# inheritance series - chrisopher paulini



## sputnik_15 (Sep 18, 2007)

alright alright i know alot of people dont like it because the uncreativity and all the cliche of the whole idea.. but 

i personally liked the books they were a good read, and they kept me interested enough to want to read the third book when it comes out.
It might just be my kind of book, i dont know. but i enjoyed it

I also give him props and let alot of the very very easy read a break for him only being 15 when he wrote the first book. i give the book a major break



but tell why you like it or why you hate it  i would like to hear some opinions on the book


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## Nillani (Sep 19, 2007)

what??? uncreativity???? what????? where is this coming from??? that series is only one of the best series' I have ever read!! and that's saying something, cos I am constantly reading! I am, at the moment, reading Eldest for the millionth time... I love them!!


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## sputnik_15 (Sep 19, 2007)

heh i loved the books aswell, but not entirely my opinion by the way  alot of people say that all of thsoe ideas came from elsewhere. but i loved the books aswell


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## Nillani (Sep 19, 2007)

seriously, every person I know who has read thos books has adored them - of all ages, too  so whoever made those comments obviously doesn't appreciate good fantasy


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## sputnik_15 (Sep 19, 2007)

well.. i felt like it was an exciting book. i loved to read through it. i enjoyed having a good idea what was going to happen. but there are some parts i did not expect at all. i thought it was pretty well thought out. i loved the books


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## Nillani (Sep 19, 2007)

yeah, the ending to eldest was totally unexpected!! and brilliant!! do you like action books, like, say, matthew reilley?


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## sputnik_15 (Sep 19, 2007)

ooh i dont really know artists.. 

im actually legally blind, so i have to have a machine to read books
its a pain, but ill deal with it for a good book
i love to read though, if i could get books online i would read alot more

but i like some actions books. like "under a war torn sky"
if you havent read that book i highly suggest it. it is an outstanding book, and only 280 pages or so


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## Writer Kitten (Sep 19, 2007)

While I certainly will not bash someone for liking it, I couldn't finish the second book. I just _couldn't_. The romance was laughably wrong, and the cliches just pounded into my head.

The first one, well... For what it is -- a good juvenile (meaning young, not necessarily immature) introduction into fantasy -- it's a semi-decent read. But beyond that it's not the greatest literature ever written, and not even in the same class as some other fantasy (even YA fantasy). 

Will my children read it? Probably. Will I then change my mind and think it's the next Narnia, LotR and Dark Materials all rolled into one? No. It's not. And it never will be.

*Nillani* I absolutely _adore_ Matthew Reilly and most especially his Scarecrow books. Have you read his _Hell Island_?


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## Mr Sci Fi (Oct 1, 2007)

I've also enjoyed Eragon -- When I remember it being called 'Star Wars.'

Awful metaphors, cliche storyline, stilted dialogue, mundane prose.

I barely got through Eragon, I stopped reading Eldest on the first page.


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## alanmt (Oct 1, 2007)

I agree with the writer of the previous post.

As with movies, there are very few books - no matter how horrible - that I simply abandon in the middle.   I have stalled out in the middle of Eldest, but I will get back to it someday.

If my reading is viewed solely by consumption, my taste may hardly be described as discriminating, but having read a great many very well written works, and a great many very poorly written works, I think that I can say with a fair degree of confidence in my opinion that this series is more appropriately placed in the latter category.


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## raymondstary (Oct 5, 2007)

Nillani said:


> what??? uncreativity???? what????? where is this coming from??? that series is only one of the best series' I have ever read!! and that's saying something, cos I am constantly reading! I am, at the moment, reading Eldest for the millionth time... I love them!!


Well, if such eloquence does not speak of high literary standards, then nothing does.


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## DavidGil (Oct 5, 2007)

Can't say much about it. I bought the first book for studying purposes but haven't read it. 

One thing you have to do though, is give the guy credit for writing a book at 15 or well, starting it then and getting it published. Doesn't matter really how he got it published either in my view or how much help he had. 

Quite a young age in any case. (note: This applies to the first book only.)


