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Eragon worth reading?


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First: No

 

However, though this is an extremely old post, anyone interested in reading good fantasy and moving on from garbage like Eragon should try reading George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series (starts with A Game of Thrones) and Joe Abercrombie's The First Law Trilogy (starts with The Blade Itself). These series are both phenomenal and allowed me to transition into more mature fantasy.

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The Eragon series is nothing more than a massive pile of plagiarism. Paolini did not intend to give credit to any other authors, he claimed everything in his books to be his own original work... until he was confronted. Only then did he give credit where credit was due; and grudgingly, I might add. The only reason Paolini was published in the first place was because his parents started their own publication company just to get his books out on the shelves.

 

 

 

I would recommend The Belgariad and The Malloreon series, by David & Leigh Eddings, along with the two companion novels, Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress.

 

Also, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever and The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson. For these ones you'll likely need a thesaurus and a dictionary on-hand, as Donaldson dug back into archaic times for words that haven't been used in hundreds of years.

 

The Sword of Truth series, by Terry Goodkind, is also another amazingly well-written story.

 

The Enderverse is an awesome series as well, by Orson Scott Card.

fuer grissa ost drauka

 

"Once committed to fight, cut. Everything else is secondary, cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no committment that overrides that one. Cut. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resolutely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gaps in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don't allow him a breath. Cut him without mercy to the depths of his spirit. It is the balance of life: death. It is the dance with death."

 

"Dance with me, Death." Bringer of death. "I am ready."

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Ok, I read The Belgariad because so many people on these forums recommend those books (two since the thread has been bumped!) and they suck. Like, almost as much as Eragon. Seriously.

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Ok, I read The Belgariad because so many people on these forums recommend those books (two since the thread has been bumped!) and they suck. Like, almost as much as Eragon. Seriously.

 

You are entitled to your opinion, most certainly, I just don't have to agree with it. ^.^

 

What about the series did you not find enjoyable?

fuer grissa ost drauka

 

"Once committed to fight, cut. Everything else is secondary, cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no committment that overrides that one. Cut. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resolutely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gaps in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don't allow him a breath. Cut him without mercy to the depths of his spirit. It is the balance of life: death. It is the dance with death."

 

"Dance with me, Death." Bringer of death. "I am ready."

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Garion's total idiocy, the lack of any characters with dimensions other than stereotypes, the lackluster worldbuilding, and the travelogue plot. What I can think of off the top of my head.

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Garion's total idiocy

 

He was an idiot; did you not notice how he was raised?

 

 

the lack of any characters with dimensions other than stereotypes

 

Huh, not sure what to say in response to that; I saw very little stereotyping, and I thought all the main characters were rather well-developed.

 

 

the lackluster worldbuilding

 

I rather liked the way the world in the series was built.

 

 

the travelogue plot

 

This one's merely personal preference; some people like that plot type, others don't.

fuer grissa ost drauka

 

"Once committed to fight, cut. Everything else is secondary, cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no committment that overrides that one. Cut. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resolutely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gaps in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don't allow him a breath. Cut him without mercy to the depths of his spirit. It is the balance of life: death. It is the dance with death."

 

"Dance with me, Death." Bringer of death. "I am ready."

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Garion's total idiocy

 

He was an idiot; did you not notice how he was raised?

 

Sure, but he never moved past it besides the "unlikely hero saves the world" shtick. Not original or compelling character development.

 

I never saw anything in the characters besides: the sneaky one, the strongman, the Wise Old Mentor, the uppity regal woman (two of those!) etc. The thing that really grinds me about this particular case is that most of them are representatives of their nations, and they could easily be replaced by anyone else of their nationality, because Eddings has profiled them all as having the same characteristics: these guys are sneaky, these guys are strong, etc. Which is not only ridiculous but slightly racist. The only thing that places our characters apart is the fact that they are all royalty. Hey, another cliche. And that's part of the worldbuilding problem.

 

And you're right, I just don't find anything compelling about traveling to every single durned place on that hand-drawn map on the inside cover.

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Lol I thought they [bleep]ed Eragon's story pretty bad with the movie, compared to the book, until I saw Percy Jackson, the book is good, but the movie doesn't follow the book's story at all.

