, and that, in turn, causes his readers to churn out crap like this.


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## aboyd

My God.  I have to read this book.  I'm dying to see what provokes such controversy.

-Tony


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## MiloDaePesdan

*shakes head* Blade, you've just undone yourself. :wink: 

Complaining about Eragon is an effective, if negative, way to sell Paolini's works. *hint hint, the hype* It's just like advertising.


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## Keridwen

Hey now I want to read it too!! You're right, MiloDaePesdan!

I understand where you're coming from, though, having read MANY cliche crappy plaguerised books!!   

Still, the kid was only 15. And if he could make lots of money from writing a crappy book, then good for him! I wish I could!! LOLOL.


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## FantasyWriterAndLover

I agree with you Blade, but, you -are- advertising xD

Just because he was 15 when he started/wrote the book doesn't mean it has to be crap. Goodness. A good writer is good at ANY age.


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## Kaku-Ryu

Personally, I LOVE Eragon! I've never read the other books that it "copied" from and I don't really plan to so it's all good to me.  :lol:


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## bobothegoat

> Just because he was 15 when he started/wrote the book doesn't mean it has to be crap. Goodness. A good writer is good at ANY age.


A bad writer is also bad at any age, and I think that's what blade was trying to say- in part at least...


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## bobothegoat

Hmmm... I think I might just read this.  BUT I will not buy it!   I think I'll just borrow it from somebody foolish enough to have done so themselves.  Or I'll use a public library or something.


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## blademasterzzz

Hm... Yea, I did invoke curiosity, didn't I? Oh boy...  :x 

Well, as long as you are aware that the book isn't brilliant... 




> BUT I will not buy it



That's the spirit!


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## FantasyWriterAndLover

bobothegoat said:
			
		

> Just because he was 15 when he started/wrote the book doesn't mean it has to be crap. Goodness. A good writer is good at ANY age.
> 
> 
> 
> A bad writer is also bad at any age, and I think that's what blade was trying to say- in part at least...
Click to expand...


Yeah, that's what I was trying to say.


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## tekp

I tried to read it but couldn't get into it.

You know the sequel, _Eldest_, is out soon? In the UK anyway.


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## lordcarbo

bobothegoat said:
			
		

> Just because he was 15 when he started/wrote the book doesn't mean it has to be crap. Goodness. A good writer is good at ANY age.
> 
> 
> 
> A bad writer is also bad at any age, and I think that's what blade was trying to say- in part at least...
Click to expand...


I disagree. It's creativity that doesn't increase, or at least it does not increase drastically, but writing skill do (unless creativity is what you meant ^^; ).


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## LensmanZ313

Tolkein used a lot of stuff from Norse/Old Germanic myhtologies. Some people keep forgetting this.

I haven't read _Eragon_ yet. Now, I want to.


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## shadowseer

Eragon is my insparation, and I don't really give a shit what you say.


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## bobothegoat

shadowseer said:
			
		

> Eragon is my insparation, and I don't really give a shit what you say.



Really, now?  If you truly didn't care, you wouldn't post it in a public forum where we're bound to respond.

Anyway, I've read a section of it so far and will probably read the rest of it once I finish my other books and my sister is done with it.  It just so happens my cousins have it checked out from a public library.

My initial reaction is that the writing style is terribly flawed.  He doesn't use transitions so the writing feels very choppy.  He also seems to have a problem of inappropriate adjectives and adverbs.  I get a very strong feeling that all he

It's like this middle-school English teacher on amazon said.  He said he could not finish it because it was almost exactly the same thing he'd see if he picked up a random notebook from one of his students.


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## blademasterzzz

> Tolkein used a lot of stuff from Norse/Old Germanic myhtologies. Some people keep forgetting this.




Again, using and stealing are different. 
Tolkien took ancient myths and imbued them with new characteristics, he took the races and gave them history, languages, new qualities. 

Eragon simply took the races EXACTLY as they appeared in Tolkien.

His most major change was to give orcs horns. Yes, the only difference between tolkien's and paolini's orcs (He calls them urgals) are horns.