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## Rambling Sage (Nov 13, 2007)

i thought the books were just ok. i mean they kept my attention, but thats not saying much considering i can sit down and read pretty much any book no matter how bad. 

i do think that it did have a lot of cliches and lots of it was based heavily off of other fantasies but, even if it wasnt good it was at least somewhat entertaining. i just dont understand the hype about the guy, the book is just average. when reading the book i think it is obvious that it was written by someone young and that took away from it.

just as a side note, he came to my library and gave an author talk about the first book. it was interesting but he just appeared as an average writer


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## VampChick220 (Dec 3, 2007)

Ok I will agree here, Christapher Paloni wasnt the greatest writer in the world when he wrote Eragon, but in Eldest I seriously cried!
                                                   (I probably only liked those books cause their my type of books) 
                                  :joker: I can't wait for the third book, has anyone ever read the first chapter to Empire yet? It was in the back of the special edition of Eldest. SO Awsome! Eragon and Roran were going to get Katrina when they were caught!


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## VigorousMastication (Dec 7, 2007)

Reilly and Paolini are both terrible. Reilly has fantastic ideas, but his ability to realise them is lackluster. Paolini doesn't even have ideas; he rips them off from Star Wars. Excuse me now, I have to go weep for the death of literature .


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## GloryGloryManUtd (Dec 7, 2007)

I agree with VigorousMastication, and while I can see how the books are an okay introduction into fantasy, most fans of the genre should be able to see what a travesty they are. Unoriginal characters, creatures and lore, god-awful dialogue and plot, and just general writing that is decent at best. Of course, the fact that it looks like Paolini went through his manuscript and used the synonym feature in Microsoft Word to change every single word doesn't help the cause at all. And did anyone else notice that the mythology of the dwarves in Eldest is ripped almost unchanged from the Lord of the Rings? If you haven't, do a little reading into both and you'll see what I mean. 

As a self-professed fan of fantasy and science fiction, these books make me want to cry, and also to hit Christopher Paolini for creating something that too many people will believe sets the standard for good fantasy. Newsflash: It doesn't, not by a long shot.


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## alanmt (Dec 7, 2007)

Eldest is making me cry also vampchik220, but not, I suspect, for the same reasons.


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## FMK (Dec 7, 2007)

I don't really see why it's such a big deal if it's cliched or not. If it's a good story, it's a good story; if it's a bad story, it's a bad story. Cliche has no impact on the writer's ability to tell a tale.

That being said, I think Inheritance deserves a failing grade. I liked it for a year or two, but after reading through it again, I couldn't understand why. I mean, I'll probably end up reading book three eventually, but only to see how the story ends. If it ends there; I read somewhere that there might be a fourth book, but I don't know if that's true.


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## Danzo (Dec 24, 2007)

I enjoyed reading Eragon and Eldest (and I will enjoy reading the final two books; yes, two!)... and I don't understand all of the criticism. Many people cite the fact that it's similar to Star Wars and Lord of the Rings ('cliched') when they say that they dislike the books  but when I read that I feel as though they're implying that they disliked Star Wars and Lord of the Rings... Many of the themes and ideas in the series are unoriginal, and I understand how that could warrant criticism, but not disliking the books. I think people should give better reasons. 

Go Christopher!


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## ClancyBoy (Dec 25, 2007)

I'm just happy you young people are reading.  

Taste and discretion can come later.  Just think of them as two things you can look forward to.


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## Mr Sci Fi (Dec 27, 2007)

The one thing that ticked me off about Eragon is that it didn't go anywhere. It's just about getting from Point A to Point B. The fact that I've seen this formula before from George Lucas, I kind of figured out exactly how the characters would get there. And I was correct. 

Just exchange the Death Star with a damp dungeon, and Tatooine with random Lord of the Rings inspired geography. I suppose Light Sabers become Dragons and the "Force" becomes "Elven Magic" as well. Oh, Elven Magic. Original.


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## Pardot Kynes (Jan 4, 2008)

Read four authors Title Series, then tell me CP didn't rip off more talented writers.

Anne McCaffrey
JRR Tolkien
Robert Silverburg
Terry Brooks

CP's books are decent children's lit, but they will never compete in the minds and hearts of the Reader's Audience. They will never be a treasure found on a used bookstore shelf, where someone reunites with an old friend after long years apart. They will never have the glory of foxing, they will never have the  musty odor of a book well worn, well read, and well loved. They will forever be second rate Fantasy, written by a potentially First Rate writer. I look forward to what he writes when he has more experience, and the editors in charge of his work don't rob it of life and joy.


