There’s a keenness in the storytelling, and an excitement for pure adventure and magic, that will ensure fans of Paolini’s Eragon will find its much-anticipated sequel every bit as readable and captivating. This young author, who wrote that debut (very long) novel aged fifteen, has shed some his earlier less convincing turns of phrase and tendancies to homage other inspirational works, to come up with a deeper second novel that is more assured, better balanced and distinctly original.
Picking up from the exact point where its predecessor gave way, Eldest begins with dragon rider and now shade slayer, Eragon, on the battlefield of his greatest triumph. He is saddened by the death and carnage before him, and fearful for the future. King Galbatorix is, despite this battle won, still the cruel ruler of the Empire and must be defeated. Together with the beautiful and elegant dragon, Saphira, with whom he can communicate without speech, they must travel to Ellesmera – fabled land of the Elves to undergo further training in magic, swordsmanship and other worldly necessities.
Meanwhile, in his homeland, in the village of Carvahall, Eragon’s cousin Roran faces challenges of his own. The king’s men, and the dark creature that instructs them, lay siege to the tiny mountain community in the hope of finding Roran, and thus lead them to Eragon. After fierce resistance, Roran leads the villagers on a long, arduous journey to salvation (hopefully) with the community known as the Varden.
Told in alternate chapters, the stories of both young men on separate missions give this ‘difficult second novel’ a refreshing feel. Eragon is still the star, but has a substantial second cast to make this novel a worthy sequel to the first book and a tantalising bridge to the final chapter in volume three.
(Age 12 and over) --John McLay-- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe:
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Surpassing its popular prequel Eragon, this second volume in the Inheritance trilogy shows growing maturity and skill on the part of its very young author, who was only seventeen when the first volume was published in 2003. The story is solidly in the tradition (some might say derivative) of the classic heroic quest fantasy, with the predictable cast of dwarves, elves, and dragons--but also including some imaginatively creepy creatures of evil.
The land of Alagaesia is suffering under the Empire of the wicked Galbatorix, and Eragon and his dragon Saphira, last of the Riders, are the only hope. But Eragon is young and has much to learn, and so he is sent off to the elven forest city of Ellesmera, where he and Saphira are tutored in magic, battle skills, and the ancient language by the wise former Rider Oromis and his elderly dragon Glaedr. Meanwhile, back at Carvahall, Eragon's home, his cousin Roran is the target of a siege by the hideous Ra'zac, and he must lead the villagers on a desperate escape over the mountains. The two narratives move toward a massive battle with the forces of Galbatorix, where Eragon learns a shocking secret about his parentage and commits himself to saving his people.
The sheer size of the novel, as well as its many characters, places with difficult names, and its use of imaginary languages make this a challenging read, even for experienced fantasy readers. It is essential to have the plot threads of the first volume well in mind before beginning--the publisher has provided not only a map, but a helpful synopsis of the first book and a much-needed Language Guide. But no obstacles will deter the many fans of Eragon from diving headfirst into this highly-awaited fantasy. (Ages 12 and up) --Patty Campbell
Meet Author Christopher Paolini Christopher Paolini’s abiding love of fantasy and science fiction inspired him to begin writing his debut novel, Eragon, when he graduated from high school at age 15.
"Writing is the heart and soul of my being. It is the means through which I bring my stories to life. There is nothing like putting words on a page and knowing that they will summon certain emotions and reactions from the reader. In my writing, I strive for a lyrical beauty somewhere between Tolkien at his best and Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf." --Christopher Paolini
Want to learn more about the series? Check out our review of Eragon: Here's a great big fantasy that you can pull over your head like a comfy old sweater and disappear into for a whole weekend. Christopher Paolini began Eragon when he was just 15, and the book shows the influence of Tolkien, of course, but also Terry Brooks, Anne McCaffrey, and perhaps even Wagner in its traditional quest structure and the generally agreed-upon nature of dwarves, elves, dragons, and heroic warfare with magic swords. Read more
Detaillierter, komplexer und hintergründiger legt "Eldest" mehr Wert auf die Persönlichkeit und die Entwicklung der Charaktere Eragon und Saphira als der erste Teil, dafür tritt die Handlung "Eragon bewegt sich von A nach B, trifft x andere Charaktere etc." etwas in den Hintergrund. Auch die Umgebung und andere bereits in Teil 1 vorgestellte Charaktere werden näher beleuchtet, ohne die meisten Figuren dabei aber wie in "Eragon" von links nach rechts und von oben nach unten quer durch die Lande zu jagen. "Eldest" gibt der ganzen Geschichte Tiefe. Ich kann den dritten Teil kaum erwarten!
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12 von 14 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich:
3.0 von 5 SternenLeider "nur" gute Fortsetzung, stellenweise sehr bemüht., 21. September 2005
Von Ein Kunde
Da ist er nun der lang erwartete zweite Teil - der Nachfolger zu „Eragon" - „Eldest" (oder „Der Auftrag des Ältesten" wie er in Deutsch heißt). Vorweg muss ich sagen, dass ich den ersten Teil als wahre (Lese-)Offenbarung empfunden habe, als eines der besten Fantasy-Bücher seit Jahren wenn nicht Jahrzehnten.
Leider kann der zweite Teil nicht an den außergewöhnlichen Überraschungserfolg des ersten Teils anknüpfen. War „Eragon" noch geradezu leichtfüßig und unbeschwert, wirkt „Eldest" an vielen Stellen bemüht und langatmig. Paolini schafft es auf großen Strecken nicht den Zauber seines Erstlings erneut zu entfachen. Das liegt zum einen daran, dass zu Beginn kaum Spannung aufkommen will und Paolini es lange Zeit verpasst, die im ersten Teil gekonnt eingesetzten Andeutungen und Prophezeiungen weiterzuverfolgen. Auch hat man den Eindruck, dass die ausufernden Beschreibungen nicht recht zum bisherigen Stil von Paolini passen wollen. Sie scheinen mehr dem (in meinen Augen fehlgeleitetem) Bemühen in Richtung „anspruchsvoller" Buch-Kritikerlobungen entsprungen zu sein.
Nichtsdestotrotz ist auch „Eldest" ein Leuchtfeuer im fast unüberschaubaren Fantasy-Meer und absolut lesenswert, nur leider nicht ganz so erfüllend wie der erste Teil.
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I read "Eragon" about a year ago and couldn't wait for the second book of the trilogy. I was not disappointed, "Eldest" was as good as "Eragon", if not better. It's true, that some charakters remind you of the "Lord of the Rings" but I don't think that makes the book less fun to read. Now I'm looking forward to the grand finale..
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von Christopher Paolini
von Christopher Paolini
von Christopher Paolini
von Christopher Paolini
von Trudi Canavan
Christopher Paolini’s abiding love of fantasy and science fiction inspired him to begin writing his debut novel, Eragon, when he graduated from high school at age 15. 
Our quickie pronunciation guide will help you get to know some of the names and places in the Inheritance series.