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## Hodge

Tolkien took mythical creatures and gave them form. Trolls, orcs, and goblins had all been words for the same sort of ambiguous creature. Elves were equally ambiguous, ranging from the evil forest people of Norse mythology to mischievous leprechaun-like creatures to pixies. Tolkien took the names and gave them form.

The Elvish language is based from the Welsh language as well. But he created the language himself. All by himself.


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## magikpumpkin

*Re: WHY Eragon is a very bad book, and shouldn't be read, EV*

I can't be arsed to read this Eragon book because well bascially i find no new original stuff in fantasy nowadays anyway. All i hear about is magic, magic magic magic, the occasional sword, evil little ugly creatures, wizards, swords, dragons magic and old strange men with wise and fascinating beards. The most interesting refreshing thing i've got into recently is Manga. Ninja Scroll and Dragonball Z!!! god damn i love Dragonball Z! Sure it's about powering up and strength and fighting and nobility and a lot of crazy people going "aaaaggh, urrghhh neeeaaghhh!!" for 1/2 an hour but it's so hilarious and addictive and oddly interesting too.

This however just seems like another thing i can't be arsed to read, sorry for all the fans out there. It's not because of your rant explaining it's apparently not original which doesn't reli help my opinion anyway (although i shouldn't make an opinion before i've tried something...), but i saw the cover, saw a dragon, the misspelt name, didn't think it interesting, went onto read Dan Brown. He's awesome.

So, sounded a little like you didn't like it too much. A few things i wanted to just nitpick you on during you're FURY my man that i don't agree with, regardless of the novel.



			
				blademasterzzz said:
			
		

> 1) Paolini seems unable to write anything remotely original....
> 
> ...Evil Empire, evil king - been done. (Ie. a million stories, including Star Wars)
> Magic - been done in EXACTLY the same fashion as described (The Earthsea Trilogy)



Magic's been well overdone everywhere but i think the evil part is really a core part of Fantasy isn't it? The good and the bad?



			
				blademasterzzz said:
			
		

> 2) Crappy writing.
> insane UNDERuse of the word "said".
> instead, he uses 5 000 Synonyms like "snapped" "instructed" "barked".
> Most of us here at WF know that it is OK to use said - it just faints away for the reader.
> 
> An example: "Sorry," Brom apologized quickly.



Err, i'd argue that that is a good thing. If you had a repetitious Brom said this and Brom said that Brom went onto only SAY things and never really showed any emotion or feeling in his voice whatsoever because he's monotoneous. If he was a robot that'd be fine but if he's not i'd argue the author's showing skill. i wouldn't know since i haven't read it, but unless he really is completely going nuts with hyperbolic verbal processes then i see the point you're making as valid.



			
				blademasterzzz said:
			
		

> *That's like having Frodo beating Gandalf at Magic, and Aragorn at Swordsmanship.*



well frodo can't do magic cos he's a hobbit and you'd say he's too small to be a good swordsman but then look at yoda and how he bounced around in Episode II and III, oh that was funny wasn't it? you never know... soz i'm just ranting for the sake of it, but yes i get your point if the character as you say transforms into an incredible warrior in just a month it seems a lil unrealistic, that's always the dodgy balance with fantasy i think.

Fair play for expressing your view though. It almost compelled me to try it but i'll stick with my first stance and say no and bugger to that. Gonna read something new and different. And hopefully original!

My thought: I reckon any story can be original depending on how *you* portray it.


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## blademasterzzz

> Sure it's about powering up and strength and fighting and nobility and a lot of crazy people going "aaaaggh, urrghhh neeeaaghhh!!" for 1/2 an hour but it's so hilarious and addictive and oddly interesting too.



Okay... I can see reviewing is one of your strong points...  :twisted: 




> So, sounded a little like you didn't like it too much. A few things i wanted to just nitpick you on during you're FURY my man that i don't agree with, regardless of the novel.



Right.... Yes, I am angry, and I have every right to be, if your read my review. It is a bad book, and people are buying it like crazy. I think it is a bad thing, don't you?



