Book Review: Brisingr

Brisingr was this year's novel for the annual reading race with my nephew. He really enjoys this series. I was not enamored by this latest edition however.

 Intersting beginning and ending but the middle seemed long and really dragged. And in a novel of 748 pages. It's a very long middle. Paolini may have thought it gave more freedom for character developement to streach of the story and add a fourth novel to the series. But I think it really bogged down the storyline.

The first hundred pages may be the most interesting. Eragon, his blue dragon Saphira, and his cousin Roran make a rescue mission into Empire territory to save his fiancee Katrina.

In the last hundred pages I didn't find the battle for the city of Feinster which Eragon, Saphira, Arya, and the army of the Varden against the Empire, as I liked the concurrent battle taking place in the skies over the forest of Du Weldenvarden. In this battle, Eragon's half brother Murtagh and the new red dragon Thorn battle his mentor the elf Oromis and the golden dragon Gleadr. Oromis and Gleadr are the last of the surviving draginriders, unknown to all that they had actually survived King Galbatrox's attacks of all riders previously.

There is a lot of foreshadowing in this story which leads me to believe that Eragon is going to suffer a devastating defeat that will require him to flee to some mysterious 'hidden' place. Ultimately we all know Eragon will somehow defeat Galbatrox in the end. But the storylines also allude that while Eragon may win the battle, he will also be forced to leave the land of Alagaesia forever.

I found it frustrating how naive Eragon was made to be. In the battle with the Shade Ra'zor to free Katrina in the caves, Ra'zor realizes he is doomed and attempts to deal for his life with Eragon. Ra'zor reveals an Empire secret: "Galbatrox has almost found the name!" But Eragon, not sure what the name is, refuses to deal and kills Ra'zor anyway. Not only does Eragon not take this seriously, he doesn't even inform the Varden, who might realize what the secret means, and take appropiate action. Surely this is going to be a big mistake.

Also odd... on the way back from freeing Katrina, Eragon finds an abandoned elven outpost. Exploring the inside, not only does Eragon find many old books and scrolls. But he also finds a strange man named Tenga. Tenga is reseaching the scrolls looking for 'the answer' although he doesn't know 'the question'. Eragon assumes the old man is nuts and leaves him be. Also not informing anyone who might find this information useful. I'm Tenga will show up again in Book IV at some point.

My final thought is about the character called Sloan. This might turn into an intersting storyline. We'll see. Sloan is Katrina's father and was also captured, tortured and trapped in the same cave dungeons as Katrina. Eragon finds Sloan, but reports to Katrina and Roran that he didn't survive. Sloan is a bitter, and now blind, old man who blames Eragon for all of the ills of the current world. Once they are alone Eragon sets him free. But knowing that a blind old man could not survive long in the wilderness, Eragon installs a mental compass in Sloan, always pointing in the direction of the elven forest Du Weldenvarden, if Sloan chooses to follow that path, he may survive. Later, Eragon finds that Sloan has found the forest and survived, but he is still bitter and ungrateful. Will Sloan's make-up change in Book IV? Hopefully Paolini will make good use of this character.

If you are not a fan of the first 2 book in this series, I would not recommend Brisingr. But you you liked the story so far, I would endure the muddling middle of this book and hope the fourth and final of the series rewards us all for our patience as the original 'Eragon' did.

Grade: C-

McDoogle