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## PianoGirl (Jan 20, 2008)

Aaaahhh! I can't believe you guys don't like these books!!!!! They are ssoooo good! I can agree that Eldest wan't as good as Eragon but still!! I love paolini!


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## PianoGirl (Jan 20, 2008)

Aaahhhh! I can't believe you guys don't like these books! They are sooo the best!! I can agree that Eldest wasn't as good as Eragon but I can't wait for the third one to come out!!!


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## PianoGirl (Jan 20, 2008)

Srry about the extra post! I am such a dolt when it comes to computers!!


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## PianoGirl (Jan 20, 2008)

Umm, Pardot Kynes, I havent read all of those books you mentioned but I have read Tolkiens books. CP never even read Lord of the Rings so he can't have copied them.


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## Just Me (Jan 20, 2008)

Paolini is nothing more than a mediocre teenage writer with an unoriginal plot who got his hands on a thesaurus. If it weren't for his connections (anyone notice that his book was published by Mommy's and Daddy's company?) I doubt he'd have been published in the first place.


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## *Angel (Jan 20, 2008)

it has a enjoyable story for when your bored, or got nothing better.  but i think the only reason why so many people love it is because it parallels so many familiar concepts from other stories,

i know in most fantasy, pure originality is hard to do well, and theres not much you can write that wont resemble something else in some way, but i mean he could of at least altered the details in some way so there would be some ability to doubt any connection.  but no matter how you view it it's just Star Wars meets Lord of the Ring.


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## Krim (Jan 20, 2008)

> CP never even read Lord of the Rings so he can't have copied them.


 
- spits juice all over the monitor. -

ARE YOU FRIGGIN KIDDING ME. WHERE DO YOU PEOPLE GET YOUR FRIGGIN' INFORMATION? Did the same site say that Paolini is the reincarnation of Richard Nixon or something?



> Aaaahhh! I can't believe you guys don't like these books!!!!! They are ssoooo good! I can agree that Eldest wan't as good as Eragon but still!! I love paolini!


 
Well, the reason we don't like Paolini is because I believe most of us have read more than ten books in our lives. Take that comment however you want, but I really doubt you've done much reading. 

Is it...is it..YES, IT IS TIME FOR ME TO POST MY BOOKSHELF, WHICH HAS GROWN MUCH LARGER AND EVILER. Books to me are like socks. I can buy a pack of a hundred and somehow, inexplicably, two months later I only have ten, and I have no clue where the rest could have gotten to. 












As you may notice, Eldest is pinned by A Canticle for Lebowitz, Midnight Tides, Gardens of the Moon, Guards! Guards! and A Storm of Swords. I tried to negate its negative energies.


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## kingajcice (Jan 22, 2008)

I was once a fan of Harry Potter without ever thinking that any book would ever come along, no series could ever take away that Harry Potter had the best books ever.

Then I read Eragon, and I find it ten times better than any Harry Potter Book, including the seventh that has come out.

Eldest came out and I immediately read it of course, and it was even better than Eragon.

My list of best books ever goes...

1 - Eldest
2 - Eragon
3 - Harry Potter 7

Obviously I love the series.

I've heard the critics of course who hate the books for copying Star Wars and Lord Of The Rings, those critics are really crazy, and I will wait impatiently for Paulini's final book, Brisingr.


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## Just Me (Jan 22, 2008)

For all its flaws, at least the quality of writing in the Harry Potter series is better than that of the Inheritance series. In addition to its cliched rip-offs of better novels that preceded it, the quality of the writing is terrible. As I said before, little kid with a thesaurus.


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## Coiled Flame (Jan 22, 2008)

FMK said:


> That being said, I think Inheritance deserves a failing grade. I liked it for a year or two, but after reading through it again, I couldn't understand why.


Touche. I felt the same way - loved it at first, got started reading other goodies (His Dark Materials, Wheel of Time, and writing a bit of my own)m tried to re-read it and just found no interest in it whatsoever. Looking at it from a writer's perspective, it is just plain bad.


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## *Angel (Jan 23, 2008)

kingajcice said:


> I've heard the critics of course who hate the books for copying Star Wars and Lord Of The Rings, those critics are really crazy,



how are they crazy, might i ask out of curiosity?


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## Krim (Jan 23, 2008)

Because they care about integrity. INSANITY.



> 1 - Eldest
> 2 - Eragon
> 3 - Harry Potter 7


 
- giggles. -

What other books have you read?


