This week I'm taking a break from The Help and trying to read Eragon...again. Here's the story. I saw the movie many times and loved it, but when I tried to read the book, I couldn't get over how much was different between the two. I only got about fifty pages in before I gave up. But now I'm giving it another shot! Hopefully once I get a little farther I'll start to appreciate it more.
So first of all, props to the author. I for one could not write a bestselling 500 page novel at the age of fifteen. That's a pretty amazing feat in its own right. What's special about Eragon though is not the impressiveness of the author's youth, but rather the incredible creativity that went into its writing. Its a new kind of fantasy. We've all read the sickeningly "romantic" vampire fantasies that are based on complete fluff and prey on teenage girl's insecurities and hopes that they one day will meet their perfect vampire boyfriend. Eragon is set apart from all of these. Paolini creates an entire new world filled with mystic dragons, magic, and daring sword fights. Rather than condescending to the clichéd norms of modern day fantasies, it pushes the limits of imagination and opens the readers eyes to an original story we haven't heard before.
I've never really read this book all the way through so I was wondering if you have seen the movie and how it compares to the book because I thought the movie was really good.
ReplyDeleteI've always heard the title Eragon, but I really don't know that much about it. The fact that it was written by a 15 year old is truly surprising and an all-around incredible feat. I love your line about "condescending to norms of modern day fantasies..." because it emphasizes the creativity and thought put into the book.
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