By Christopher Paolini
Narrated by Gerrard Doyle/ Kerry Shale
Reviewed by Gabby
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Get the audio CD here! (Gerard Doyle)
Inheritance Overview:
Not so very long ago, Eragon-Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider, was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now, the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.
Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.
The Rider and his dragon have come farther than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?
Inheritance Audiobook Review:
STORY
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The Good:
Personally this was my favourite book in the cycle. The conclusion will definitely leave fans wanting more (perhaps a lot more in terms of Eragon and Arya) but Paolini’s descriptions are so vibrant and detailed that he really brings Alagaësia life. Paolini did manage to tie most of the loose ends up nicely and we saw some of our favourite characters live happily ever after. I do think that this book was far too long, a lot of unnecessary details and sub-plots that took away from the main storyline: Eragon beating Galbatorix.
Paolini’s world building skills are impressive and his attention to detail remarkable although slightly annoying at times. I wouldn’t recommend this book for younger children as they probably wouldn’t be able to understand some of the vocabulary. What I did like about this book was the fact that it explores some more mature themes like personal faith and religion, it was nice to see Paolini branching out a bit from his usual themes of ‘doing what’s right even if it’s hard etc. etc.’ I also really liked all the foreshadowing in the series, seemingly minor events or characters would reappear at another time for a significant purpose. The Weircats are the best example of this, personally they were my favourite magical species of the book and something a little bit different.
[/span6][span6]The Bad:
Eragon’s relationship with Saphira was weird. At times she came across as merely being a fire breathing war horse for him to ride around on whenever he wanted. It’s suggested the dragon’s are highly intelligent, she can speak English for example, and whilst her dialogue is witty, she only ever seems to be Eragon’s sidekick instead of a strong character in her own right. She sometimes acts like a servant, asking Eragon for permission to do something (but he never asks her for permission to do things?!) their bond is meant to be deep and magical and everything, but it seems that dragons are still an inferior race to humans, regardless of their bond.
The increased amount of Deus Ex Machina instances in this book is ridiculous. Deus Ex Machina is a point in the storyline where a seemingly unsolvable predicament is solved by the abrupt introduction of a new character, item or piece of knowledge. I personally hate this technique because it just gives the author an easy way out of problems he himself created. Instead of getting the character to solve the problem with their intelligence or initiative, it’s easier to just create a random new solution. In Dras-Leona Angela miraculously reveales Albitr, or “Tinkledeath”, the sharpest sword in existence, which she consequently uses to free Eragon and Arya from a previously unsolvable peril. The abrupt appearance of an army of Weir Cats that happen to be invaluable to the Varden is sooo convenient. And unrealistic. If there were so many Weir Cats why haven’t we seen others apart from Solombum and Maud? Don’t even get me started on the way Galbatorix was finished.There are also so many similarities between Star Wars/Lord of the Rings and this series that Paolini should be embarrassed. It doesn’t make the story bad, it’s just all the same things we’ve seen before.
Even though some of the ideas in the story are a little clichéd, but does it really matter? A few clichés won’t stop a story from being entertaining. If you love dragons and fantasy, then you will thoroughly enjoy this audiobook.
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CHARACTERS
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The Good:
Some reviewers felt disappointed that Paolini didn’t expand much on his characters, but I feel he gave us just enough information about his characters and lets the listener imagine the rest.
Roran is one of my favourite characters. He’s strong and honourable without being annoying about it. I also like Saphira, mostly because of the comic relief she provides, but also because it’s nice to know she could crush Eragon with a paw if he gets too annoying.
[/span6][span6]The Bad:
Eragon is shallow, self pitying, irritating killing machine with the maturity of a 13 year old. He didn’t develop at all, he’s still obsessed with Arya and clearly didn’t even care that much about the people he loved. Eragon was just so frustrating. Even though Paolini insists that he has these ‘deep feelings’ for everyone, whenever we listen to his internal dialogue he’s just thinking about his sword, or checking out other peoples weapons, he doesn’t really give a crap about anyone but himself and that just made the whole story seem so inauthentic.
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NARRATOR
[columns] [span6] The Good:
Gerard Doyle has been very consistent throughout the whole series. Saphira’s gravelly voice has grown on me throughout the series as well. His pace and tone is excellent and his voice acting is very good. He suits the book very well and made it really enjoyable to listen to.
[/span6][span6] The Bad:There was nothing bad about Doyle’s performance. He brought each character to life and gave each a distinctive voice, no matter how small their part!
[/span6][/columns]I hope you enjoyed our ‘Inheritance’ Audiobook Review, come back soon!