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## DavidGil (Jan 23, 2008)

It's nice to see Bakker's work amongst your books Krim. I find he doesn't seem to get mentioned as much as other authors. A lot of the other ones I saw, I didn't recognise.

But a serious question: How do you find the books you want? If it was me, I'd keep all of Martin's, Bakker's and Erikson's books together in order.  I literally couldn't see any of the other books in those series, unless you don't have them.


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## kingajcice (Jan 23, 2008)

Krim said:


> Because they care about integrity. INSANITY.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I don't like any other kinds of books, so only the recent more popular fiction books like those two series.

I like the Artemis Fowl series.  However I find that many books I try to read from popular authors, Steven King for example, the story line immediately gives me absolutely no interest in the book.


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## Krim (Jan 23, 2008)

> I don't like any other kinds of books, so only the recent more popular fiction books like those two series.


 
What kind of books are those? Books about magical teenagers? Try out Chronicles of Amber and the Coldfire Trilogy. 



> But a serious question: How do you find the books you want? If it was me, I'd keep all of Martin's, Bakker's and Erikson's books together in order. :smile: I literally couldn't see any of the other books in those series, unless you don't have them.


 
Diligent searching. It's annoying since my bookshelf is now extremely packed front and back and I need another one. I've sort of ordered them, though. Let me see what I can recognize on those shelves...those are old, though. I need new pictures. I'm sure you'd recognize a lot more in recent pictures. Like I said, I tend to lose a lot of books in a series, so I'll have like book 1, book 4, and book 8. 

Mhm...I see...is that Amber Spyglass? The Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb...A dictionary...sumthin...Series of Unfortunate Events book...Cirque du Freak...Doomsday...The Sun Also Rises...Hitchhiker's Guide...sumthin...The Silver Spike by Glen Cook, sumthin, Neverwhere, Wizard & Glass, Shadows Linger, Lirael, Lady Friday, Golden Compass, sumthin, L'engle, sumthin sumthin sumthing. 

Then Orson Scott Card's book on writing Fantasy & Sci-Fi, more Glen Cook (The White Rose?), Ptolemy's Gate, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep?, Fool's Fate, Perdido Street Station, King Rat, Calvin & Hobbes book, The Drawing of the Three, Looking for Jake, The Waste Land, Song of Susannah, Across the Wall, Wolves of the Calla, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire(?), Illustrated Kid's Bible some random priest gave me, Seventh Tower (last three books omnibus), a bunch of something, Reality Bug, one of the Magician books by Trudi Canavan (High Lord?)

Then some things...Cold Sassy Tree, Philosopher's Stone, Atlantis Found, Fire, sumthin, Quicksilver, Stone of Farewell, another Glen Cook book, Golden Fool, sumthin, sumthin, sumthin, so on and sumthin, Deathly Hallows (...mhm, this must be more recent than I thought, date has to be wrong on the camera), Debt of Honor, stuff, a Pendragon book, the complete Divine Commedy.

Then more crap.


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## Mr Sci Fi (Jan 23, 2008)

I agree with Krim, Pianogirl musn't have read many books.


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## Ilasir Maroa (Jan 23, 2008)

Well, some of the books Krim mentions aren't much better, but a lot of them are.  Eriksson, Martin, Kay, Card, Hobb, all good authors.  paolini is awful, and I wouldn't have read such an immature book if I hadn't fallen for all that hype.   All his ideas are stolen, from the reviously mentoned authors RS, JRRT, AM, and GL.  His plots are unoriginal, awful written, and somewhat corny.  Not that I didn't finish, but it took work.


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## kingajcice (Jan 23, 2008)

Krim said:


> What kind of books are those? Books about magical teenagers? Try out Chronicles of Amber and the Coldfire Trilogy.



Umm, with those series, is the protagonist a heroine, because I don't like a book with a heroine either, it's annoying to listen to the feelings written for them.


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## Sekaya (Jan 24, 2008)

@Kingajcice: As long as the heroine isn't whiny, I find them exactly like the guys. How then do their feelings annoy you? 
It's not like they are that dramatically different from guys. 
Of course, I'm a girl, so what would _I_ know, afterall. -cue eye roll-

On topic: Eragon as a character frustrates me. I forced myself to read through it. He's such an idiot, even more so than usual, and whines and whines and whines.
They should have their moments but...
not so many...
And it is so draggy and predictable in places. 
Personally, even though I didn't like every one of McCaffrey's "Dragon riders of Pern" series, its much better than Eragon. In the two I like especially out of the series, I found I could connect with the characters much better than in that. 
not so much in Eragon.
Unless you count swearing.
/bashing.


