Eragon seems to be a rather popular book these days; I mean, they even made a movie of it! (Though I hear it's actually pretty bad.) A lot of people I talk to seem to like the Eragon series. Some give it effusive praise. Am I the only one who intensely dislikes it? (Not hate.)
The guy, Paolini, was young when he wrote it, kudos for that, but in my mind, that is the only thing about Eragon that deserves praise. Though I know I'm not an outstanding writer myself, the writing style of Eragon often seems forced, pretentious even. The dialogue, for example, doesn't feel natural at all. The flow of events, the descriptions, the transitions--they give a discordant sensation. Maybe it's just me, and I'm weird, but I can't immerse myself in the text like other novels. It's hard to say just what is throwing me off, but I can't shake the uncomfortable feeling while reading the book. Maybe it's the inconsistency of speech for each person, or the overly elaborate, pretentiously overdone drama or whatever. Maybe I'm being unfairly critical. But it's food for thought the next time you read the book.
Writing style aside, I find many uncomfortable similarities and parallels with David Eddings' books. I've long been a fan of Eddings, so maybe it's my own prejudice acting up again, but the plot seems very similar to Eddings' Belgariad series. A young boy lives on a farm, happily toiling away as a farmer, unaware of his awesome heritage--descended from important, powerful people. An old man, in the guise of a storyteller, spirits him away, and mentors him as he gains control of his powers. As the young man comes into his own, a girl, a princess of different race, enters his life, and he falls for her. The young man, thrust into a leadership role, must save the world from evil. Sound familiar? Very simplified, probably unfair to Paolini, but like I said, I'm too familiar with Eddings' books to not spot such similarities.
But my main issue remains that the writing style feels undeveloped and juvenile; not at all what one would expect of a hyped novel (at its release.)
