Book Review: Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

Brisingr

By: Christopher Paolini

Publication Date: 2008

Goodreads Summary: OATHS SWORN . . . loyalties tested . . . forces collide.
Following the colossal battle against the Empire’s warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still there is more at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.
First is Eragon’s oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran’s beloved, Katrina, from King Galbatorix’s clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength—as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices— choices that take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.
Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once-simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?

I’m a huge fan of this series and bought the book when it first came out in 2008 and I just finished it today, I’ve been working on this book for 3, count it, 3 years! Not that I have a good excuse but between getting married, taking college classes that require a butt load of reading and writing, and coming across other reads too tempting to pass up I just didn’t make a lot of progress. Plus, I, nor anyone knew when the heck book 4 was coming out so I didn’t want to finish it only to wait for who knew how long. Once book 4 was announced, I happily dove back into Brisingr.

As the summary suggests, there is a lot of politics in this one which does slow the pace of the story a bit but I thought it was an interesting and important component to the plot and character development. Being a Dragon Rider, Eragon is of course expected to be this great warrior but he must also have good character and judgment, so him having to engage in delicate back and forth dialogue is just part of him growing up. Witnessing Eragon going from a 15 year-old farm boy to an adult and fully-fledged Dragon Rider is one of my favorite things about the series. I think Paolini does a superb job at constantly developing Eragon’s character.

I also enjoyed the continual growth of his and Saphira’s relationship. Their partnership is the heart of the story because they are the last hope for Alagaesia’s freedom from King Galbatorix. Again, from the beginning you can see their relationship constantly growing and improving. That’s how Paolini writes, he’s very gradual about things and some readers simply don’t have the patience for that which is a real shame.

Alright so besides the politics and growing relationships there is PLENTY of action and suspense, especially towards the end. So if you’re having a hard time getting through, hang in there! It’s so worth it, I promise. I don’t want to give anything away but the last few chapters or so were jaw-dropping. I almost cried at one part and happily squealed at another LOL, I’m such a girl!

In conclusion, I love love love this book! Eragon was good, Eldest was great, and Brisingr is awesome. Huge props to Paolini for outdoing himself each time. I am fully confident that Inheritance will be even more awesome and a most satisfying conclusion to an amazing epic.

Final Rating: 5/5