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## DavidGil (Jan 24, 2008)

Hey Krim, thanks for the response to my serious question. 

I don't know many of the books you mentioned but I've heard of Robin Hobb's works. I've never tried them though. I have the first two Dark Tower books of Stephen King's and that's about it. The rest of my books are either different than you mentioned or are by Bakker, Erikson and Martin. For some reason though, I have quite a few R.A Salvatore books amongst the fantasy and non-fantasy ones I have. I guess I just them for a good read where you don't need to think and his action sequences are nicely described.

I can recommend the series from Greg Keyes, Kingdom of Thorn & Bone, starting with the Brirar King however if you're looking for a new series at some point. People tend to refer to it as Martin lite. That is, if you've never read or heard about it.


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## Mr Sci Fi (Jan 24, 2008)

The only thing I think "Eragon" missed was when the title character was supposed to say to his Uncle: "But I was supposed to go to the Tashi Station to pick up some power converters!"


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## Natasha09 (Jan 25, 2008)

I have the first book of the series, and at first it was alright, but once the actual journey in the book got started, it bored me to death. I still haven't finished it and I started it about a year ago. 

One thing I hated with passion about the book was that Paolini uses way too many uncommon words. I started feeling like an idiot when it came to vocabulary, and I had to read the thing with a dictionary right next to me. Now I know the definitions of words that I will never ever use in life. If I have to say something is beautiful, I'm going to say it's beautiful, not pulchritudinous.


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## Rambling Sage (Jan 30, 2008)

to pianogirl, you said that he never read lotr.

well, ive heard him speak at a conference thing and not only has he read lotr, but just about every other classic fantasy that combine to form the basis of the genre, even down to beowulf, which is like the earliest fantasy ever.

so basically his books are all ripped off of other classic, and better, fantasies


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## Krim (Feb 3, 2008)

> Well, some of the books Krim mentions aren't much better, but a lot of them are. Eriksson, Martin, Kay, Card, Hobb, all good authors.


 
That's because I have books up there that I had when I was twelve or thereabouts, and just because they're there doesn't mean I like 'em. It just means I bought them. I need more recent pictures. I just moved, so I have my books in a box (it took about four large boxes, all of them stuffed, which pissed off my parents.) 

Various other books I recommend. 

Inkspell by Cornelia Funke, 
Litany of the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe,
Foundation by Isaac Asimov, 
Complete Tales of Poe, 
In Search of Memory by Kandel, 
Neverending Story by Ende, 
Art in the Zen of Writing by Bradbury,
To Green Angel Tower Part One and Part Two by Tad Williams, 
Otherland: City of Golden Shadow by Williams, 
Otherland: River of Blue Fire,
Shadow & Claw by Gene Wolfe, 
Sword & Citadel by Gene Wolfe, 
The Alphabet of Manliness by Maddox, 
I Am America (And So Can You), 
Dreamcatcher by Stephen King, 
The Scar by Mieville, 
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch, 
Anansi Boys by Gaiman, 
The Magician's Guild, 
The King of Elfland's Daughter by Dunsany, 
No Country For Old Men
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, 
War of the Flowers by Williams, 
All nine of the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher (a guilty pleasure) and all of his Codex Alera books, 
The rest of the Nine Black Company books by Gene Wolfe, 
American Psycho by Brett Ellis, 
Lord Valentine's Castle by Silverberg, 
Donnerjack by Zelazny, 
The Talisman by Peter Straub, 
The Stand by Stephen King, 
Christine by Stephen King, 
Riddlemaster of Hed, 
The Last Unicorn by Beagle, 
Hogfather by Terry Pratchett, 
East of Eden by Steinbeck, 
Looking for Jake by China Mieville, 
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Zafon, 
various books on Neurolinguistic Programming, 
The Knight and The Wizard by Gene Wolfe, 
Neuromancer by William Gibson, 
Stardust by Neil Gaiman, 
Innocent Mage/Awakened Mage by Karen Miller, 
Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman, 
Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, 
Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card, 
The Belgariad by David Eddings, 
Dreams of Terror and Death by Lovecraft, 
Salem's Lot by King, 
The Idiot by Dostoevsky, 
Crime and Punishment, 
Cujo,
Fahrenheit 451, 
Good Omens by Pratchett and Gaiman, 
House of Scorpions by Nancy Farmer, 
Sea of Trolls by Farmer, 
The Shining, 
From a Buick 8,
Buried Fire by Jonathan Stroud, 
The Noonday Demon by Andrew Solomon, 
Smoke and Mirrors by Gaiman, 
Corrupted Science by John Grant, 
Hyperion by Dan Simmons, 
The Wyrd Museum Trilogy, 
Divine Comedy, 
The Lesser Key of Solomon, 
The Basic Works of Aristotle, 
Stranger In A Strange Land by Henlein, 
The Science of Superheros by Kakalios, 
Mistborn 
and Well of Ascension by Brian Sanderson. 




