Brisingr
Written by Christopher Paolini
Random House/Knopf Books
Release date: September 19, 2008
I feel as if I should have had this review written and published it a week ago, and that had been the intent. I had greatly anticipated the arrival of Brisingr, the third installment in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, having enjoyed the first two quite a bit. But it seems that in the past couple of years since I first read his first two books — Eragon and Eldest — my ability to judge good writing has grown.
So, no, this is not going to be a glowing recommendation of Brisingr.
But I have to make one thing very clear from the outset: Paolini has created a fascinating story. The problem is, he just can’t write all that well. And as a result, the enjoyment of the book was severely punished by how hard it was to struggle through the inept form the story took.
Everything became horribly clear when a friend of mine forced me into reading the third book in Isobelle Carmody’s Obernewtyn Chronicles while I was also reading Brisingr. Now reading more than one book at a time is not new for me, as I’ve often got 5 or 6 on the go at any given time. But it was a severe mistake to have picked up such good a book as Keeping Place amidst reading Brisingr. It was blindingly obvious that Carmody knew how to write, and that Paolini really wished he knew how to write.
People have commented on the similarities that the Inheritance Cycle has to other stories, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings specifically. But that would be like saying that those two stories are themselves perfectly original, when nothing could be further from the truth.
The problem arises in Paolini’s belief that he can write like J.R.R. Tolkien. An XKCD comic describes one of Paolini’s major flaws perfectly in a comic entitled “Fiction Rule of Thumb.” In it, a graph depicts a falling curve which states that the probability that a book is good will decline as the number of words made up by the author increase.
Let us get one thing straight: Tolkien was a language genius, having studied the topic for decades and taught it at the University of Oxford. Anyone else attempting to mimic his scope is either very brave or very stupid.
This is exemplified most clearly once you reach the end of the book, where Paolini feels that his story is deserved of an “On the Origin of Names.” In it, he shamelessly attempts to mimic Tolkien in explaining where his characters’ names came from. It is nothing short of ludicrous and laughable. Put in a glossary, sure, but do not think for a moment that your language work is anywhere worthy of an appendix.
Will I ever get around to reviewing Brisingr? OK, fine. The story is great! Eragon continues to learn new things, get himself in and out of trouble with the help of Saphira, his dragon who has a severe ego issue. His cousin, Roran, rescues his bride (duh) and is apparently Hercules reborn (in another dimension, or whatever).
But that’s about the best I can give you. The book is filled with pages of inarticulate dribble which totally deprive Paolini of his excuse for writing a fourth book. Paolini said that he had to extend it because he felt he had too much story to tell in just three books; no, he really doesn’t, he could have done it in this one.
In addition, Paolini seems to be getting around his misunderstanding and inability to comprehend the life and times of a fantasy people by having magic do everything. It acts as a lightsaber (that scene out of Star Wars: Phantom Menace, where Qui-Gon Jin tries to open up the doors in the opening is replicated almost exactly towards the end of Brisingr). It acts as an alarm clock (I kid you not). Paolini’s concept of magic could have been so good. But in the end it’s just a cure-all for Paolini not being able to describe real world answers to how to light a fire.
It was so disappointing to read the book, and be able to only think of how I would have to disparage it in this review. Some might say to me, “Well Josh, you have to admit, you haven’t done anything like this, so give him a break!” Well I’m not going to give him a break, because I could do better than he has done, however unlike boy-genius-Paolini I don’t have a spare few years I can spend doing nothing but writing.
But why is it so popular? It’s the Rowling-Story problem (I’m coining that phrase). Both J.K. Rowling and Paolini (and no doubt a multitude of other authors) have created and imagined stories that were fantastic. Problem is, neither of them is actually skilled in the art of writing well. This means they both have to get by on the strength of the imagination that went into the story.
Now as I said at the top, the story is great, the writing is not. Same went for Harry Potter. I’m an avid fan of the series, but I’m smart enough to know that Rowling isn’t actually a very good writer (there should be a limit on the amount of times a writer can use the word ‘snogging’ in a series).
So to rate this book, I’m going to do it out of 10. There simply aren’t enough numbers in the ‘out-of-5’ system to do this book justice, and other books justice. I give it 4 out of 10. Those points are all for the story.