> Magic's been well overdone everywhere but i think the evil part is really a core part of Fantasy isn't it? The good and the bad?



Different kinds of magic. He just took his particular one. He didn't even bother to create SOMETHING of his own, in regards to magic system. 

Heck, I can think of a midly original magical system right now, and I'm fairly sure it hasn't been done before. 

And as to good and bad... George R R Martin, one of the few fantasy writers I have the outmost respect for has no "epic evil" or "great good". 
And yet his books kick Goodkind and Feist in the ass, sending the rolling down the slopes of misery. 




> Err, i'd argue that that is a good thing. If you had a repetitious Brom said this and Brom said that Brom went onto only SAY things and never really showed any emotion or feeling in his voice whatsoever because he's monotoneous. If he was a robot that'd be fine but if he's not i'd argue the author's showing skill. i wouldn't know since i haven't read it, but unless he really is completely going nuts with hyperbolic verbal processes then i see the point you're making as valid.



One of the core elements of being a good writer is to have your characters express their emotions via dialogue and body language. 

The MOST amateur way of doing it is through adverbs tacked onto the end of a dialogue ("Good-bye", said Jerry _sadly_), 
Or do it this way, by transmitting how he said it: ("Good-bye," _wailed _Jerry.)

Now, if you combine the two, you get a horrible thing, aka 
("Good-bye," wailed Jerry sadly). It hurts the ears, and is exactly what Paolini does. So yes, he does go way overboard with it. 


A way out of this would be: 

"Good-bye." Jerry lowered his head, trying to fight back tears. He turned around and slowly walked away, his hands dangling around uselessly. 

It is by no means good, I'm not that great of a writer, but that's what you should be striving for. 



> look at yoda and how he bounced around in Episode II and III



Fair enough, but Yoda was wise, and hundreds of years old. He didn't just get sooo good within a month or two!

And Eragon ain't wise, he is probably the dumbest protagonist I have ever read of. I mean, look: In the night, a dragon hatches from a mysterious stone. Do you think Eragon is scared, mystified, intrigued? 

No, he is angry, and shouts at the egg! 



> My thought: I reckon any story can be original depending on how you portray it.



That's true. Well said. 
Heck, if Paolini told it through the Point Of View of the dragon, the originality would have risen sharply.


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## ThatWierdGuy

Blade, after reading your paper, I want to read the book to see how bad it is.  I'm not sure if this was your intention however.


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## ThatWierdGuy

> but yes i get your point if the character as you say transforms into an incredible warrior in just a month it seems a lil unrealistic, that's always the dodgy balance with fantasy i think.




To add to what you just said, "Wizard's First Rule" the main character was an expert swordsman the moment after he picked up a sword.  That part really annoyed me.  It also annoyed me in "Kingdom of Heaven".  Anyone who practices any kind of swordsmanship, whether its kenjitsu, rapier, sport fencing, etc. knows it takes years and years to master.


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## Merforga

lol i want to read the book now ,i'll probally download it it though


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## Hodge

Ugh. I haven't read _Eragon,_ but _Wizard's First Rule_ was pretty bad. Especially that whole dominatrix part of the book... Terrible.


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## magikpumpkin

lol. fair play then. does sounds like a pretty awful book if it gets you that angry. Could read it just for a laugh i guess now.


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## demonic_harmonic

i actually sort of liked that book. 

but here, this should make you feel better:


i don't expect him to be able to write anything else after this.


and here's something to make you feel worse:


yes, they're making the first book into a movie already.


i am going to read the next one. i'm curious as to see if his writing has improved from the age of 15, to the age of 19, which he is now.


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## Ilan Bouchard

I wonder what his reaction will be when he's older.  He'll undoubtedly realize how bad his book was, and how much hype revolved around his age.

Or maybe, due to an inflated ego, his writing will never improve.

I must admit I'm rather jealous, though I'm certain I could write a better book (I haven't read this book, but my stories never got this much reaction.  They must be better!).


