Plot: The Eldest picks up where Eragon left off, in the Varden.
The leader of the Varden dies while fighting Urgals in a tunnel, Murtagh was with him and they cannot find his body and assume him dead.
Eragon grieves Murtagh’s loss, but he has enough going on that he cannot just sit and think about it. A war is on, and he must get training from the elves. He takes a long journey there with a dwarf and Arya. There, he meets Orimas and his dragon, his new teachers. Eragon stays for many months learning to control his magic etc. In addition, Saphira take flying and fighting lessons from Orimas’s dragon.
After many months Eragon and Saphira hurry back to the Varden because of trouble, Galdaborix is planning to attack the Varden’s camp. They arrive in time to be informed of all the details when, a few days later, battle is upon them.
Throughout all this, Roran, Eragon’s cousin, is saving his village, losing his betrothed to the bad guys, and taking his entire village on a trip to the Varden. He finds that Eragon is the only one who can help him rescue Katrina, so he is journeying to find Eragon and enlist his help.
Positive: Our hero seems to mature a bit in this book. We get to know him a little better, and the author does a good job of keeping your nose in the book. It is fun to see Saphira become better at flying and fighting in the air. The battles were well laid out and highly interesting to read about. The author did a good job in keeping some of the plot twists surprises, and they were fun to uncover.
Negative: Close to the end, Eragon is in a sort of dragon ceremony, and in order to summon the dragon spirit these twin girls have to do this special dance….naked. They have a dragon tattoo that runs on both of them, and it… I think…comes to life in a sense and talks to Eragon. I think there were a few swear words, and there is killing of course.
Our author’s elves are not very likable; they are rather stuck up and vain.
Overall: This was a well-written book, but there were several parts that could have been shorter, (his training) and the dragon ceremony could have been changed. I would call it memorable, but then again, I am extremely picky about the fantasy I read. It has to be really good to be a good book, not just enjoyable, but good.
So this book cycle will be good, if the forth is.
Conservative Book Talk 
The thing I remember the most from Eldest was how preachy it seemed about the earth/nature/environmental type stuff….just seemed to drone on and on about those topics in various spots.
Just me? Or did you hit that too?
Yes, I found much of Eragon’s training a bit boring and preachy when it came to the earth/nature bit, too much time was spent there telling us about why Eragon is now a vegatarian.
Also, do you find it odd that the elves almost worship the dragons, yet spurn Saphira’s choice of Eragon as her rider? Wouldn’t that be offensive to do in front of her?
In the part when Eragon makes that fairth thing why did Oromis show it to Arya?He could have picked up the other one and showed it to them instead.That’s sad . … by the way -it sounds like you don’t like that book.
I don’t think it is boring.But i’m only halfway through the book.
By the way,in the part where Eragon makes that fairthe thing, why did Oromis show it to Arya?He could have shown her the other one and then she wouldn’t have gotten mad at Eragon.Then he started acting sympathetic , like there was nothing he could have done to prevent it. It’s sad….
I never said I didn’t like the book because it was boring, I said I don’t like a few of the training parts.
Most of the book was very enjoyable to me, that’s why I read the third.
I don’t know why Oromis showed Arya that thing, I suppose because the author wanted it for some specail reason.
It was sad, I was kinda mad at Arya for making such a big deal out of it. A soft rebuke would have been better recieved.
I really like the end battle though, even if not all went well.
Tell me what you think when you finish the book, please.
I just realized that I repeated myself in that last comment
I finished the book!!!!!!The end battle was good.
I might have misunderstood,but somewhere in Eldest it says that Elva has purple eyes.That’s creepy…
That’s great!!
I really liked the end battle too.
I don’t remember if her eyes are purple, but that would be a creepy thing.
I’m reading Brisingr now.Fadawar and Nasuada are just beginning the Trial of the Long knives.It’s psychotic!why would you want to do something like that ?
I have no idea, you would think they could prove themselves by a different method. I think the author made the trail like that so that Nasuada couldn’t do as much and more duty would rest on the others.
I guess…I could be wrong.
When do you think the fourth book is gonna come out ? I read something on Amazon.com and someone said they were guessing 2010.I can’t wait that long! 2010 seems like way in the future.
I don’t know when it will come out. 2010 sounds reasonable compared to how long we waited for Brisingr.
Think of it this way, if it comes out in September like the last one, then you only have to wait a little longer than a year, if earlier like in January, then less than a year. 🙂
Do you think they are gonna make Eldest and Brisingr into movies? On youtube, they had a trailer for Eldest and at the end it said that it was coming out December 2008. I’m not sure I want them to make Eldest and Brisingr intoo movies. They changed Eragon a lot.
Do you think they are ever gonna make Eldest and Brisingr into movies? I saw a trailer for Eldest and at the end it said it was coming out in December 2008.I’m sure you noticed to , it didn’t. I’m not sure I want them to make more movies. They changed Eragon a lot.
