Inheritance: Book IV

After reading the book I have mixed feelings. I have waited to end the cylce for a few years and no doubt anticipation rose my expectations. All in all though I am disappointed in this book as the end to a really good story. I think, despite already splitting the book once, that there was too much to cram into one book. I think questions and plot holes from the first three books, where they were explained, were explained in an overly brief manner, as if they were a last minute thought thrown in to placate fans, not a truelly cohesive and interwoven detail that enriched the plot. I am particularily upset with the ending though, as I think it counters many things that seem to be building throughout the course of the story. Many people predicted deaths of main characters and a macabre ending. In my humble opinion, Paolini's ending is the epitome of a "fate worse than death", and even a fate worse than losing someone you love. I know that the major theme of this story is to do the right thing even when it costs you everything. I suppose my criticisms are born, at least in part, from my sadness at this story's ending. Yet through all of that, I can't help but feel, or more aptly lack the feeling of closure. Maybe that's the point. I hope others enjoythis book, as I thought it was very good at parts, and I implore you to write you own reviews so I can read them.

This was certainly the best instalment of the Inheritance Cycle. From the beginning of the series I could tell that Christopher Paolini was a talented writer, but I was somewhat disappointed with the lack of originality in the series. A number of the aspects seemed not only familiar, but I could name where they came from, although they were twisted in ways that made them their own. In Inheritance, I was pleasantly surprised to find the book much less predictable, and was actually surprised at some points while reading. Foremost among these were Nasuada's capture, the dragon eggs in the vault of souls, Arya becoming a dragon rider, and the new pact formed with the Urgals and Dwarves to allow them to become riders as well. I was also reasonably happy with the ending. We knew that Eragon was destined to leave Alagaesia forever, and Paolini carried out with this plan. I have to admit that I was surprised he did. I also liked that the story did not end directly after Galbatorix was killed, as another author might have done. It allowed loose ends to be tied up and the readers to know what happened to the characters (I'm grateful for that!). And of course, I thought he handled Eragon and Arya's relationship beautifully. I have noticed that many authors become too "attached" to their characters and want everything to be perfect for them in the end, but Paolini does a wonderful job of withholding something from Eragon that could have no way actually happened. Readers can fantasize about if Eragon and Arya ever visited. With Eragon leaving, Paolini also left room for a sequel series, if he chose to write one. Now for the downsides... I am not even in high school and feel like I could have done a better job editing. His vocabulary is large, but he tried too hard to put big words in places they shouldn't be. A lot of the book was simply there to take up space, and it honestly would have been better if 300 pages or less. The first half of the book was fight after fight after fight and I really did not see why the book couldn't have started during the capture of Dras-Leona. We waited and waited and waited for the final battle we knew the Varden would win, just as we knew they would win all of the others. And to think he said the first draft was longer! It seems unreasonable that the "trilogy" had to be extended to a fourth book when much of the third and fourth books could have been consolidated. The ending also left the series feeling unfinished, which makes it obvious that another book will be written. If he doesn't, thousands of readers will be angry and disappointed that the ending was bad for nothing. He also completely forgot about the belt of Beloth the Wise in the end, so that as far as we know, it was thrown into the middle of the ocean and never found again. I honestly think that the only reason the first book was a candidate for publishing was because it was written by a teenager. To end on a happier note, I am glad that I succumbed to my nerdness and bought this (even if it did use up all of my Barnes & Noble gift cards!). I had a hard time putting it down because I so desperately wanted to know how it ended.

Badly written, nearly boring. Since I like to finish the book, I read it though and through, but you would lose interest after maybe 10 pages. The chapter narration seem to change depending on the mood on the author. The Author seems to spend more time detailing on parts which is the most boring and seems to skip details on subjects which would seem interesting. Too many instances/references to other novels, example Doctor Who.