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## Pendulum

I could barely get through the first 30 pages. The writing is so cliched and he has terrible grammar, sentence structure, etc. It reads so choppily it is difficult to make it through the first chapter. People are calling the author a "prodigy", when all he really did was rechurn all the fantasy books he had read and got lucky by getting it published. The age thing is a huge gimmick, probably one of the main reasons he was published.


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## Kane

I'm willing to bet that his publishing had more to do with the fact that his parents own the publishing company.


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## LensmanZ313

No. I serious doubt that. They did "self-publish" originally but it was later picked up by Knopf. However, his parents were once members of the Church Universal and Triumphant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Universal_and_Triumphant) and were living at the Prophets' Montana compound; that's how they met. The boy's homeschooled, too, I guess . . . .

More power to him . . . .


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## Hodge

Meh. He got rich quick. I wish I could get rich quick. The only problem is that his name will be tarnished to serious readers for the rest of his life, so he won't be able to slide into important literature (which to me is more important than getting rich quick, but hey, there's always pen names).


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## Kane

I don't see fantasy books written as a kid preventing him from a career in important literature later on, should he choose to pursue that path.  It all depends on what he does with his fame I think.


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## blademasterzzz

Fame can be quite unhealthy. I'll respect him if he can see his book for what it truly is through the haze of fame and ego, and do a better job next time. 

We shall see.


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## bobothegoat

Ugh...  I started reading it, but got fed up.  At first it was actually very funny, but seeing an adverb after every single "said" synonym can get tiring.  Plus, his thesaurus seems to have given him some awkward news.

As for Mr. Paoloni's future prospects... well, I get the feeling that he'll go the way of so many other so-called child prodigies.  In his later books, nobody will care anymore (or at least no more than other on the books on the market), because other than 
his age, he doesn't have anything--unless he gets drastically better, which wouldn't be hard to do :roll:


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## MiloDaePesdan

Heh. I'd recommend him to read over the _little _book. As in Shrunk & E.B. White's Elements of Style. Now, a young lad could go a long way with that.


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## demonic_harmonic

Actually, fame can be quite healthy, and not bad for the size of your ego. Many writers are actually humbled by their fame, as they get to travel and meet people who they believe are much more talented than they are, and they get to meet their fans, whom they find fascinating and, sometimes, much more intelligent and aware of the world than they are. I believe everyone should get atleast a short amount of time to be reasonably famous. 


This kid, in my eyes, is not famous enough to be humbled yet. If he was, he would be forced to travel around the world, without friends or family, for weeks at a time for signing and reading tours. He would eventually miss home, miss his family, be terribly tired, and see things he could have never imagined. He is at a comfortable stage of fame right now, where he does a few signings, but nothing that major, and is having money thrown at him so others can use his works for movies and such. 

But on the other side of this... Let's face it. No, it's not a great book, but let's pretend that your little brother or sister wrote that book when they were 15. You can say all you want that Paolini didn't deserve it, but be honest. Wouldn't you be happy for them? Paolini personally might not deserve it, but don't be too nasty.


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## bmroyer

sounds like a good book, maybe I'll go out and buy it...


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## Crims_Daughter

mmm that book is so boring......it sucked


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## Talia_Brie

ThatWierdGuy said:
			
		

> To add to what you just said, "Wizard's First Rule" the main character was an expert swordsman the moment after he picked up a sword.  That part really annoyed me.  It also annoyed me in "Kingdom of Heaven".



2 points. 

_Wizard's First Rule._ Richard didn't transform into an expert swordsman. He was already a good fighter and someone gave him a magic sword that could blow shit up if he was angry. He didn't become an expert swordsman until later in the series when he was able to fully capture the power of the weapon. (That being said I'm not going to defend Terry Goodkind. He's not a very good writer either.)

_Kingdom of Heaven_. As Kane has said elsewhere, Balean was a blacksmith, which means he was probably quite capable of handling a sword before travelling. He then travelled overland on a trip that probably took about 5-6 months, during which time he had little to do expect practice and build on the skills he had probably already acquired.

But that's off the point. Neither of these comparisons relate to what happened in _Eragon_.


