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You know that saying “I’ll wait till the movie comes out?�� Don’t.

So I am an aspiring author. Let me shed some light for those who don’t understand this series is a unique series.

��Imitation: a method of writing instruction that bas dropped off the map, fallen through the floor, and disappeared from the face of the earth as far as modern education is concerned. And yet imitation is arguably (according to Aristotle, Cicero, and numerous other authorities) the most effective rhetorical device for learning your licks as a writer.��
- William Cane in Fiction Writing: Master Class

I first want to say that everyone is entitled to what they believe and think about a certain piece of art (yes, books are considered art in my eyes). You can like a certain piece just because of the story line or you can not like a piece because they have a funny name for the main character. You are entitled.

What you are not entitled to is saying that a certain author is a piece or crap and a knock off of a literary masterpiece.

Every story, no matter where it came from or how old, is an imitation of other stories. Christopher Paolini talks about how he looks up to famous author J. R. R. Tolkien and his trilogy “Lord of the Rings.�� So obviously the book is going to have some sort of Middle Earth feel to it because that is what he likes. He has similar species (elves and dwarves) but a lot of stories have those. So are we going to say that every story that has a vampire or werewolf is a knock off of Dracula? Because the species is similar to the original? No.

The two series do have similar aspects to them, but they aren’t identical. Have you ever read a book that didn’t sound like another? How about every dystopian/fantasy series out there today for young adults? A young, normal and boring girl is thrown into saving mankind against the somehow twisted and corrupted government. Now tell me you can’t name at least five series that sounds like? The Hunger Games? Divergent? City of Bones? Uglies? Matched? The Summoning? Marked? How about if you changed the young, normal and boring girl into the young, normal and boring boy? The Maze Runner? Harry Potter? Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit? Eragon? Every book is imitating another if you actually sit down and think about it.

The real question is: why on earth would you want to do that? Why would you want to get your panties all tied in a knot? Why not just enjoy the book for what it is? Why not live and breathe the world someone created in their mind after reading hundreds of other worlds? Isn’t it amazing in itself that someone could come up with something so magical? This is art! I would like to see one of you come up with a story that has nothing similar to any other story out there (and it actually be a good story). If you do, I will personally send you an apology and say that I was wrong publically.

There is so much uniqueness and magic in the Inheritance Cycle. I am currently reading it for the third time because I get so inspired by Paolini’s writing. The map inside the cover is enough for me to get lost in the world that he created at such a young age! That should be enough for anyone to be in awe of this work and this man’s mind!

Carvahall is where our hero Eragon starts off in the book. He finds a beautiful blue stone that magically appeared during his hunting trip that turned out to be one of the last dragon eggs out there. He becomes a dragon rider. He has to decide if avenging a family member’s death is more important than saving the corrupt kingdom from a dark rider named Galbatorix.

His dragon Saphira is strong headed but usually his voice of reason. She keeps him thinking straight and his head level. I’m not sure why some people say she doesn’t have feelings because it is clear to me that she does. She is a dragon, so her feelings are not as clear to us as they are to other dragons. Half the things she does she does out of emotion anyway, so I’m pretty sure you are just mistaken.



Brom is a storyteller from Carvahall with a mysterious past that he won’t completely reveal. He has a lot of stories about dragons and knows a lot about the empire. You get pieces of his back story throughout the series and that alone is an interesting one to know.

The cities that are in this story are pretty extraordinary. You have Carvahall, which is a small and dull town where nothing really exciting happens besides when the traders come to town. Then you have Utgard which has a rich history of the riders and past battles. Teirm, one of my personal favorites, which has a history of being attacked by pirates, Urgals and other enemies. They set the whole city up to be ready for war in an amazing way, land or sea. Then there is Dras-Leona, which is a horrible place where people think that the more bone and sinew you give up, the less you’re attached to the mortal world (what in the world?). Not to mention they are heavy in poverty and slavery.

Not to mention the cities where dwarves and elves live. And that deadly desert...

Then you have the different species. Humans are a big part of the story (especially when Roran becomes a big character later in the series). Dragons, obviously, are a big part of the story. Though we only know of two that live in the first book: Saphira and Galbatorix’s second and forced dragon Shruikan. Then we meet a Shade which is kind of just like a magical being but this one is not someone you want to mess with. A Witch who knows and shows up randomly (very curious character). A Were-Cat which are as clever and sneaky as an actual cat but have some magic in their veins. Then we have Elves and Dwarves who are just as you would expect them to be. Then we have Urgals, which in my opinion are like stupid ogres mix with a lot of hate and ugliness. Not to forget the Ra’zac, which in my opinion are like bugs in cloaks and currently give me nightmares.

The witch previously mentioned name is Angela. She read Eragon’s fortune (side note: this made me happy because it proves that Paolini knew exactly where he was going with this story when he started the book) and said it was nigh impossible to see.
1. Infinity or long life
2. Many choices in his future including great battles, power struggles and countless futures
3. A death that will cause him much grief
4. He will leave Alagaësia forever, no matter what he chooses
5. Epic Romance
6. Betrayal from within the family

This is a great set up for the rest of the book. You get to watch all these things come undone and how he reacts to them. Knowing your future can be an awful thing, and this book clearly states that.

There are battles, miracles, high emotions, secrets, and magic in this book (in this series!). I recommend you read this book. First, knock out all that negativity you harness and go into thinking someone made up this world. Someone imitated parts and made up others and fit a magical story into pages for the rest of the world to read. He was fifteen when he started this book. That is amazing to me because I believe this book is thoroughly laid out. I think it is a great story. You don’t? You are entitled to that opinion. Not everyone is going to like a single piece of art. Don’t go and criticize the author though, because it takes guts and imagination and a determined mind to put together what he did and show the world.