Brisingr: Book Three (The Inheritance cycle) [Paperback]

When reviewing this book one has to consider the intended audience. Fantasy for older audiences tends to focus on characters, relationships and events; fantasy for younger audiences focuses on magic and monsters. Admittedly this is somewhere in-between, but it is certainly closer to the Tolkien's Hobbit than Martin's Song of Ice and Fire.
To review it on its own merits I would say that although it might not be innovative and relies heavily on the old staples of fantasy fiction, it is well written. If the author can pull off the next book and finish off his "cycle" convincingly then he will have done better than some of the more established contemporary names whose work never seems to progress, or does not conclude properly.

On individual points:

* Plot
The plot is not as fast-paced as the previous books, but it benefits from this. I think the first two books were like starters and this is more of a main course, and not just because it's a bit longer. Each episode is properly filled out and the characters have to handle the consequences of some of the issues the author set them up with in the first books. Eragon has to trek back and forth across the land sorting out problems and learning his craft - without this the inevitable confrontation with the powerful Galbatorix would be unrealistic.
In Brisingr the enemy is generally a looming menace lurking over the horizon and is not explored fully, but this does not undermine the plot seriously since there are enough tensions among the "allied" forces to keep everyone occupied. There are some major events in this book but it does seem to be setting the stage for the next.

* Characters
Paolini has spent more time with each of the main characters, giving them time to grow on their own. Eragon still gets most of the attention and the author has portrayed his development carefully, exploring the fantasy world he has created and its mechanisms without ever making it seem too contrived.
That the extra size of this book gives more time for the other characters is a bonus. They are much more rounded by the end and this strengthens the story considerably.

* Writing
The author is certainly getting better. However, there are some very random descriptions thrown in from time to time. They conjure up the intended image very well - beautifully in fact - they're just a bit unexpected when they pop up in the middle of some dialogue. He has also managed to get some humorous bits in - the dragons-eye view of the world is often quite funny. The plot threads are particularly well handled and it is easy to see how much effort has gone into tying them together.

Overall I enjoyed this. It is more mature than the previous books and if he can polish it off properly it will make a good series. The obvious concern most people will express is that the story is being protracted - a practice which has created some very disappointing dud-endings from established authors recently. However, I think I spotted a few plot threads for spin-offs and this would be the best way to make use of this fantasy world once Eragon has done the business with Brisingr.

This is my first review so hope I'm not boring and hopefully of some small help to you!

Brisingr (admittedly not the easiest name to remember) is Book 3 of a set of 4 books based on a mythological world where dragons, elves, dwarves and men co-exist. Ahhh! I hear you say, this is just a ripoff from Lord of the Rings (LOTR) - right?

Well, the short answer is no.

Yes, there are obvious similiarities with LOTR, but any work in this literary field will always be compared to Tolkien's epic masterpiece, of which I have read time and again.

However, Christopher Paolini's work is a masterpiece in it's own right, and stands up proudly (in my humble opinion) alongside LOTR.

The story is epic, and if you enjoyed the film Eragon, you will be blown away by Book 1 (Eragon) as there are collusal chunks of the book missing from the film, mainly due to the depth of story and the huge variety of characters. If you read the book first then watched the film you'll be forgiven for thinking someone had deleted at least half of the film! That said, I watched the film first and really enjoyed it, which is why I then tried the book. How glad I was that I did!!

Sometimes when an author stretches a story over more than one volume, the story itself is stretched thin. Not the case here, as Mr Paolini just seems to get better and better as he works his way through the series, introducing new characters as you go along. The characters are not always what they appear and you get a sense of complexity about all the characters, big or small. The good guys don't always see eye to eye and you wonder what is lurking below the surface. It is not often an author makes that sort of effort, as most just concentrate on the main character. There are twists and turns galore to keep you on your toes.

Mr Paolini does not spend pages describing something like a sunset, but his literary skills are such that you can picture what is being described in just a few words, and the story flows continously without diverating.

Book 4 (Inheritance) is out in November (I believe) and I'll be getting that strightaway!! Book 2 is called Eldest by the way.

I can't put the book down and if any typo errors in this review it is because I am typing one handed whilst holding the book with my other!

Hope this review helps you and if you do buy the books I hope you enjoy them as much as I am! {:>)

My initial impressions upon hearing that the previously named Inheritance trilogy had been repackaged as a cycle [collection of 4] was that of cautious optimism. Somewhat optimistically, I was pleased with the extension of what has shown to be a relatively promising fantasy series thus far. Yet I was also wary of, that which a previous reviewer has alluded too, 'cash cow' syndrome.

To put the case bluntly, Paolini stretches the limits of my good graces when it comes to putting up with inane musings in fantasy literature. It is a given that all books based on fictional events and make-believe worlds will have have a certain amount of story setting in order to bring the reader properly into the 'right of things'. You cannot, or at least if you intend for it to read well, simply pop the characters from point A to point B without suitable explanation. This rings a note of particular importance in epic fantasy. Veterans will understand the importance of quests and journeys in character building, yet there is very little of this in Brisingr. A symbolic tree to Paolini is never a tree, instead he produces endless preachy diatribe about how important it is that in *his* book *he* regards it as a tall perennial woody plant; this of course means that everything he writes is remarkably deep and meaningfully...right.

Characters seem remarkably 2-D throughout, Nasuada is a particular dislike of mine - considerably more authoritative and demanding towards and of the protagonist - yet to no particular end. Common sense dictates that what she is doing is idiotic, yet he still rolls over and takes it anyway. Gone is the outspoken and individual character of the first two books, enter generic drone with the morality of a bishop. You may deem this as insignificant, yet it makes the story remarkably hard to read - Arya, written in as the fey elf, now becomes the somewhat pathetically detached and damaged recluse.

The same applies to almost all of the existing and new characters within this chapter of Paolini's work; a complete and rather catastrophic failure to keep the 'readability' element going strong. Some will try to excuse this as 'a filler - holding out until the brilliantly crafted conclusion that nobody will ever expect', yet there is no excuse for this [even if everybody didn't already know that his work is about as unpredictable as a stick]. There should never be a reason for something like this - it is an affront to what could have been a gripping third installment, rather than the rather unreadable thing in front of me. To cap it all off, we see what I can only assume is a new trend [I would hope - I can't seem to find it in the first two, and I don't think I'm going mad] of Paolini's to attempt to write in a style similar to that of a badly produced BBC television series on the medieval period; lots of 'thous' and 'smites'. It is all most disconcerting.

I suppose that telling you to not to buy this would be a waste of time, after all - perhaps we can all hope that the fourth installment will be better - it is difficult to believe dismissive reviews on a book that attempts to follow on from the much better written prequels or indeed on a book that is midway through a rather extensive story. Fans of the series will inevitably buy it, as did I, and draw their own conclusions about it. Yet this is one fan that felt he just had to laugh at the whole thing, whether it is out of indulgent amusement for one who managed to mess up on his latest work, or instead a sense of frustrated disbelief at an author that has let his own reputation instill him with an undeserved confidence in his writing, I do not know.

What I will tell you though is that no matter how many times he attempts to connect the words 'Paolini' and 'As good as the Dragon Series of Pern' in a paragraph, it is all one rather laughable, distressing and strangely disappointing lie.

2/5