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## Kane

lol, what the hell?  I already posted a similar statement about Balaen after that dude made the comment, but i just looked and it's gone.  =/


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## Talia_Brie

Kane said:
			
		

> lol, what the hell?  I already posted a similar statement about Balaen after that dude made the comment, but i just looked and it's gone.  =/



Maybe on another thread. There are a couple of Eragon threads at the moment. And I remember seeing it from you.


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## Kane

Ahh ok, so that guy is saying the same thing in different threads?  silliness.


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## ThatWierdGuy

To clear things up, I posted that before Kane corrected me, look at the times of the posts.  I didn't feel that it was necessary to edit a previous post after I was corrected.

Just to clear things up.  :wink:


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## SpardaDante

Blade that is a lie. Eragon is one of the greatest books i have read.

How can you say that the Elves and Dwarfs are "Tolkien Stereotypes" J.R.R Tolkien dident make up Elves and Dwarves, they are fantasy creatures that have been thoght about for years.

You say that the book is mixes of many other books, well its not your just over Exagurating.

That is a load of crap that you posted.


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## bobothegoat

SpardaDante said:
			
		

> Blade that is a lie. Eragon is one of the greatest books i have read.
> 
> How can you say that the Elves and Dwarfs are "Tolkien Stereotypes" J.R.R Tolkien dident make up Elves and Dwarves, they are fantasy creatures that have been thoght about for years.
> 
> You say that the book is mixes of many other books, well its not your just over Exagurating.
> 
> That is a load of crap that you posted.



No, elves and dwarves, the way Tolkien described them, have NOT been around for ages, and ever had they been around that would not excuse the fact that Eragon's dwarves and elves are completely unoriginal.

Blade has written out his review and has thoroughly explained his position.  Now it's your turn: why is Eragon one of the greatest books you've ever read?


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## awesome_possum

Blade, I agree with exactly every single thing you said. 

I read the book. It was one of the most painful things I have ever done, but worth it. I get to chop the fans defenses to pieces now. Truly. I went to a forum for eragon fans, and asked them essentially the same things you wanted to. I told them my opinion on the book, and they kept bringing up his age as a life line. I told them a million times that age has nothing to do with how enjoyable a book is. NOTHING. His age didn't make the stupid thing more interesting or more original. They couldn't defend Mr. Paolini's egotism either. 

So now, I would like to ask SpardaDante why he likes the book. And how he can say that what Blade said is a lie. Blade did not exagurate. Have you read Earthsea by chance? If you havn't I am telling you that the magic system is the same. To a falt. Dragan riders of pern (even though the author praised eragon) has to many similarities to Eragon for it to be insperation if you ask me. And do you consider "icey blue eyes" and "crimson hair" to be good writing? TELL ME WHY YOU LIKE THE BOOK. Its something no one could adequetly do for me at the fan forum.


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## Hell's Angel

Poor Blade.  Poor thousands of people who think the same thing, including me.

And to think that everybody at my school likes it...























Damn


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## awesome_possum

desturbing, isn't it.


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## VinrAlfakyn

Personally, I like the book and am currently reading the second one. I understand what blade's saying about not being original. The elves and dwarves ARE like the ones Tolkien wrote about. But that's fine with me because I love Lord of the Rings and I think it's neat to see the same kind of species in another book by another author. For example, elves are tall and closer to human heighth, compared to another book I read with elves where they were tiny and rode on cats. I prefer to think of them as tall, so I like that he made them that way. It seems more fitting for them to me. The reason Eragon was stronger than Brom was because he was a Rider. That gave him an extra bit of power. Anyway, gotta go right now.


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## shadowseer

VinrAlfakyn said:
			
		

> Personally, I like the book and am currently reading the second one. I understand what blade's saying about not being original. The elves and dwarves ARE like the ones Tolkien wrote about. But that's fine with me because I love Lord of the Rings and I think it's neat to see the same kind of species in another book by another author. For example, elves are tall and closer to human heighth, compared to another book I read with elves where they were tiny and rode on cats. I prefer to think of them as tall, so I like that he made them that way. It seems more fitting for them to me. The reason Eragon was stronger than Brom was because he was a Rider. That gave him an extra bit of power. Anyway, gotta go right now.