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If you ignore the originality issues, Eragon is a good series up until the third book.

 

That one was horrific. You can practically see the plot coming apart at the seams. I'm surprised the book didn't fall apart as I read it.

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If you ignore the originality issues, Eragon is a good series up until the third book.

 

That one was horrific. You can practically see the plot coming apart at the seams. I'm surprised the book didn't fall apart as I read it.

The third was probably Paolini attempting to move away from the clichéd/plagiarized features he built up in the first two.

 

Horrible or not, the books fill a niche. It's a gateway series for the fantasy genre. A younger audience is going to understand it a lot more than the LOTR books.

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The Sword of Truth series, by Terry Goodkind, is also another amazingly well-written story.

I'm going to have to strongly disagree with you on the writing level of a book series containing the Chicken that is not a Chicken scene.

 

Eddings isn't much good aside from being a popular fantasy book of its time in Eragon's vein, but its a lot older so people tend to think its better. Like Eragon, its just a gateway to well-written fantasy.

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I'm going to have to strongly disagree with you on the writing level of a book series containing the Chicken that is not a Chicken scene.

 

Did you even read that scene, or are you another person who got their information about the series from the unregulated gag site known as TVTropes?

 

If you had read it, then you'd know that the man who called the creature 'the chicken that is not a chicken' couldn't describe it any other way than that, as he didn't have the words to do so; he was, after all, uneducated in anything more than what pertains to his people.

 

 

 

I never saw anything in the characters besides: the sneaky one, the strongman, the Wise Old Mentor, the uppity regal woman (two of those!) etc. The thing that really grinds me about this particular case is that most of them are representatives of their nations, and they could easily be replaced by anyone else of their nationality, because Eddings has profiled them all as having the same characteristics: these guys are sneaky, these guys are strong, etc. Which is not only ridiculous but slightly racist. The only thing that places our characters apart is the fact that they are all royalty. Hey, another cliche. And that's part of the worldbuilding problem.

 

No offense intended with this, but the fact that that's all you saw in the characters implies a somewhat limited imagination on your part. As for the whole racist bit... the only ones that sort of thinking really applies to is the Alorns. And that was done (in the story) deliberately by their god, Belar. Before Aloria was split into the four kingdoms, all Alorns were alike. After the split, the Drasnians became merchants and spies; Chereks became warriors and sailors; Algars became warriors and herdsmen; Rivans became warriors and protectors. The other nations follow the examples set by their respective gods. And about them being easily replaced by others? I have to disagree with that. Apparently, you've forgotten about the Prophecy in the series, where all the main characters are named: Silk, the Guide; Barak, the Dreadful Bear (not royalty); Durnik, the Man with Two Lives (not royalty); Hettar, the Horse Lord (not royalty by blood, but adopted); Lelldorin, the Bowman (not royalty); Mandorallen, the Knight Protector (not royalty); Ce'Nedra, the Queen of the World; Relg, the Blind Man (not royalty); Taiba, the Mother of the Race that Died (not royalty); Errand, the Bearer of the Orb (not royalty). Hmm. It seems as if your 'all royalty' argument doesn't fit.

fuer grissa ost drauka

 

"Once committed to fight, cut. Everything else is secondary, cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no committment that overrides that one. Cut. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resolutely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gaps in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don't allow him a breath. Cut him without mercy to the depths of his spirit. It is the balance of life: death. It is the dance with death."

 

"Dance with me, Death." Bringer of death. "I am ready."

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I'm going to have to strongly disagree with you on the writing level of a book series containing the Chicken that is not a Chicken scene.

 

Did you even read that scene, or are you another person who got their information about the series from the unregulated gag site known as TVTropes?

 

If you had read it, then you'd know that the man who called the creature 'the chicken that is not a chicken' couldn't describe it any other way than that, as he didn't have the words to do so; he was, after all, uneducated in anything more than what pertains to his people.

 

 

Yes, I have read that whole wreck of a scene, and I don't know what TVTropes is. I haven't read the series, but I know enough about the series otherwise from some other sources, namely friends who obsessed over them and other threads about the series on forums of book series I enjoyed.

