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I took me longer than I anticipated to finish this book because it was so slow. I couldn't put down Eragon or Eldest, but I didn't find the same fire here. Many of the Varden scenes are trivial and progression of the book almost happened in slow motion. I think the battle scenes aren't as intense because Eragon is a better rider so they aren't as threatening to him, but still I wanted some good adventure. There are some good scenes in the book, but too much excess surrounding them. I can see how there was too much information for a trilogy, but I don't think this book needed to be as long as it was. Thoughts? Impressions? What did you think of the book?

I very much agree with you about the story dragging. I hope the last book is filled with thrills and more highs than the lows that were in this book. I really wanted Oromis and Glaedr to be successful. What will happen to his sword... it fell? Overall the book was good and it touched me.

I haven't read the book, but thanks for invoking my name, Annalisa! Long live the Meh!

Lightning, I'm hoping the last book is more fast-paced and that this book is an indication that he was stretching the story out and not that his writing style has slowed as he's grown up. I really wanted Oromis and Glaedr to be successful too. I bet the new sword goes to the new dragon rider, whether Galbatorix influences him or not. I liked the book too; I just thought it would be better than it was.

Meh, haha :).

i agree annalisa. i have to say i felt pretty much the same way. i felt there was a lot of important information. but this book took me so much longer to read than the other two...well it took me longer to read than most books i read. i actually read two other books at the same time. it wasn't so much that the battle scenes weren't intense as i wasn't all that interested. it's like i didn't care. i felt that thorn and murtagh came to fight too soon after their last fight w/eragon and saphira. and the final battle of their masters was FAR and WAY too predictable. it was almost as if the whole last 150 pages were an epilogue to their memory. it was a set up to their deaths.

this book seem so much more planned out, or at least more obvious in the pre-conceived ideas surrounding each character and that characters part to play in the story. nasurai seemed to over think every decision...and roland seemed to be so set up for perfection....

i don't know i don't even think all of that would have bothered me if i didn't feel as if the story DRAGGED. i just couldn't get into it. it seemed like the last 130 pages flew by but up to that point was a 3-10 page a day struggle. i had to finish the story so i could find out what is happening to the characters i have grown to love....like i said i had to finish not that i necessary wanted to. it didn't seem like bad writing per se...just each page seemed to take forever to read.

I read Brisingr as fast as I could in one night.
I agree completely about it dragging. I'm not quite sure why there was too much information for a trilogy though. It seems as though Brisingr does almost nothing to advance the plot. What was written could be compressed to half its size. Eragon and Eldest never really made me care about the characters, but they at least were reasonably entertaining(excluding the romantic stuff between Eragon and Arya). The ending was rushed compared to the rest of the book, but I still found the action boring to read. I aree with Faith that the story seemed much more planned out. Hopefully the fourth book will be a much better read.

I slogged through these books for professional reasons. At the end of Eldest I suddenly took interest. So I had hopes for this book, but it killed everything that could have been good, mainly Eregon having to deal with having Morzan as his father. I agree it could have been half its size (and had to resist the urge to cross specific things out.) My other complaints:

1. The opening scene was great, but the amputee worshippers never come back into the story. I hope to see them again in the last book.

2. The dwarf council was incredibly boring. Yes, I appreciate that in their position, the dwarves would have been very frightened. But the writing doesn't capture that. It just captures the political bickering. If that was the best he could do, all the writer had to do was crown Orik as king and skip the next hundred pages.

3. So Brom is Eragon's father. That was a fast one. Brom spilled that he was a Rider at his death, but he saw fit to hold back the real kicker. Why?? Is witholding this information really going to protect Eragon?

3a. Saphira's behavior is just incomprehensible. Suppose you're bonded for life on a person and love them beyond all else. You know this person's biggest desire is find out who his parents are. His father reveals himself to you, but forces you to keep it secret. Then, this person that you love so much comes to misunderstand that his father is a horrible rotten person. Wouldn't you feel the least bit uncomfortable in that position? Wouldn't it just drive you crazy that you couldn't tell him? And if this person shared a psychic connection with you, don't you think he might notice?

Gee whiz, there is a story to tell here!! It would be great foreshadowing if Saphira acted a little out of sorts, and if Eragon pestered her about it and she snapped at him a bit. Maybe she could drop a hint in one of her own narratives that she's keeping something from Eragon. And when you find out that Brom his Eragon's father, it wouldn't feel so cheap. But no. Saphira doesn't express the least bit of discomfort until the critical moment. Apparently Brom is not the only emotional f-wit in this story.

4. The fact that all Eragon's potential parents (including the foster and mistaken ones) are dead really puts a kink in the story - I mean, since the series is called Inheritance, I just sort of figured that his family was important. But there's not room for much of a dynamic when they've all keeled.

It would have been okay if the conflict would have been taken to Eragon's head (ie. if he'd had to come to terms with being Morzan's kid.) As things stand, the family drama is disconnected from the action - there are two stories banged together instead of one intricate one.

