Why should I not read Eragon?

Question

Some people told me not to go and read Eragon because of plagiarism - and I see their point. But plagiarism aside, what other factors would you say will not make Eragon an enjoyable read?

Please answer only if you can give me reasons NOT to read. I have people saying that I SHOULD read already.
Thanks a lot!

Answer 1

Plagiarism? I never thought of it that way. I would have called it a lack of creativity. Plagiarism, in my mind, is when someone intentionally knowingly steals ideas without credit. I could not, in my right mind, accuse Paolini of that. I believe that he was just a kid who was homeschooled and was interested in Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc. (i.e., geek). For most people, creativity is limited to what you know, and I don't think he was exposed to very much, especially being homeschooled in Montana. I think that he was too young to write the book, that his writing skills weren't fully developed, and that his imagination hadn't yet broken out of the box.

Okay, it might sound like I'm ranting, and, well, yeah I was. But what I have said is exactly why you shouldn't read the book. If you were already a fan of the fantasy genre, his book is lacking in creativity, and if you are a fan of literature in general, he isn't a great writer by any stretch of the imagination. His book only got the hype it did because he was 15 when he started writing it.

Answer 2

Well, actually I really enjoyed reading Eragon, though I would say it's a rip-off and a sort of original at the same time. The positive thing in it is that it was well-written. The language was extremely good, and it was an engaging story. I wouldn't put Eragon into the 'usual fantasy' category. If you enjoy good writing, I urge you to give it a try.

BUT, if you do want me to give you a reason not to read it, it's the fact that it's sequel, Eldest, is the most disappointing 2nd book I've ever read. After reading Eragon, I had difficulty believing that the same author wrote it, and I'm having a hard time giving the author full credit for the good work of Eragon. Eldest is all of those things people before me said: boring, annoying, cliched, and all the other things a book should not be.

Eragon keeps you guessing till the end, but Eldest was predictable from the start.

I'm thinking of selling my copy of Eldest to my library.... ^.^

Answer 3

There's a simple reason no one really should read Eragon. It's the same reason no one would eat a cracker when there's some delicious, warm chocolate cake sitting right next to it (assuming you like chocolate cake and are not allergic to it)

Eragon is, basically, the author's attempt to recreate all his favorite parts of other original and creative works of fiction.

There are so many incredible and completely original fantasy books out there that, after reading the first few chapters of Eragon, I realized it was a waste of my time.

Go read the books that inspired Eragon; have your chocolate cake :]

Answer 4

It's just another in a long line of boring fantasy sagas and that there is nothing distinctive, either in the plotting or the writing, that makes this stand out any better than "Destiny's End" or "The Dragon Chronicles".

The only thing that "helps" this book is the age of the author; aside from that, you are better off reading "The Hobbit"

Answer 5

Indeed, because it is such a rip off, you have the problem of it being really predictable. And it isn't well written. The dialogue is awful, and it needs to be cut down in areas. It takes so long to get to the point that you already know what is going to happen because of all the clues that are not-so-subtlely placed.

Besides this, many people enjoy the books. I wasn't one of them. Some of my friends are obsessed, however. It's all a matter of opinion. But that was why I didn't like it.

Answer 6

Golem's Eye - Jonathan Stroud Grim Tuesday - Garth Nix The Will of the Empress - Tamora Pierce Septimus Heap, Book One: Magyk - Angie Sage, Mark Zug The First Discworld Novels: "Colour of Magic", "Light Fantastic" - Terry Pratchett Holes - Louis Sachar The Merchant of Death - D. J. MacHale The Thief Lord - Cornelia Funke, Christian Burmingham The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett, Pauline Francis Flyte - Angie Sage

Answer 7

Remember this - "One man's ceiling is another man's floor". That being said, there are no reasons you should NOT read Eragon. Its actually a good tale. Eldest is better and Empire will be better yet. He announced a fourth book in the "Cycle".

Answer 8

It's essentially just another fantasy book. Stress JUST ANOTHER. There really is nothing that sets it apart from any other series and I'm sorry but the fact that it basically rips off LoTR and Star Wars and pretty much rapes every other archetypical character is kinda hard to get over. >.>

Answer 9

It's a terrible book.

Plain and simple, I've seen better writing in an elementary school classroom.

Answer 10

Read it only if you are about to join pre-school...or because you want to kill yourself of boredom!