I agree with you. Tolkien was a great writer, and alot is built off of some of his work. If you think of elves, one of the first things that comes to mind is Tolkiens type, or if you're younger, those Keebler Guys. Big dif. 
Anyway, back to the point, I think Tolkien's work is widely enough accepted that it's stereotypes can be used in other books.


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## blademasterzzz

Except the plagiarism goes much further than simple races in Eragon. The most disturbing for me was certainly the magic system, which is ripped from the wonderful Earthsee books, and written in the most horrible fashion.


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## Farror

> Urgals - orcs with horns. Not 1% original.
> Shade - bah. Seen it, read it.



Ever read Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time"? Those creatures are pretty well exact copies of trollocs and Mydraal.


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## Verago

The only reason I tolerated it was because some of my friends had read it, and because it was unlike anything I had read before. Upon further investigation, I realized that the unlikeness was (and a new word is born.) ungoodness. 

It's unoriginal.

And it just ticks me off that the airhead compares himself to writers far superior to himself.

You know what I think of Paolini?
He was hugged too much as a child, and he still is a child.
Funny coming from me, being younger than him. 
Yeah, he was pampered too much, he was always told that he did a good job, and now he has a super-ego (and I say that not in the Freudian sense.). 
In a fit of brilliance, he decided to write an EPIC. And, naturally, the only way to write an epic was to use epic ideas. Epic, of course, meaning "previously used and publically known ideas, recycled." 




			
				SpardaDante said:
			
		

> Blade that is a lie. Eragon is one of the greatest books i have read.
> 
> How can you say that the Elves and Dwarfs are "Tolkien Stereotypes" J.R.R Tolkien dident make up Elves and Dwarves, they are fantasy creatures that have been thoght about for years.
> 
> You say that the book is mixes of many other books, well its not your just over Exagurating.
> 
> That is a load of crap that you posted.



Why, hello there, Mr. Paolini. Fancy meeting you here.


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## Hell's Angel

^--^Haha, Verago.  Y'know Eldest came out a few days ago.  My english teacher told the class that it got a D+ from Entertainment Weekly.  My friend was trying to not get mad 'cause she was reading it.  Wrong but funny!


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## Verago

Hell's Angel said:
			
		

> ^--^Haha, Verago.  Y'know Eldest came out a few days ago.  My english teacher told the class that it got a D+ from Entertainment Weekly.  My friend was trying to not get mad 'cause she was reading it.  Wrong but funny!



Well, it seems that Master Paolini's writing hasn't much improved, then. 

I guess we can expect to see SpardaDante at its bashing ceremony, too.


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## awesome_possum

> Except the plagiarism goes much further than simple races in Eragon. The most disturbing for me was certainly the magic system, which is ripped from the wonderful Earthsee books, and written in the most horrible fashion.



Disturbing for me as well, blade. When I was reading Eragon, the fact that he used Ursala K. LeGuins magic system really pissed me off. In fact, I would have to say it was the worst rip _Master_ Paolini did. It drives me insane anytime I hear praise for that book. . . . I am currently contemplating reading Eldest, just to see if he really has improved. I would, of course, borrow it from a misguided friend or library. None of _my_ cash is going to the _great_ Paolini.


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## kapu666

*Re: Eragon*

You guys should get out a little more. 

PRAISE FOR ERAGON

2004 Book Sense Book of the Year
A New York Times Bestseller
A USA Today Bestseller
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller
A Publishers Weekly Bestseller


“An authentic work of great talent . . . I found myself dreaming about it at night, and reaching for it as soon as I woke.”
Liz Rosenberg, The New York Times Book Review

“Christopher Paolini make literary magic with his precocious debut.”
People

“Unusual, powerful . . . fresh and fluid. An impressive start to a writing career that’s sure to flourish.”
Booklist, Starred

“An auspicious beginning to both career and series.”
Publishers Weekly

“Will appeal to the legions of readers who have been captivated
by the Lord of the Rings trilogy.” 
School Library Journal


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## bobothegoat

Again, any book on the market thrusts its awards and compliments out there and silences the dissent.  Name a book, no matter how bad it is, and I'll find positive reviews for it.


