Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince News & Info

Eragon, a true teenage hero, is moody, angry and somber, questioning the meaning of life. "Love, family, accomplishments -- they are all torn away, leaving nothing. What is the worth of anything we do?" He punches things a lot, and spends most of the time injured or bruised. Yet it's impossible not to become attached to him and care about his fate. Paolini never dwells on evil, though its presence haunts the novel. But unlike the vast majority of contemporary writers, he keeps most blood and gore offstage; brutality is something to mourn, to resist.

Eragon is filled with nightmare moments, dreams, visions. It never falters in its velocity. Its plot is episodic rather than climactic; it is clearly part of a larger work. The 500-plus pages race past. I found myself dreaming about it at night, and reaching for it as soon as I woke. Like countless other readers, I am waiting to see what happens next, with wonder, with admiration and with hope. As Eragon's dragon tells him, "All will be well, little one." --New York Times review

In spite of the engrossing action, this is not a book for the casual fantasy reader. There are 65 names of people, horses, and dragons to be remembered and lots of pseudo-Celtic places, magic words, and phrases in the Ancient Language as well as the speech of the dwarfs and the Urgalls. But the maps and glossaries help, and by the end, readers will be utterly dedicated and eager for the next book. --Amazon.com

In wunderkind (he's 18) Christopher Paolini's impressive epic fantasy, Eragon, the titular hero (who's 15) and Saphira, the dragon he's raised from a baby, set out to avenge the murder of Eragon's uncle and soon find themselves pursued by the fanatical king Galbatroix. The fantasy bildungsroman has the brave youngster learning about exile, magic, love and his own destiny. --Publishers Weekly