Eldest: Christopher Paolini’s Second Inheritance Book Sends Eragon to the Elves
Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just stopped the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, the cruel ruler of the Empire, from destroying for ever the rebel army of the Varden at Farthen Dûr, the dwarves’ mountain city. Eldest (2005) is the second book of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, and it picks up the story immediately after Eragon.
Author: Christopher Paolini
Title: Eldest (2005), Inheritance Cycle book 2
Format: English hardcover (Knopf Books for Young Readers), 704 pages
Scope: Epic fantasy; follows Eragon, followed by Brisingr and Inheritance
Amazon: www.amazon.es/dp/037582670X (ASIN 037582670X)
Journey to Ellesméra
A few days after the bloody battle against the Urgals, Eragon and Saphira must travel to Ellesméra, the land of the elves, to continue their training in magic and swordsmanship. They are accompanied by Arya, the elf, and Orik, the dwarf, on a journey full of discoveries and adventures, with wonderful companions and new friendships.
Chaos and Betrayal
But chaos and betrayal stalk them relentlessly, and Eragon does not know whom he can trust. Meanwhile, back in Carvahall, his cousin Roran faces his own war against the Empire, and his half of the story, with a whole village forced to flee, is one of the most gripping parts of the book.
Oromis and Glaedr
In Ellesméra, Eragon discovers that he and Saphira are not the last free Rider and dragon. The elf Oromis and the golden dragon Glaedr have survived in hiding for a century, both wounded in ways that keep them from fighting. Oromis becomes Eragon’s teacher, in a slow, demanding apprenticeship of meditation, language and swordplay, and his patience and sadness give the book some of its finest scenes. Eragon also struggles with the scar left on his back by the Shade Durza, which cripples him until the elves’ great celebration, the Agaetí Blödhren, transforms him.
Roran’s War
While Eragon trains, the story follows Roran, whose fiancée Katrina is taken by the Ra’zac. Roran persuades the villagers of Carvahall to abandon their homes, cross the mountains and the sea and join the rebels, a long, gritty odyssey in which an ordinary man becomes a leader. His chapters give the book a grounded, human counterweight to the magic in the elven forest.
The Burning Plains
Everything converges at the battle of the Burning Plains, where the Varden, now led by Nasuada after the death of her father Ajihad, face the Empire. There Eragon meets a new Rider on a red dragon, and learns a secret about his own family that changes his understanding of himself. Readers should know that the next book, Brisingr, reveals more about that secret, so it is worth reading the two close together.
Who Will Enjoy It
Readers who loved Eragon and want a deeper, slower book; those who prefer constant action may find the elven chapters long, as the reviewer’s "wonderful descriptions" suggest.
Saphira Grows Up
Saphira also matures in this book. She meets Glaedr, learns more about the history of the dragons and the Riders’ fall, and her bond with Eragon is tested when they disagree. Her dry humour remains one of the series’ pleasures. Elva, the baby Eragon accidentally cursed with a badly worded blessing in the first book, also returns as an unsettling child who feels the pain of everyone around her, a reminder that magic in Alagaësia always has a price. Paolini’s invented Ancient Language, in which no one can lie, becomes central here.
Why Read It
Eldest is longer and more ambitious than Eragon: the world grows, the magic system deepens and the revelations at the end change how you see the whole series. Read the books in order; this one is where the Inheritance Cycle comes into its own.
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