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## Angelmusic234

So, what kapu is saying...  Is that the book is great because the critics say its great?  What makes them right?  Is your own personal opinion somehow less meaningful because you don't write for some fancy magazine?


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## Talia_Brie

*Re: Eragon*



> “An authentic work of great talent . . . I found myself dreaming about it at night, and reaching for it as soon as I woke.”
> Liz Rosenberg, The New York Times Book Review



Nightmares are dreams too.



> “Christopher Paolini make literary magic with his precocious debut.”
> People




It is in fact quite magical that such a poorly written peice of drivel has managed to get published at all. Quite magical.



> “Unusual, powerful . . . fresh and fluid. An impressive start to a writing career that’s sure to flourish.”
> Booklist, Starred



What they've edited out here with the . . . is that this is a reference to the marketing exercise, not the writing involved.



> “An auspicious beginning to both career and series.”
> Publishers Weekly



Again, quite likely a reference to the enormous marketing push.



> “Will appeal to the legions of readers who have been captivated
> by the Lord of the Rings trilogy.”
> School Library Journal



as it is an almost complete ripoff, just written using words of fewer syllables.


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## Ilan Bouchard

You can't really blame him for thinking it's good work.  He's gotten positive reviews such as the ones above, and gotten praise everywhere he turned.  Others contribute to his illusion of grandeur as much as the ego he began with, which is thriving in this situation.


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## jk7070436

I agree that Eragon isn't exactly the most original series in the world, but the fact that so many people enjoy it should tell you something, should it not? I also enjoyed this book, ignoring the many problems it had. Everyone in my school loved it and although it may not appeal to you, there must be something about it that attracts kids and even some adults. I should know, for I am a kid. Be it the cover, the dragons, the elves, or the magic, it somehow draws children into the book. I'm not saying that you are wrong to believe that it is a bad book, because in ways, it is. I'm merely stating my opinion.


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## Anarkos

jk7070436 said:
			
		

> I agree that Eragon isn't exactly the most original series in the world, but the fact that so many people enjoy it should tell you something, should it not?



Yeah, it tells me that there are some dumb motherfuckers in this world.


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## Kane

:mrgreen:


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## bruisedelbows

*Well, I think the book's crap too.

And you know how this gets even better? His parents have a publishing business. His PARENTS published his book. And you know what that means... 

He is one big fat fake. And when he was trying to write a classic, he made the most boring text I have ever read. It was horrible. *shudders*

But I can understand why some people would like it. It would be pointless to hate it if people did like it somehow. So go you people that do! I'm just on the side that doesn't. *


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## jk7070436

actually, I don't think it was his parents published the books. I don't think his parents worked for Knopf. Not sure. Did they?


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## Crazy_dude6662

blademasterzzz said:
			
		

> Again, using and stealing are different.
> Tolkien took ancient myths and imbued them with new characteristics, he took the races and gave them history, languages, new qualities.
> 
> Eragon simply took the races EXACTLY as they appeared in Tolkien.
> 
> His most major change was to give orcs horns. Yes, the only difference between tolkien's and paolini's orcs (He calls them urgals) are horns.




you are aware your full of shit right??????

first of all if paolini "stole" from toliken (not include many other authors that have ELVES or DWARFS according to your logic)
but changed a few characteristics, like orcs and urgals or kull. toliken did the exact same thing he stole from myths, elves and dwarfs wernt created by toliken you know.

i think eragon is a good book

but eldest isnt as good, i admit that in eldest he uses alot more imagery that soon gets boring. i read eragon many times but i read eldest once and i cant bring myself to read eldest twice

although i will read the last book in hte trilogy so i can say i read them all.


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## Crazy_dude6662

jk7070436 said:
			
		

> actually, I don't think it was his parents published the books. I don't think his parents worked for Knopf. Not sure. Did they?


no they didnt, they have their own publishing house. paolini sold it door to door, another publisher saw said "wow this is great! i want to publish this" and thats how it was published.

so no he isnt a fake, it was probably luck that the publisher saw it and wanted to publish it.

he probably didnt even send it out and just used his parents first.