I don’t think they will, they made so little money off the first, for making it the way they did, that they (Fox) doesn’t want(as far as I know) to produce another.
I think they did an ok job with Eragon the movie, but not good enough to make me want them to make one fo the Eldest.
I finished Brisingr last night!!
I saw a trailer for Eldest on youtube,it could of been fan made but it was pretty convincing.I don’t know where else they could have gotten the footage.I don’t know.
About the book,I really liked the end when Eragon and Arya were fighting the shade, even if Arya almost got choked to death.
I’ve been reading my comments and I just realized that I’ve repeated almost every one !!!
Yes you do. 🙂
I am glad you enjoyed the book, I thought that last part you mentioned was interesting.
Its possible they made a trailer before they realized their profits weren’t big enough from the first.
You never know, maybe someone else will produce the Eldest.
I made a prediction for book four:
Eragon and Arya are going to kill Galbatorix together.They have already killed two shades together(and neither one of them could have done it without the other.)Well, that’s my prediction:)
If the fourth book doesn’t come out soon I’m gonna be depressed.I can’t stop thinking about it.
Interesting, we shall see what happens.
Maybe you should start another book, and then put the Eragon books in a box so you won’t look at them, then you won’t think about them because you will be busy with other things.
Then, prehaps, you won’t be depressed.
Just a suggestion.
Thanks.Sounds like you have been through this before?
I started The Hobbit a few days ago.
Not with these books, I read Eragon late enough that I didn’t
have to wait long for the Eldest. And my sister got married last year, so I didn’t have much time for thinking about Brisingr.
I read the Hobbit, that was one of my favorites in the Lord of the Rings books.
How do you feel about the Eragon/Arya relationship?
I’m in favor of it,but there’s one important detail:She’s 100 and He’s 16 or 17.How are they going to overcome that?Someone mentioned on Shur’tugal.com that “they could just wait 100 years and nobody would care”,but I don’t see how they could wait that long.
Also,there were rumors that Arya would be the next rider.It seems pretty likely.And it would be very convenient since she has already received extensive training in magic and swordsmanship,so there would be no time wasted on that.
I know this is really off subject,but how do you get those smiley faces?
hey hedgehog!
I just read 1 page and 1/2 and I hate Eargon!
I’m not into action I like mystery I guess….
but hey I might try it again!
REALLLLLLLLY?!?!
you mean you might see if you like it again?YYYYAAAAAYYYY!
yeah I dont like Nancy Drew really anymore kinda boring like Earagon lol
Boring?Boring?!How could anyone think Eragon was boring?!
This is really off subject but I just found out from this add on the internet that I’m smarter that Miley Cyrus!!!!!Awesome isnt it?Her IQ is 110, mine’s 116.
oh and remember that website Hedge Hog will u pleeeease get one sry off subject….
but I wanna start on eldest first seems like it would be better….
That’s rly nice hedgy A Hobo could be more smarter than her no offence to Hobos though!
Well i read a page and 1 1/2 “The Shade lifted his head….he blincked in surprise” You dont call that boring?
oh and Hedgehog this is rly off subject too but I found “the raven to skeleton creek
go to Sarah Fincher.com and typre the password theraven..should I stop on his head I’m freakin out here lol Im scared!
ok well I might read Earagon idk
Somebody made Eragon a MYSPACE and he has 10918 friends.
Ok, I don’t think I will get involved in the above issue.
About your question of the Eragon/Arya relationship.
I don’t like Arya for a number of reasons, so I am hoping he
gets over his love and marry’s someone more worthy of him.
Arya might be the next rider, but its quite possible it will be someone else. ( also note that who ever is the next rider has to be already trained,
and have power over magic, because they don’t have time to train someone quickly. So Arya will probably be the next rider)
I do the smiley by doing shift and colon at the same time, then doing
shift and parentheses at the same time, right after the other one.
and when you post it turns into a smiley. 🙂
:)lilcatno1 is actually my friend Amanda:)
mine didn’t turn into a smiley:(
I can explain the Sarah Fincher.com and the “should I stop on his head? I’m freakin out here.lol i”m scared”thing.I promise we’re not freaks!
No, I didn’t think you were freaks. 🙂 Interesting comments to read, but not freaks.
I don’t know what happened with your smiley’s, sorry.
Good, I am glad you have a friend on board here.
uh and that’s acually Emma she drives me crazy EVERY DAY!!!!! “Eargon is really good” over and over I just turn and walk away:)
she’s exaggerating!
uh,Amanda..i think we ran Hanna off
No. 🙂 I am still here.
I have had a nasty cold for two weeks, so I have not been on the computer much.
You two are funny. 🙂
I like Eldest overall but your right the teaching stuff was a little boring but my favorite part was at the end when Eragon realized Murtagh wasn’t really dead.
Each to his won opinions, and please refrain for using bad language, it does not become any person.
You have the power (as an author) to log into the console and delete such comments. You are also empowered to do so.
Thanks. 🙂
Ok, thanks, that’s good to know. 🙂