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No offense intended with this, but the fact that that's all you saw in the characters implies a somewhat limited imagination on your part.

 

I don't know whether to be offended or just laugh. You don't know me, dude. The fact that we're discussing fantasy should preclude anyone even bringing up "no imagination." Really . . .

 

Also, to modify my statement: that's all I remember of the characters, and it's not my job to make them memorable. It's the author's.

 

As for the whole racist bit... the only ones that sort of thinking really applies to is the Alorns. And that was done (in the story) deliberately by their god, Belar. Before Aloria was split into the four kingdoms, all Alorns were alike. After the split, the Drasnians became merchants and spies; Chereks became warriors and sailors; Algars became warriors and herdsmen; Rivans became warriors and protectors. The other nations follow the examples set by their respective gods.

 

You just described each race in its entirety. You don't see a problem with being able to describe an entire race of people with two universal adjectives? If the characters in the book see a Drasnian, they are suspicious. Sounds like racial profiling to me.

 

And about them being easily replaced by others? I have to disagree with that. Apparently, you've forgotten about the Prophecy in the series, where all the main characters are named: Silk, the Guide; Barak, the Dreadful Bear (not royalty); Durnik, the Man with Two Lives (not royalty); Hettar, the Horse Lord (not royalty by blood, but adopted); Lelldorin, the Bowman (not royalty); Mandorallen, the Knight Protector (not royalty); Ce'Nedra, the Queen of the World; Relg, the Blind Man (not royalty); Taiba, the Mother of the Race that Died (not royalty); Errand, the Bearer of the Orb (not royalty). Hmm. It seems as if your 'all royalty' argument doesn't fit.

 

For one thing, prophecies suck if handled badly. They take away all tension. Regardless, the prophecy essentially names one person from each race, which ties itself up in the travelogue plot and makes it feel as if anyone at all could have been named as long as they were from the right race.

 

And it's been a while since I read the books, so I looked these up: Barak is a clan chief, captain, and cousin to a king; Lelldorin is a noble (son of a Baron); Mandorallen is a Baron. Taiba is pretty much the last of her race so it doesn't matter with her and Relg is one of the elite diviner dudes. So if not specifically in line for a throne, they have a prominence of some sort that places them apart from the rest of their race and is pretty much their only defining feature. Actually, Relg is kind of interesting with his holier-than-thou complex, but I don't remember if that went anywhere. And that's it. I don't remember anything about any of the others, besides Mandorallen being annoying with his overkill honor thing.

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Yes, I have read that whole wreck of a scene, and I don't know what TVTropes is. I haven't read the series, but I know enough about the series otherwise from some other sources, namely friends who obsessed over them and other threads about the series on forums of book series I enjoyed.

 

You read 'a scene', from a book in the series that is arguably (and I agree with this) the worst of the eleven books? And you're basing your opinion of the entire series on that and the opinions of others? I suggest you actually read more than a few hundred pages, perhaps at least the first two books in their entirety, before you say that the whole series is crap. I waited until I got through book five of the abortion known as Harry Potter, in the hopes that it would get better, before I gave my final opinion.

 

 

 

I don't know whether to be offended or just laugh. You don't know me, dude. The fact that we're discussing fantasy should preclude anyone even bringing up "no imagination." Really . . . Also, to modify my statement: that's all I remember of the characters, and it's not my job to make them memorable. It's the author's.

 

I said 'implies', not a completely lack thereof. Also, you don't need a broad imagination to read fantasy. Sure, it helps greatly, but it's not a requirement.

 

That's all you remember? And you also go on to say that it has been a while since you've read them? Personally, I thought they were quite memorable.

 

 

 

You just described each race in its entirety. You don't see a problem with being able to describe an entire race of people with two universal adjectives? If the characters in the book see a Drasnian, they are suspicious. Sounds like racial profiling to me.

 

That's not each of the Alorn races in their entirety, those are just the duties of those four races, placed upon them by their god and the necessity. Though, I will agree that the series is, in fact, rife with racial profiling; this is evidenced with the way the five Angarak races are viewed, and it's also played upon in the books themselves. This, however, does not make the series 'bad'.