“But why is it so popular? It’s the Rowling-Story problem (I’m coining that phrase). Both J.K. Rowling and Paolini (and no doubt a multitude of other authors) have created and imagined stories that were fantastic. Problem is, neither of them is actually skilled in the art of writing well. This means they both have to get by on the strength of the imagination that went into the story.”
FINALLY. I feel as though I’m constantly hitting my head against a brick wall whenever I try to argue this point with my friends. To them, a good imagination is more or less the same as true writing ability, when in reality the two couldn’t be more independent. Though I’m curious about the word “snogging,” since I don’t remember it being in Rowling’s books all that much. “Snigger(ed),” thought – there’s a lot of that going on, especially on the part of Crabbe & Goyle. And (this is my perennial question), WHY did it take an entire chapter to discuss the gang’s first use of the port key?
*sigh*
All in all, interesting review. While I haven’t actually read Paolini, largely because what you’ve said here has been said many times ever since his first book came out, I do know how hard it can be to write a review of a book that one didn’t actually like.
I completely disagree with the whole independent true writing skills and such. Personally I believe while writing skills cannot neccisarily survive without a strong imagination, where as a strong imagination generally can survive fairly well without being particularly adept at writing. Moreover because of their (Paoloni and Rowling) imagination it allows readers to really get into the story which is a much needed kick in the rear for getting children/ teens back into reading. I commend them.
Now before i start to sound zealous i generally agree with this review although i would have given it a higher rating…
And I most certainly agree that Ill be dead when the day comes that an author has managed to get even close to the masterpiece Tolkien monopolized with the languages (not to mention the culture).
Still all in all a very great review on the book…
Wow, seriously? You say that Paolini Is not a good writer, but look how far he has gotten. Compared to you, a measly little guy who criticizes other people’s work because he is jealous. Pitiful, and it makes me laugh. HAHAHA! You think just because someone was 15 years old when they started their career, that they can’t be as good of a writer as someone who has been writing for 50 years? You’re arrogant! No one is perfect, and no one is expected to be.
Although I strongly disagree with your review, I’ll give you the right to your opinion. I’ll just have to give this review a 1.5 out of 10, for being so amateurish. You told barely anything about the book, but instead complained about Paolini being a amateur writer. Once again, I laugh! HAHAHAHA!
You just have to face the truth, Paolini will always top you, in everything you do.
I wonder who’s looking at this more objectively, the one who balances criticism with praise where it is deserved, or the one who spouts off opinions that that sound like one has been brainwashed. I, personally, agree with the review overall. There are many books I’ve read which has imagination equal to Paolini’s, and writing much better than his. However, the story in Inheritance is accessible to many different audiences, like Harry Potter was, and I think that it is this global appeal that has made Paolini’s books as popular as they are, not the writing. No, Inheritance and Harry Potter will never be considered “great literature”, and I’m more than willing to bet they won’t last nearly as long as Tolkein and other good writer’s works will.
By the way, criticism does not necessarily stem from inferiority, it is simply someone’s opinion about something. A good tip-off for if something is legitimate is if the writer can back up their opinion, which Hill has here. It seems like you were mistaken on the definition, I just wanted to set you straight on that.
And before you dismiss something as “amateurish”, maybe you should consider that not much detail was said about the book, because many people have yet to read it, or are in the process of, and probably don’t want to know the specifics before they do.
i thought it was a good book. and as for you blah
You should try to write a book if you do write a book ill read it aan well see who did better k you suck josh.
All in all a great review. While yes I personally believe that Christopher Paolini had great imagination with the book, the story could have been written alot better. At the same time though you have to think what type of audience he is targeting. With a story such as his, it is hard to write a story that can match the imagination. Others could have done better, but the concept of the book made it well worth reading in my opinion. I would have given it about a 6 or 7.
I have to object to your comparison between Christopher Paolini and J.K. Rowling.
I think Rowling’s writing is perfectly fine. Particularly in her first books, and particularly when she’s describing action, it can be awkward. But for the most part, it does what it should do, which is tell Harry Potter’s story without drawing attention to itself and while evoking the thought processes of a mostly ordinary, reasonably witty teenager. It is elegant in its own way. People often seem to suggest that by not writing in the same style as authors such as Tolkien, she falls short of their mark, but she is not even aiming at the same target. If her writing were much more beautiful or sophisticated than it is, it would be inappropriate to both her characters and her story. I think I am agreeing with you when I acknowledge that she is a limited writer, but I think she knows her limits, and that knowledge has kept them from hurting her books.