> Umm, with those series, is the protagonist a heroine, because I don't like a book with a heroine either, it's annoying to listen to the feelings written for them.


 
Nope. They're guys with swords who cut things apart.


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## Dwood (Feb 3, 2008)

That's right Vader, Eragon's coming for you.




Natasha09 said:


> I have the first book of the series, and at first it was alright, but once the actual journey in the book got started, it bored me to death. I still haven't finished it and I started it about a year ago.
> 
> One thing I hated with passion about the book was that Paolini uses way too many uncommon words. I started feeling like an idiot when it came to vocabulary, and I had to read the thing with a dictionary right next to me. Now I know the definitions of words that I will never ever use in life. If I have to say something is beautiful, I'm going to say it's beautiful, not pulchritudinous.



Then I never suggest any of Orson Scott card's works to you.

Xenocide, anyone?


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## dwellerofthedeep (Feb 4, 2008)

Dwood said:


> Xenocide, anyone?


 
I guess this means you know a better way to shrink 

"an act of genocide directed towards aliens", 

if so, I'd like to here it.


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## ClancyBoy (Feb 9, 2008)

dwellerofthedeep said:


> I guess this means you know a better way to shrink
> 
> "an act of genocide directed towards aliens",
> 
> if so, I'd like to here it.



That always bugged me too.  Xenos ([SIZE=-1]ξένος)[/SIZE] means "guest," not "alien."  I guess you could shoehorn "slaughter of aliens" into the word, but I'd prefer he hadn't.

Somehow when I read that title I always imagine some renaissance dinner party where the invitees and the host go at it with table knives and two-pronged forks.


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## dwellerofthedeep (Feb 10, 2008)

The title didn't really bother me, but I see the word is a little confusing in a literal sense at the very least. I learned a lot of my vocabulary from science fiction back in the day and I often didn't bother questioning if a word was being used properly.  As a result I'm a wee bit easier to please in that regard.


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## MerryLlama (Feb 10, 2008)

i really don't understand the critism! I LOVED Eragon and Eldest.
ok so it did have loads of cliches and ok it was kind similar to other books like Lord of the Rings but so what! I loved lord of the rings too and im not going too say no to more.
It made me smile, laugh and cry what more could you want? 

for anyone thats interested the third book has spilt into two so there are now four books, the third one is called 'Brisingr' and out on the 30th of September

ps i've read the Robin Hobb books and think there great too


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## Impressario (Feb 11, 2008)

It sure has become popular to criticize this kid. Eldest is a much better work of fiction than Eragon,true,  but overall the quality isn't as low as people would have you believe. The problem lies in the obvious similarities to the original star wars trilogy. In Fact they're far too similar. . . But its a good interpretation.


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## Luc (Feb 14, 2008)

Forgive me for stating the obvious question but if there is such clear evidence that christopher paloni took other people's ideas and carved them into his own stories then why have lucas or whoever it is that overlooks LOTR literature and merchandise remained silent over this? Jk Rowling has never shyed from those trying to copy her work. even suing an author in russia who created a female character with the exact traits and history of harry potter.


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## DavidGil (Feb 14, 2008)

Ideas used from LOTR are pretty commonplace. Lucas probably hasn't said anything as there's no lightsabers or anything in the inheritance series. So I guess it's all fair what Paolini used within terms of copyright.

But keep in mind I haven't read any of the books. I have the first one mainly to see how someone that age writes whose published. So I'm just going off what others have said.


