Dragons, mystery and magic
Eragon – Christopher Paolini[1]
On the beginning of this incredible saga, one thing stands out. Dragons. Need I say more? Almost everyone enjoys a good mystical tale, centered around these magnificent beasts. Everyone, at some point, has wished for the dragons to actually exist. In the world created in these books, they do.
We find ourselves in the middle of Alagaësia, a country that, while reading the books, I have come to believe as absolutely beautiful. The small villages seem peaceful, the cities alive with a dangerous edge, and there are many more amazing aspects about it. The reader follows the young farmer’s son, Eragon. Being raised by his uncle and aunt, he has no memory of his actual parents, and thus the mystery surrounds him like a certain cloud. This isn’t bothering though: somehow, instinctively you know you’ll find out sometime in one of the four books. Eragon is the first book, and it tells the story of how Eragon comes by a dragon’s egg. He found it while hunting and tried to pawn it for a good strip of meat, mistaking it for a rock. The butcher declines, and Eragon is sent home with the dragons egg. He hides it, places it carefully. It isn’t long after this, that the egg hatches.
Out of the egg emerges a beautiful small dragon, and immediately Eragon feels a connection with the baby dragon. He takes care of the dragon, and eventually she grows up. When she has reached maturity, it gets harder to hide her. Eragon, not being fully informed on dragon growing patterns and such, decides to inquire subtly around town. This leads him to the home of Bronn, a very grumpy old man in town, whom many people believe to be insane. After a lot of turmoil, Eragon tells Bronn about Saphira, his dragon. After a dangerous raid upon the small village, the three of them set out into the woods, towards the Varden. The Varden are rebels, fighting against the tyrant king, who gained the throne by means of battle.
Whilst on the road, Bronn tells Eragon the story of the great Dragonriders that once existed. Astride the magnificent beasts, these riders were the chosen ones, for a dragon will wait for its rider, as long as it has to. The dragonriders ensured the peace and prosperity in Alagaësia, but corruption did not even spare these noble knights. One of their own betrayed them and killed until no dragon but his remained. With no dragons left to stop him, this dark dragon rider could claim the throne for himself, and there was no one powerful enough to stop him. Until the night that Eragon touched the dragons egg.. and this is just the beginning of an amazing saga; full of adventure, dragons, magic and mystery.
Personally, I have read quite a few books in my lifetime, but this book really surprised me in some moments. There were reveals that I was not expecting, deaths that absolutely broke my heart and times that I was not that sure anymore that the hero would come out alive. This is just the first book of four, and I was really excited when they decided to turn these books into a movie. Unfortunately, it was a horrible movie. So for those of you who are considering to read this book – I’m begging you, stay away from the movie. The magic, the power and complete beauty of the story speaks to you through the pages from the first second that you open the books. Allow that magic to take you away to Alagaësia, and hopefully, find a dragon of your very own.