 

 

 

For one thing, prophecies suck if handled badly. They take away all tension. Regardless, the prophecy essentially names one person from each race, which ties itself up in the travelogue plot and makes it feel as if anyone at all could have been named as long as they were from the right race.

 

I agree that prophecies can ruin a story; however, I disagree with it being the case in this series. The idea that it makes it feel as if anyone could have been named in the prophecy is another bit of personal preference.

 

Barak was not born as a Clan Chief, he was elevated to that position when Anheg, who was the chief of their clan before him, ascended to the throne; Anheg was also not born as royalty. All the diviners of Ulgoland are elite; not all Ulgos can pass through solid stone.

 

If you'd read Belgarath the Sorcerer, you'd know that the family line of each character was set up (except for Taiba) to be exactly what they are in the rest of the books.

 

 

On a side note, I will say that Eddings could, indeed, have done a better job writing the books; but The Belgariad was the second through sixth books he'd written and published, pretty much his authorial debut in the genre of fantasy, all in a span of three years. He's entitled to a bit of slack, whereas you're making it seem like he'd written fifty masterpieces and followed them with a pile of crap.

fuer grissa ost drauka

 

"Once committed to fight, cut. Everything else is secondary, cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no committment that overrides that one. Cut. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resolutely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gaps in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don't allow him a breath. Cut him without mercy to the depths of his spirit. It is the balance of life: death. It is the dance with death."

 

"Dance with me, Death." Bringer of death. "I am ready."

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fuer grissa ost drauka

 

"Once committed to fight, cut. Everything else is secondary, cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no committment that overrides that one. Cut. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resolutely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gaps in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don't allow him a breath. Cut him without mercy to the depths of his spirit. It is the balance of life: death. It is the dance with death."

 

"Dance with me, Death." Bringer of death. "I am ready."

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Well, Eddings' intention with the Belgariad was to create a simple, compelling, generic fantasy series, and in that he succeeded, at least.

 

Like he said, it was supposed to be the literary equivalent of pedalling dope. I think he related it to.

 

So... yeah. ._o It was enough to hold my attention for two subseries and the two prequels, so that's more than I can ask for. I don't go in for the whole literary deconstruction, I just like to read. >_<

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I want to read other bestsellers than Harry Potter, is there any chance to find another awesome book like that?

 

 

 

I think I should start with Eragon, but I heard that it is a huge Lord of the Rings plague, is it actually worth reading? I saw the film and it was pretty damn boring.

 

Just finished this book myself

It's an awesome read...the film though...i want to punch the people who decided that that film was good enough....

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I want to read other bestsellers than Harry Potter, is there any chance to find another awesome book like that?

 

 

 

I think I should start with Eragon, but I heard that it is a huge Lord of the Rings plague, is it actually worth reading? I saw the film and it was pretty damn boring.

 

 

 

a lord of the rings plague? what do you mean by that? The lotr books are fantastic.

 

 

 

I'd recommend

 

 

The wind singer trilogy (the wind singer, the slaves of the mastery, firesong) - William Nicholson

 

The edge chronicles (beyond the deepwoods, stormchaser, midnight over santaphrax, last of the sky pirates, vox, freeglader, curse of the gloamgloazer, clash of the sky galleons) - Paul Stewart / Chris Riddel (this has the best illustrations i have ever seen)

 

The Sabriel Trilogy (sabriel, lirael, abhorsen , across the wall) - Garth Nix

 

Artemis fowl ( artemis fowl, arctic incident, eternity code, opal deception, lost colony) - Eoin Colfer

 

The power of 5 (Raven's gate, evil star, nightrise) - Anthony Horowitz

 

Shade's Children - Garth Nix

 

His Dark Materials (Northen Lights, Subtle knife, amber spyglass) - Phillip Pullman

 

 

I'd rate all of those above Eragon tbh. All of them fantastic fantasy books.

We should be best friends. Those are all pretty much my favorite series that I've read (except Shade's children, The Sabriel Trilogy and The wing singer which I haven't read before).

 

Edit, I just realised that this thread is years old.

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