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## alanmt (Feb 14, 2008)

It's not "popular" to criticize this author.  He is criticized frequently, because his work deserves criticism.

Luc, being derivative is not the same as plagiarizing.  The former is not actionable in the courts; the latter is.  The book is the evidence, btw, and its derivative nature is clear to any objective reviewer.


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## Krim (Feb 14, 2008)

antishurtugal: A Somewhat Comprehensive Guide To Countering Common Arguments. 



> Eldest is a much better work of fiction than Eragon,true,


 
- chokes with laughter. - Yeah, right.


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## lemonavenue (Feb 15, 2008)

I have read a little bit of Eragon but none of Eldest. I plan to get my hands on Eragon eventually and read it all the way through as some kind of learning experiance. I had read some hype on the internet before I picked up the book so I was prepared for the worst, but what I found actually wasn't that bad. 

There were a lot of spots that I skipped over and could have easily been edited from the story, or at least shortened, and a lot of inaccuracies, continuity errors (Eragon went hunting for dinner when they already had a whole chicken ready to eat?), and scenes obviously penned by an amature teen writer. Yet it was not unreadable. In a way I can't help but feel happy for Christopher. At least he's living his dream. He may regret Eragon someday if he ever improves his writing, but for now I hope he's enjoying himself.


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## MerryLlama (Feb 15, 2008)

alanmt said:


> It's not "popular" to criticize this author. He is criticized frequently, because his work deserves criticism..


 
They are really not that bad! He's done amazingly well saying he started when he was only about 15, his storys aren't perfect but the ideas there and they're great for getting kids reading.


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## Luc (Feb 15, 2008)

Krim said:


> antishurtugal: A Somewhat Comprehensive Guide To Countering Common Arguments.


 
Glad that link mentioned Kaavya Viswanathan, she was the author I was looking for orignally to ask about the difference bewteen her and paloni given one was critcsed more than the other. 

I'll need to loan some of his books and find out the whole craze behind his books though I get the feeling that it was because of his own background may have to do with the sale of the stories, I think anyone would be curious to what kind of books a 15yr old has manahged to get published. Though if he wants his series to stay a succses then he usn't allow a sequal to that 'film adaption' of eragon. (I never visited any fansites of such yet I got bombarded by spam of online petitions demanding that peter jackson be signed on to do a remake of it?!


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## Damian_Rucci (Feb 16, 2008)

Every time a major fantasy book comes out, they say it ripped from LOTR. I only read the first  book tho, Eragon. When I'm done reading my other books I'm going to read Eldest


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## Krim (Feb 19, 2008)

> Every time a major fantasy book comes out, they say it ripped from LOTR.


 
No. They don't. Stop making ignorant statements. Read the link I posted.


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## Faustling (Feb 20, 2008)

Damian_Rucci said:


> Every time a major fantasy book comes out, they say it ripped from LOTR. I only read the first  book tho, Eragon. When I'm done reading my other books I'm going to read Eldest



Not exactly. What you might be thinking of though, is that like 95% of all fantasy books written since Tolkien were heavily influenced by him (having elfs, dwarfs, ect.) but that's not exactly the same as ripping off. (Doesn't stop it from being incredibly annoying at times though...)


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## DavidGil (Feb 20, 2008)

I just wanted to add my two pence and say Krim provided a good link.


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## PageOfCups (Mar 20, 2008)

I loved Eragon when I read it, but I had just discovered fantasy so my tastes hadn't really refined then. I bought it pretty much the month it came out and once I'd finished it I wated eagarly for the next one. When it finally came out it bored the hell out of me and I just couldn't finish it. I might try againat some point but Eragon himself just grates on me (the same thing happened with Harry Potter but it didn't stop me reading and enjoying the books).


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## mi is happy (Mar 20, 2008)

I enjoyed the first one, but the second one was a major disappointment. I will still probabally read the third of course. I always enjoy finding out what happens in the end.


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## Tiamat (Mar 31, 2008)

I agree, I thought the first book was wonderful.  Not comparable to LOTR and others, but still quite exciting.  Then we had to wait like five years for the second book, and after all that anticipation, I felt totally disappointed.  I predicted the end after the first chapter (honestly, HOW did anyone not see that coming?), and overall, I thought it was just lacking.  I'm sure I'll read the third, but I don't have high hopes.


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