Eldest by Christopher Paolini
Oct. 5th, 2007 06:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meganbmoore Below the cut is primarily my hatred of Eragon himself. That whole "betrayal" scene has sent it to new heights.
Unrelated and regarding a far superior hero and story: SPIRAL: THE BONDS OF REASONING HAS FINALLY ACTUALLY BEEN RELEASED AFTER UMPTEENBILLION RUMORED LICENSES AND RELEASED RELEASE DATES. It is by a publisher I have never heard of BUT I DO NOT CARE BECAUSE I SHALL FINALLY HAVE THE SPIRAL MANGA AND THE PUBLISHER IS FORBIDDEN TO GO OUT OF BUSINESS UNTIL THEY HAVE RELEASED THE ENTIRE SERIES OR I SHALL NEVER FORGIVE EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO DOES NOT BUY IT!
No, I haven't been waiting years to get my hands on it or anything...
Ok, seriously.
Your supposed "best friend" has just told you that he was tortured-by a person well know for being evil and cruel beyond words- into revealing information. He told you that, weakened and imprisoned, and was forced to swear allegiance in what results to a compulsion spell. During this, he is SPARING you and his cousins despite his orders, and you are ranting and screaming and calling him a traitor and saying everyone was right about him.
And mourning? What mourning...Eragon was sad for about 5 minutes and didn't exactly do more than a cursory search "oh, here are Murtagh's clothes...well, I guess he's dead."
Seriously...one person there was coming across as a person with goodintentions being forced into things against his will but trying to do what he could, and the other was acting like the kind of screaming, irrational red shirt that dies because they doubted the hero.
I mean, I can't even fathom really regarding it as a betrayal. "Betrayal" implies choice and free will...Murtagh had none...serving Galbatorix is not something he did, but something that was done TO him.
Also...Yes, Eragon, of course you're going to view THE GUY YOU GREW UP WITH AS BROTHERS as more of a brother than a guy you've only known for a few months...sorry, but you lose at heroic bonding.
I gave Paolini a lot of room with Eragon because I try to be generous for first books, plus his age, but I expect improvement between a first book and a second...if anything, this is a regression...a MAJOR regression...in quality. I was forced, by pure survival instinct, to skim very large sections of it. It's like no one even bothered to edit it...he just turned in the manuscript and off to the printers it went. The first book, at least, had some sparks of originality...here, it's purely derivative of other fantasy.
A large part of the problem is that Paolini very, very clearly has an extremely idealistic view of heroic fantasy...there are no greys, just stark black and white, and if black and white can have rose colored glasses, Paolini has the thinkest ones in existance.
In Paolinui's world, all things Eragon are good and perfect, and all things not are evil. If you are strictly allied with Eragon, you are good, if you conflict with Eragon, you are bad. Eragon himself is perfect, has no flaws, and never makes mistakes. To Paolini. To the reader, everything Eragon does is the height of stupidity, at best. When he DOES mess up, it rewritten to be a good thing he did. The Inheritance Trilogy is supposed to be a coming of age heroic journey, but it approaches it in the worst possible way
Eragon is, ctep by step, cliche by cliche, walking the glorious path of it. He has a dragon. He has a magic sword. He has magic. He has a destiny. Everywhere he goes he is immediately acclaimed as a hero and leader. Everyone seeks his allegiance. He never lacks for mentors and allies. He suffers few hardships and those he does have no lasting effect...when they SHOULD things happen to negate it. In addition, his "destinty" makes him long lived and physically perfect, and he somehow, miraculously, becomes the best at everything.
That's not what what the hero's journey is supposed to be about, though. That's the leftover stuff that the legends talk about, while ignoring the real meat of the matter. It's about hardship. It's about suffering and becoming better for your suffering. It's about learning from your flaws. It's about meeting those who are what you want to be and realizing how far you go. It's about getting kicked down and picking yourself up. It's about learning what the world really is, about facing adversity-physical and otherwise-and either becoming better for it, or being broken by it. It's about GROWING UP.
Eragon is never challenged. He is given everything he could possibly need and constantly given aid. Everywhere he turns there is someone to help him. He has never been faced with a choice that challenges his beliefs or forces him to make a hard choice. In approximately 1500 pages, Eragon has never GROWN.
Then there's Murtagh. Murtagh was dropkicked into the world and the world hasn't stopped kicking him since. He essentially grew up in hell and escaped. He did everything in his power to be good, to be a hero, to be a friend. In return, he is constantly doubted, questioned and berated. He is imprisoned by those he would help. Time and again he saves Eragon's life, but instead of thanks, he gets berated for his methods...methods no different, and often more honorable, than those of many heroes. But they involved cunning and guile and the willingness to kill enemies that tried to kill him, and for this-despite being right every time-Eragon yelled at him.
Murtagh is, literally, walking the hero's path that Eragon should be walking. Sadly, Paolini's one good creation out of the whole thing is also the worst thing he could have done to the series. Before Murtagh appears in Eragon, Eragon is annoying, but bearable. The second Murtagh appears, however, all the flaws, all the contrivances, all the sanctmoniousness in Eragon becomes blatantly evident, and it just keeps getting worse and worse, even when Murtagh isn't around.
Know what possibly the saddest thing is?
I called all of Murtagh's "revelations" when he gave his origin in Eragon. The dragon, the parentage of both, the forced betrayal(actually, I called it being that or a false betrayal...and, IMO, it's both, as he had no choice in the matter and would likely switch allegiances if given free will.) For that matter, I even figured he'd get the sword at some point.
Sadly, all of the above are things Paolini seems to be completely oblivious to.
