Novel Intoduction

Novel: Eragon
The novel Eragon is a fantasy novel of the “Inheritance Series” authored by Christopher Paolini. Eragon is set in a fantasy land known as Alagaesia.

The name of the novel refers to the name of the main character: Eragon. Eragon belongs to a poor family that works a farm and struggles financially. Eragon lives with his uncle Garrow and fair, loving man and his cousin Roran, whom he is as close to as brothers. All Eragon knows about is parents is that his anonymous mother dumped him on his uncle’s doorstep when he was only an infant, only to die shortly after. The identity of both his parents remains a mystery throughout the novel.

Eragon lives in a harsh world ruled by a cruel, tyrannic king known as Galbatorix and his Empire. The local village; Carvahall on the border of the Empire only mingles with Galbatorix’s servants when his nasty tax-collectors come. Eragon and his small family refer to the Empire in loathe.

Early in the novel Eragon has discussions with Brom the town storyteller, who tell stories of legendary “Dragon Riders,” men or elves, of immensive wisdom and power who roamed Alagaesia ensuring peace. That was a prosperous time in the land’s history. However, Brom spoke of what was known as the “Fall” when a certain wayward Dragon Rider turned a group of 13 other Dragon Riders which was later known as the Forsworn and crushed all the other faithful Dragon Riders, plunging Alagaesia into war in their thirst for wealth and power. The mastermind behind this was Galbatorix. Since then the Forsworn had died from various things but Galbatorix remains to this day.

'However, though his magical power is great, there’s a group of rebels known as the Varden who have since being trying to destroy him…so far without success.

Many of the villagers, including Eragon, imagine what the legendary Dragon Riders would have been like and Eragon ponders what it would be like to be one. To cut a long story short Eragon stumbles upon a puzzling stone. This stone eventually hatches a female dragon for Eragon. When Eragon touches the bright blue dragon for the first time, his arm burns suddenly and to his astonishment to him his palm of his right hand turns silver. He later finds out that by touching the dragon which he later names Saphira (Saf-Eye-Rah), he binds himself to her. They are now mentally linked.

So Eragon, fearing retribution from his uncle, raises Saphira in secret. She grows quickly, both physically and mentally, as Eragon teaches her about the world. Whilst she doesn’t speak English, she can understand it and speaks to Eragon telepathically. When disaster strikes, Eragon’s relatively peaceful and harmonic life is turned upside down as he fights for his life with Saphira by his side. Eragon learns of the existence of the “Ra’zac” an evil concoction of a human that are searching for him and in the process, burn his house and kills his uncle. Swearing revenge for his uncle’s death, Eragon sets out on a mighty journey with the mysterious Brom to avenge the Garrow’s death