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## Hodge

Tolkien didn't "steal" from ancient myths. He drew from Norse and especially Welsh mythology and reworked the elements into different things. Orc, goblin, and troll used to be ambiguous terms that could be used interchangeably. Tolkien turned them into specific beings. Same with elves. And then he turned around and created a mythological backstory for his own world.

Tolkien was influenced heavily, but he didn't take pre-fabricated characters, races, or ideas and put them in his book.


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## Crazy_dude6662

influenced heavily, isnt that what their saying about poalini??


----------



## Hodge

No. From what I gather, Paolini took orcs and gave them horns. Then he took other elements and simply changed names around.

He took something from Jane Yolen and that's unforgivable.


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## Crazy_dude6662

what did he take from jane yolen


----------



## Crazy_dude6662

i dont even know what/who jane yolen is


----------



## Hodge

I don't remember but it really pissed me off. I think it's somewhere in this thread (or the other thread about his sequel).

Jane Yolen is a fantasy author of (mostly) young adult ficiton. I adored her writing when I was young—she wrote the _Dragon's Blood_ series.


----------



## Crazy_dude6662

never heard of the dragons blood series, they must be bad if there not in any book shop iv ever been to. and i basicly live off books


----------



## Hodge

You also live in Ireland. They're pretty damn popular—or were when I read them.


----------



## Anarkos

Crazy_dude6662 said:
			
		

> never heard of the dragons blood series, they must be bad if there not in any book shop iv ever been to. and i basicly live off books



Dude, you probably wouldn't find find _Candide_ in most bookshops either.  That doesn't make it a bad book.

Grow up, mate.


----------



## PaPa

Crazy_dude6662 said:
			
		

> no they didnt, they have their own publishing house. paolini sold it door to door, another publisher saw said "wow this is great! i want to publish this" and thats how it was published.



The publisher was probably more like "Wow, trashy derivative fantasy!  Everyone buys these, and I do love money!"


----------



## Crazy_dude6662

PaPa said:
			
		

> The publisher was probably more like "Wow, trashy derivative fantasy!  Everyone buys these, and I do love money!"



hehehehe, thats more likly to have been what they said


----------



## Lpspider

PaPa said:
			
		

> The publisher was probably more like "Wow, trashy derivative fantasy! Everyone buys these, and I do love money!"


 
Wow, the thing is, that is very closly to how most publishers thing.


----------



## Kylemagne

"Urgals - orcs with horns. Not 1% original." What do you mean!!! They are seriously fleshed out it later books. In fact, they fight Galbatorix. Sorry, I don't remember any orcs fighting Sauron.


----------



## Explosia

blademasterzzz said:


> that sounds remarkably like FANFICTION, the lowest form of writing.


You officially lost me at this one, dude. 

Fanfiction is a means by which many people practice and perfect their writing craft.  It's writing, even if it's borrowing other pre-established characters and settings, and a springboard from which many people can launch themselves into their own stride. Some people have crafted masterfully written pieces of fanfiction, which is why so many people read it. It is by no means the "lowest" form of writing.


----------



## Joker

Explosia said:


> You officially lost me at this one, dude.
> 
> Fanfiction is a means by which many people practice and perfect their writing craft.  It's writing, even if it's borrowing other pre-established characters and settings, and a springboard from which many people can launch themselves into their own stride. Some people have crafted masterfully written pieces of fanfiction, which is why so many people read it. It is by no means the "lowest" form of writing.



I don't think he's still around to reply, lol.


----------



## Explosia

Joker said:


> I don't think he's still around to reply, lol.


Yeeeeeeeaaaaaah, I didn't realize until after answering    Thread has been necro'd


----------



## M J Tennant 2022

The movie which was loosely based on the book was even worse!  What were they thinking!  Lost over two hours of my life from watching that!


----------



## Mullanphy

I, too, should read the original date of the thread. Dayum, another good rant gone in the wind.


----------