Which, sadly, isn't likely to stop me from reading it.
Askingcrankycatpointed out, Eragon fans seem to be masochists.
Your supposed "best friend" has just told you that he was tortured-by a person well know for being evil and cruel beyond words- into revealing information. He told you that, weakened and imprisoned, and was forced to swear allegiance in what results to a compulsion spell. During this, he is SPARING you and his cousins despite his orders, and you are ranting and screaming and calling him a traitor and saying everyone was right about him.
And mourning? What mourning...Eragon was sad for about 5 minutes and didn't exactly do more than a cursory search "oh, here are Murtagh's clothes...well, I guess he's dead."
Seriously...one person there was coming across as a person with goodintentions being forced into things against his will but trying to do what he could, and the other was acting like the kind of screaming, irrational red shirt that dies because they doubted the hero.
I mean, I can't even fathom really regarding it as a betrayal. "Betrayal" implies choice and free will...Murtagh had none...serving Galbatorix is not something he did, but something that was done TO him.
Also...Yes, Eragon, of course you're going to view THE GUY YOU GREW UP WITH AS BROTHERS as more of a brother than a guy you've only known for a few months...sorry, but you lose at heroic bonding.
I gave Paolini a lot of room with Eragon because I try to be generous for first books, plus his age, but I expect improvement between a first book and a second...if anything, this is a regression...a MAJOR regression...in quality. I was forced, by pure survival instinct, to skim very large sections of it. It's like no one even bothered to edit it...he just turned in the manuscript and off to the printers it went. The first book, at least, had some sparks of originality...here, it's purely derivative of other fantasy.
A large part of the problem is that Paolini very, very clearly has an extremely idealistic view of heroic fantasy...there are no greys, just stark black and white, and if black and white can have rose colored glasses, Paolini has the thinkest ones in existance.
In Paolinui's world, all things Eragon are good and perfect, and all things not are evil. If you are strictly allied with Eragon, you are good, if you conflict with Eragon, you are bad. Eragon himself is perfect, has no flaws, and never makes mistakes. To Paolini. To the reader, everything Eragon does is the height of stupidity, at best. When he DOES mess up, it rewritten to be a good thing he did. The Inheritance Trilogy is supposed to be a coming of age heroic journey, but it approaches it in the worst possible way
Eragon is, ctep by step, cliche by cliche, walking the glorious path of it. He has a dragon. He has a magic sword. He has magic. He has a destiny. Everywhere he goes he is immediately acclaimed as a hero and leader. Everyone seeks his allegiance. He never lacks for mentors and allies. He suffers few hardships and those he does have no lasting effect...when they SHOULD things happen to negate it. In addition, his "destinty" makes him long lived and physically perfect, and he somehow, miraculously, becomes the best at everything.
That's not what what the hero's journey is supposed to be about, though. That's the leftover stuff that the legends talk about, while ignoring the real meat of the matter. It's about hardship. It's about suffering and becoming better for your suffering. It's about learning from your flaws. It's about meeting those who are what you want to be and realizing how far you go. It's about getting kicked down and picking yourself up. It's about learning what the world really is, about facing adversity-physical and otherwise-and either becoming better for it, or being broken by it. It's about GROWING UP.
Eragon is never challenged. He is given everything he could possibly need and constantly given aid. Everywhere he turns there is someone to help him. He has never been faced with a choice that challenges his beliefs or forces him to make a hard choice. In approximately 1500 pages, Eragon has never GROWN.
Then there's Murtagh. Murtagh was dropkicked into the world and the world hasn't stopped kicking him since. He essentially grew up in hell and escaped. He did everything in his power to be good, to be a hero, to be a friend. In return, he is constantly doubted, questioned and berated. He is imprisoned by those he would help. Time and again he saves Eragon's life, but instead of thanks, he gets berated for his methods...methods no different, and often more honorable, than those of many heroes. But they involved cunning and guile and the willingness to kill enemies that tried to kill him, and for this-despite being right every time-Eragon yelled at him.
Murtagh is, literally, walking the hero's path that Eragon should be walking. Sadly, Paolini's one good creation out of the whole thing is also the worst thing he could have done to the series. Before Murtagh appears in Eragon, Eragon is annoying, but bearable. The second Murtagh appears, however, all the flaws, all the contrivances, all the sanctmoniousness in Eragon becomes blatantly evident, and it just keeps getting worse and worse, even when Murtagh isn't around.
Know what possibly the saddest thing is?
I called all of Murtagh's "revelations" when he gave his origin in Eragon. The dragon, the parentage of both, the forced betrayal(actually, I called it being that or a false betrayal...and, IMO, it's both, as he had no choice in the matter and would likely switch allegiances if given free will.) For that matter, I even figured he'd get the sword at some point.
Sadly, all of the above are things Paolini seems to be completely oblivious to.
Which, sadly, isn't likely to stop me from reading it.
As
kingcrankycatpointed out, Eragon fans seem to be masochists.Unrelated and regarding a far superior hero and story: SPIRAL: THE BONDS OF REASONING HAS FINALLY ACTUALLY BEEN RELEASED AFTER UMPTEENBILLION RUMORED LICENSES AND RELEASED RELEASE DATES. It is by a publisher I have never heard of BUT I DO NOT CARE BECAUSE I SHALL FINALLY HAVE THE SPIRAL MANGA AND THE PUBLISHER IS FORBIDDEN TO GO OUT OF BUSINESS UNTIL THEY HAVE RELEASED THE ENTIRE SERIES OR I SHALL NEVER FORGIVE EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO DOES NOT BUY IT!
No, I haven't been waiting years to get my hands on it or anything...