Eldest (Inheritance Cycle #2)

by Christopher Paolini Narrated by Gerard Doyle

Overview

Perfect for fans of Lord of the Rings, the New York Times bestselling Inheritance Cycle about the dragon rider Eragon has sold over 35 million copies and is an international fantasy sensation.

Darkness falls...despair abounds...evil reigns...

Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon Rider: magic and swordsmanship. Soon he is on the journey of a lifetime, his eyes open to awe-inspring new places and people, his days filled with fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and nothing is what it seems. Before long, Eragon doesn't know whom he can trust.

Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle-one that might put Eragon in even graver danger.

Will the king's dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life. . . .

Editorial Reviews

bn.com

The Barnes & Noble Review
Eldest, the shelf-bending sequel to Christopher Paolini's wildly acclaimed debut novel, Eragon (and the second volume in his Inheritance trilogy), continues the epic saga of Eragon and Saphira. The teenage boy and his blue-scaled dragon are destined to free the realm of Alagaësia from the clutches of the ruthless king Galbatorix -- or die trying. Even though Eragon and his misfit alliance of rebels have won minor victories against the nightmarish minions of the Empire, he realizes that without more training, he will never be able to defeat Galbatorix and his dark magic. With that in mind, he sets off for the awe-inspiring land of the elves on a quest to complete his education as a Dragon Rider. Like J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter saga, Paolini's epic fantasy -- although categorized as children's literature (for readers 12 and up) -- has attracted not only adult fantasy fans but also mainstream fiction readers. Paolini's fluid writing style, abundance of compelling characters, and utilization of age-transcendent themes like honor, friendship, responsibility, and forgiveness, will make this saga a huge hit with teachers and librarians, as well as lovers of dragon-powered fantasy à la Anne McCaffrey and Ursula K. Le Guin. The 650-plus pages of Tolkienesque adventure will almost certainly leave readers salivating for the third and final installment. Paul Goat Allen

He and his dragon friend Saphira have just saved the rebel state from destruction, but Eragon has only begun the great journey of his life. For training in the skills of the Dragon Rider, he must travel to the distant realm of Ellesmere, land of the elves. Even as he ventures into the unknown, danger and betrayal plague him at every turn, in this sequel to 19-year-old Christopher Paolini's bestselling Eragon.

Publishers Weekly

Narrator Gerard Doyle picks up where he left off narrating Eragon by Christopher Paolini, with its follow-up, Eldest. Again lending his assured, compelling delivery to the proceedings, Brit Doyle relates the continuing adventures of dragon-rider Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, now in Ellesmera, land of the elves. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Criticas

The second volume in Paolini’s popular “Inheritance Trilogy” continues the story begun in Eragon . Eragon the dragon rider and Saphira, his dragon, are being trained in the forest city of Ellesmera while Roran, Eragon’s cousin, helps the villagers escape Carvahall and flee the siege by the Ra’zacs. There is a large cast of characters and complex story lines, and listeners must be familiar with the first novel before beginning this sequel. But the clear narration of this abridgment makes the plot easy to follow, and little is lost in the production. Though there is not much differentiation in the characters’ voices, it is always apparent who is speaking. The recording is evenly paced, the sound clean and clear, and the Spanish straightforward and smooth. Overall, this is a worthwhile addition to larger Spanish-language audio collections.
—Roxanne Landin

School Library Journal

Gr 5 Up-Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have survived the battle at Tronjheim, but their challenges are not over. Galbatorix, the corrupt emperor, still rules Alagaesia and is looking for them. The magically bonded pair must help the rebellious Varden regroup after their leader is slain. Eragon helps deal with the resulting diplomatic complexities and then leaves for Du Weldenvarden, the home of the Elves, in order to finish his training as a Dragon Rider. Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must unite the small town of Carvahall as it is battered by Galbatorix's forces, including the nasty Ra'zac. The story alternates between Eragon and Saphira and their political maneuvering and Roran and his more traditional adventure over land and sea. Paolini provides a worthy companion to Eragon (Knopf, 2003), though it does not stand alone (a summary of the first book will be included in the final edition). The plot-indeed, most of the fantasy conventions-is heavily inspired by Tolkien, McCaffrey, and especially George Lucas. The momentum of the narrative is steady and consistent: a problem presents itself and is neatly (and conveniently) solved before the next one arises, making it appealing to some adventure-quest fantasy fans and runescape.com players. Eragon's journey to maturity is well handled. He wrestles earnestly with definitions for good and evil, and he thoughtfully examines the question of good at what price.While there's nothing particularly original here, the book will find its fan-base.-Sarah Couri, New York Public Library Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Eragon continues his Rider training in this dense sequel. After the epic battle at Farthen Dur, Eragon travels to the elven city Ellesmera to complete his magical education. There he learns from Oromis and Glaedr, a wounded Rider and his dragon who have been hidden for years, ever since Galbatorix overthrew the old order and slew the Riders. Meanwhile, inhuman servants of Galbatorix have invaded Eragon's home village Carvahall, hoping to capture Eragon's cousin Roran. Roran leads the villagers to join the Varden rebellion against Galbatorix's tyranny. Another epic battle concludes the story and brings the cousins together just in time for a revelation of dark secrets. Suffused with purple prose and faux-archaic language, this patchwork of dialogue, characters and concepts pulled whole cloth from the fantasy canon holds together remarkably well. Dramatic tension is maintained through the interweaving of Eragon's and Roran's adventures, though too much time is spent on the details of Eragon's training. Derivative but exciting. (Fantasy. 12-15)First printing of 1,000,000

From the Publisher

Praise for The Inheritance Cycle:

A #1 New York Times Bestseller
A #1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A #1 USA Today Bestseller
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller

"An authentic work of great talent." —New York Times Book Review

“The new ‘It’ book of children’s lit.” –U.S. News & World Report

"Paolini is a spellbinding fantasy writer." —The Boston Globe

"A breathtaking and unheard of success." —USA Today

“Christopher Paolini make[s] literary magic.” –People

“Unusual, powerful, fresh, and fluid.”—Booklist, Starred

“Will appeal to legions of readers who have been captivated by the Lord of the Rings trilogy.”—School Library Journal

Praise for Eldest:

"Fans of the first volume will find...a wealth of descriptive detail, mythic archetypes and prolonged battle sequences" —Publisher's Weekly

DEC 05/JAN 06 - AudioFile

Young fans of weighty fantasy novels are delighted that this second volume in Paolini's Inheritance trilogy has arrived. The prodigy writer delivers another satisfying Tolkienesque tale as his first book, ERAGON, begins movie production. Narrator Gerard Doyle magnificently delivers the rich characters, especially the humble but gifted young Eragon. The dragon rider travels to Ellesmera, the elves' forest city, to be tutored in fighting techniques and magic skills, and then must reclaim homeland Alagaesia from the wicked ruler, Galbatorix. Through Doyle's voice, Eragon's splendid dragon, Saphira, flaunts femininity behind her fierce countenance. Doyle presents distinctive elves, dwarves, and frightening bug/human enemies amid a backdrop of complex languages and lands. N.M.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award 2006 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169380163
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	04/25/2006
Series:	The Inheritance Cycle
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	264,549
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

Read an Excerpt

Eldest

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By Christopher Paolini

Knopf Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 0-375-82670-X

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Chapter One

The Council of Elders

Saphira's breathing quickened, and she opened her eyes, yawning expansively. Good morning, little one.

Is it? He looked down and leaned on his hands, compressing the mattress. It's terrible ... Murtagh and Ajihad ... Why didn't sentries in the tunnels warn us of the Urgals? They shouldn't have been able to trail Ajihad's group without being noticed. ... Arya was right, it doesn't make sense.

We may never know the truth, said Saphira gently. She stood, wings brushing the ceiling. You need to eat, then we must discover what the Varden are planning. We can't waste time; a new leader could be chosen within hours.

Eragon agreed, thinking of how they had left everyone yesterday: Orik rushing off to give King Hrothgar the tidings, Jormundur taking Ajihad's body to a place where it would rest until the funeral, and Arya, who stood alone and watched the goings-on.

Eragon rose and strapped on Zar'roc and his bow, then bent and lifted Snowfire's saddle. A line of pain sheared through his torso, driving him to the floor, where he writhed, scrabbling at his back. It felt like he was being sawed in half. Saphira growled as the ripping sensation reached her. She tried to soothe him with her own mind but was unable to alleviate his suffering. Her tail instinctually lifted, as if to fight.

It took minutes before the fit subsided and the last throb faded away, leaving Eragon gasping. Sweat drenched his face, making his hair stick and his eyes sting. He reached back and gingerly fingered the top of his scar. It was hot and inflamed and sensitive to touch. Saphira lowered her nose and touched him on the arm. Oh, little one....

It was worse this time, he said, staggering upright. She let him lean against her as he wiped away the sweat with a rag, then he tentatively stepped for the door.

Are you strong enough to go?

We have to. We're obliged as dragon and Rider to make a public choice regarding the next head of the Varden, and perhaps even influence the selection. I won't ignore the strength of our position; we now wield great authority written the Varden. At least the Twins aren't here to grab the position for themselves. That's the only good in the situation.

Very well, but Durza should suffer a thousand years of torture for what he did to you.

He grunted. Just stay close to me.

Together they made their way through Tronjheim, toward the nearest kitchen. In the corridors and hallways, people stopped and bowed to them, murmuring, "Argetlam," or "Shadeslayer." Even dwarves made the motions, though not as often. Eragon was struck by the somber, haunted expressions of the humans and the dark clothing they wore to display their sadness. Many women dressed entirely in black, lace veils covering their faces.

In the kitchen, Eragon brought a stone platter of food to a low table. Saphira watched him carefully in case he should have another attack. Several people tried to approach him, but she lifted a lip and growled sending them scurrying away. Eragon pretended to ignore the disturbances and picked at the food. Finally, trying to divert his thoughts from Murtagh, he asked, Who do you think has the means to take control of the Varden, now that Ajihad and the Twins are gone?

She hesitated. It's possible you could, if Ajihad's last words were interpreted as a blessing to secure the leadership. Almost no one would oppose you. However, that does not seem a wise path to take. I see only trouble in that direction.

I agree. Besides, Arya wouldn't approve, and she could be a dangerous enemy. Elves can't lie in the ancient language, but they have no such inhibition in ours-she could deny that Ajihad ever uttered those words if it served her purposes. No, I don't want the position. ... What about Jormundur?

Ajihad called him his right-hand man. Unfortunately, we know little about him or the Varden's other leaders. Such a short time has passed since we came here. We will have to make our judgment on our feelings and impressions, without the benefit of history.

Eragon pushed his fish around a lump of mashed tubers. Don't forget Hrothgar and the dwarf clans; they won't be quiet in this. Except for Arya, the elves have no say in the succession-a decision will be made before word of this even reaches them. But the dwarves can't be-won't be-ignored. Hrothgar favors the Varden, but if enough clans oppose him, he might be maneuvered into backing someone unsuited for the command.

And who might that be?

A person easily manipulated. He closed his eyes and leaned back. It could be anyone in Farthen Dur, anyone at all.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Eldest by Christopher Paolini
Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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