Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
Book Three in the Inheritance Cycle - With "Eragon" & "Eldest"
Christopher Paolini
Christopher Paolini continues his story of Eragon and Saphira, which began in his debut novel, Eragon, and his second novel, Eldest, in Brisingr, published by Alfred A. Knopf in September 2008 (ISBN 978-0-375-82672-6). According to the author’s website (www.alagaesia.com), Paolini began this book in early 2007, after the success of his initial self-published novel and the second book in the series. Brisingr also followed the 2006 release of a movie adaptation of Eragon by Fox 2000.
The Battle for Alagaësia
In Eragon, readers were introduced to Eragon, a fifteen-year-old farm boy, who found a dragon egg and became embroiled in an uprising against Galbatorix, the tyrannical king of Alagaësia. In the second book, Eldest, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, join the elves to receive at least part of the traditional training for dragons and riders before returning to the human rebels, the Varden, to assist with the continuing uprising against Galbatorix. Eldest also introduces readers to the adventures of Eragon’s cousin, Roran, and the characters from their home town of Carvahall who survived the attack by the king’s soldiers.
In Brisingr, Eragon and Roran join forces to rescue Roran’s fiancé from the monsters who killed Roran’s father and led the destruction of Carvahall. The shared mission helps heal the relationship between the two, which was damaged when Eragon fled Carvahall after his uncle’s death. Their reunion is short-lived, however, as the leader of the Varden sends both men on different missions.
Although he has proven his ability to lead his neighbors across the country, Roran must learn to work with trained soldiers in an army under the command of professional soldiers. Eragon and Saphira must work to defeat Murtagh, a man who once saved Eragon’s life, but who has become a dragon rider in his own right under the control of Galbatorix. Roran, Eragon, and all the rest of the Varden must work to keep the various groups of rebels united and to find weaknesses in Galbatorix’s seeming invulnerability, which will be their only chance of returning freedom and peace to Alagaësia.
The Inheritance Cycle
Brisingr is a 750 page novel which begins to wrap up the conflicts set up in Eragon and developed in Eldest. The release of Brisingr during 2008 created a flurry of publicity for the Inheritance Cycle, in part due to the news that the originally planned trilogy had been expanded to four books. According to the author’s acknowledgements, the original manuscript for Brisingr was much too long to fit into one book. He indicates that expanding the story into a fourth book gave him more time to “explore and develop the characters’ personalities and relationships at a more natural pace” (Brisingr page 761).
This book is young adult fiction in that the main character is a teenager; however, parents should be aware that there are violent scenes throughout the book which may not be appropriate for young readers.
In addition, in Brisingr Eragon, Saphira and other characters question and debate the religions of the dwarves, elves and men in the country. Although the concepts are presented in a fictional setting, parents may wish to discuss these ideas with young readers.
For a review of Eragon and Eldest, please click here: Eragon Review Eldest Review
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