Review: Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Title: Inheritance Series: Inheritance #4 Author: Christopher Paolini Publisher: Random House Canada Format: eBook, 100 pages. Published: November 8th, 2011 My Copy: provided by Random House Canada. Rating: Buy: 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 further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

It’s been 3 years since there’s been a new Inheritance installment. Back in 2008 I was still in my “dragons” phase so I was really into this series and even though I’ve since moved on to my “werewolf” phase; I still want to know how Eragon’s story ends. Although, I couldn’t help but hesitate for a bit longer before committing. We’re talking 860 pages here (probably the longest book I’ll read in 2012) and, its been a while. The three previous books are a little hazy. So I watched the movie, read the handy little refresher at the beginning of the novel and was swept back into Christopher Paolini’s universe.

This book is non-stop, all-out, go-go-go action! Eragon takes a deep breath on page one, dives head first into the biggest adventure in the history of Alagaësia, and doesn’t come back up for air until the end. There’s no “good place” to end your reading session for the day. Regardless of what chapter you’re reading, you’ll always want to know what happens next. I haven’t been inside of any of these characters’ minds for years and yet, it felt like no time had passed. Roran absolutely blew me away! He’s battling against insurmountable odds; a piddly human among giants. He’s sent on suicide missions by Nasuada, is expecting a baby and becomes the captain of the Varden’s army. I worried about his fate as much as I did Eragon’s. Unexpected but awesome!

The final battle between Galbatorix/Shruikan VS Eragon/Saphira was all that I could have hoped for and more! There’s been such a monumental build-up to this meet-up that admittedly, I was worried that Paolini might ruin it. But no, I LOVED how the last blow was delivered! Pure genius!

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS *** Murtagh and Nasuada’s side story was moving. Both have suffered immensely in their lives and I found it fitting for them to come together in the end even if they didn’t get their HEA. Come to think of it, no one really gets their happily ever after… I was a little disappointed with how things ended with Arya. She ranks among my top 3 characters in this series but didn’t receive a very good send-off. I understand that Christopher had a master plan as to how he wanted to end his series but he should have bent a rule or two this one time. Overall, I’m glad that the author focused more on the main characters in Inheritance because his universe was getting too big and confusing.*** SPOILERS END ***

Another thing that I could have done without was the drawn out ending. I expected a mini ending to each character’s story but what Paolini delivered was no where near what I was hoping for. He spent more time covering travel time than letting readers know what the future holds for the Inheritance crew. Having to sift through major doldrums after experiencing the ultimate battle was a downer. Oh well, at least he nailed the first 750 pages, right? I’ll give Christopher a mulligan on this one.

I did it. I read Inheritance. The rest of my 2012 reading should be a piece of cake! Although it did have its ups and downs, there were definitely more high points than lulls. Not many books are able to keep me interested for 860 pages but Christopher Paolini did a damn fine job. Inheritance is a fit ending to Eragon’s epic tale.

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