5. Selena is sorely neglected. With Morzan out of the picture, she becomes the more interesting parent. Certainly we'll find out more about her in the last book - how this woman who tortured people in her spare time went good, and/or why Brom in his right mind fell in love with her. Still, I think she could have a bit more background. Could we at least find out how this country girl ended up in Morzan's service?

6. I'm really sick of the masters (Obi-Wan, Dumbledore, Oromis) being killed off. It's old. Does no one have any concept of teamwork?

So much paper is wasted on bombast and so little given to the things I actually cared about. I do intend to read the last book, but I don't have very high expectations for it.

Wow. Yall have to remember that he was going to have the third and fourth book all in one, but felt that it was best to split them up for the characters to "grow". This is the book where they grow. Yes I believe he could have skipped SOME of the dwarf stuff, but not all of it. You never know maybe the dwarves become a super serious part in the next book. I don't get why Brom had to keep his fatherhood a secret either. Maybe just to give people a surprise. What I REALLY want to know is, 1: what were the words Brom said at his death? 2: Who the heck were the two girls that had their fortune told? 3: What's up with Tenga?

The girls whose fortunes were told sounded to me like a teaser for a future fantasy series, nothing more. Honestly, it was one of the many details Paolini could have left out because I don't think it was really relevant.

The words Brom said at his death were just 7 more words in the ancient language he thought Eragon should know in order to use magic and survive.

I personally have no clue why Brom, as he was dying, wouldn't tell his son his identity. I mean, come on. To me it seemed like a bit of a setup to make the whole thing seem less like Star Wars. :P

You all just seem like a bunch of haters. And I don't think he would put a teaser to another series in another. The two girls are probably going to do something in the fourth book.

"A bunch of haters"? Well, sorry for having an opinion. As for putting a teaser for one series in another, that's done all the time. It's called foreshadowing.

The third book nearly killed the series for me. I was left with an empty feeling at the end, I genuinely didn't care what happened next. In a way it just left me feeling cold. The first book was great, a refreshing retake on an old type of story.

Unfortunately the same thing happened with Harry Potter. The first books were great, the later ones became bloated. I hope the last book will be better!

I will finish the series because having invested so much time on it, I feel I should. However whereas I would have rushed out to buy the book I'll wait n get it out of the library.

I like the whole series so far...although I wish hadn't pushed a three series into four...it's a pain waiting for so long.

I think the dragging it out into 4 books was either a.) an attempt to make more money off them, b.) Paolini being too lazy to know how to cut down on all the flowery crap and unnecessary fluff, and/or c.) both of the above.

The editors made him split it into 2 different books. Like I said before, it was originally going to be a trilogy, and the third book was going to be called Empire.

Zachman wrote: "The editors made him split it into 2 different books. Like I said before, it was originally going to be a trilogy, and the third book was going to be called Empire."

...but if he hadn't spent half of Eldest and Brisingr rambling about philosophy and angst, it might have still fit into a trilogy and the editors wouldn't have made him cut it.

The philosophy is half of the story!

Zachman wrote: "The philosophy is half of the story!"

Meh, no, there I'd have to disagree. A lot of it was nice to know, but we didn't NEED to know. Also, at times it felt like Paolini was interjecting himself and his opinions too much into the story from behind the mask of certain characters like Oromis, Angela, etc. ...

That, and he just couldn't resist giving a blow-by-blow of the dwarf elections that were obviously supposed to parallel the election of 2008. BORING. But not quite as boring as the 5 or so pages Eragon and Saphira spent forging a sword, which read like something out of sword-forging textbook.

That being said, I liked it well enough. Brisingr was kind of an in-between book anyway, with a lot of loose ends that had to be tied before the plot could move on to the finale.

What are you guys talking about? :/
It was awesome.

Thank you! Someone who agrees with me!

I do too! I loved all the books, and I think that all the details make them much better. ;)

Summer wrote: "I slogged through these books for professional reasons. At the end of Eldest I suddenly took interest. So I had hopes for this book, but it killed everything that could have been good, mainly Erego..."
I agree with your last point-I mean, can no one think of a way to let the masters live?

Cristy wrote: "Summer wrote: "I slogged through these books for professional reasons. At the end of Eldest I suddenly took interest. So I had hopes for this book, but it killed everything that could have been goo..."

I know! SO predictable to have them die!!! Couldn't Oromis and Glaedr at least have fought a few more battles before being killed?! Or captured Murtagh and Thorn; that would've been a cool twist. Then, if you HAVE to have the masters die (and since this is very much a coming-of-age story, you really do) they could have been killed during Murtagh's escape, or something. I felt like at the end of Brisingr, they were kind of tossed away because *someone* important had to die and because they'd fulfilled their purpose in terms of plot. MEH indeed.

Glaedr only half died. His spirit still lives in the eldunari.

Zachman wrote: "Glaedr only half died. His spirit still lives in the eldunari."

Yeah, but, still. :P

Meh wrote: "I haven't read the book, but thanks for invoking my name, Annalisa! Long live the Meh!"

LOL

Laura wrote: "Zachman wrote: "The editors made him split it into 2 different books. Like I said before, it was originally going to be a trilogy, and the third book was going to be called Empire."

...but if he..."

I agree whole heartedly.