The situation with Christopher Paolini is different. A Tolkienesque style might actually suit his books (naturally, since he seems to have lifted a quarter of his material from the Lord of the Rings), and he certainly seems to be trying for one. But, while there are some successful, even beautiful, passages in his books, on the whole he doesn’t have the sense of rhythm, the command of words, or the aesthetic judgment it takes to pull off that style. And his work suffers as a result. IMO.
Worst one of the series. Instead of growing, his main characters are getting more childish. The anticipation of “getting the bad guy” is almost meaningless. And talk about rip off. Honestly, I’m that slow, that I had not made the connection between these books and Star Wars until I read the synopsis at the beginning of Brisingr, just to refresh my memory. Then it hit me. I thought, hmmmmmmmm, boy this really sounds like Star Wars. I wonder who else has had the same thought. How about that “light saber” scene? GOOD LORD!! He even melted his way through a door! ahahahRIPOFF!..scuse me
i agree completely with the reviewer. brisingr was horrible in my opinion.
I’m in complete accord with your review, man. *shakes head* This is a monumental piece of crap that should have been cut down another three hundred pages to at least give it SOME semblance of flow.
And as for you *points at Kris* and especially you *points at No Name*, thank you for repeating the same EXACT arguement I’ve heard from 9/10ths of the other Paolinites I’ve talked to about this. Because that pathetic protest, ‘I’d like to see YOU write a book!!’ (”LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!!!” *sob sob sob*, seems exactly the same thnig to me) works so much better considering he ADDRESSED THIS IN HIS REVIEW. Try thinking independently once in awhile; I realize this is hard for someone who obseses over such mindless drivel as ‘Brisingr’, but you could at least try.
*deep breath* Okay. So. My opinion of the actual review.
I really enjoyed reading it and found myself nodding along with a lot of the points that you brought up. You didn’t address many specifics which I liked; oftentimes people bring up various specific plot points to complain about, which is purely a matter of opinion. You concentrated on writing ability, which is incontestebly awful.
One thing I’d just like to toss out there, though… R.A. Savatore is, with all due respect to him (love you, Bob! keep Drizzt comin’!), no Tolkien. That being said, I LOVE the Forgotten Realms series(s?) by him. I wonder why that is? Oh, wait. I know. Because his writing has plotlines and can’t be predicted EVERY FIVE SECONDS. Not to mention it doesn’t resemble Lord of the Star Wars in any major points, especially not SIGNIFICANT PLOT DEVICES (like, oh, say, “No. I AM your father.” Or, maybe, Uruk’hai and orcs – oh, wait, I mean Kull and Urgals.)
Anyways :D that’s my rant for the day. Great review, and people like No Name who can’t even debate can all burn =).
I thought this was the longest prologue ever. I agreed with the review completely. My greatest disappointment was already mentioned here, that the characters are not growing. In the attempt to make the characters truly epic and bring to the surface all the moral quandaries that are faced, Paolini has retarded their progression. All the duplicitous wrangling in the book is a major detractor for me, combine that with the feeling that nothing was accomplished… I hope the 50 pages needed to simply finish the story will be better.
I am in complete agrrement with the review, while the earlier books were interesting there really was alot that was ripped of from many stories, star wars, LOTR, and possibly a few others. I first read eldest and thought in my young self that it was a a good book 3 years later after waiting for the drivel to be finally released, i am told about 2 months before it is released that there will be 4 books, this infuriated me more because ive read several books, an none of the authors seem to take half as long as paolini to actually write a book.I mean lets look at the book really half of the book seems to want wax eloquently about the countryside, paying not very much attention to the story itself, simply there to fill the pages. I mean looking at star wars how many of the charachters can you actually think have something in common with a charachter from the inheritance series? we have brom, the obvious obe wan figure, galbatorix the emperor palpatine, oromis has to be yoda, and arya princess lea, you could even liken saphira to han solo because she is so over confident and murtah has elements of darth vader, the bad but really wants to be good. As for people who want to defend this book to a tea, then be my guest, its a good tale but nothing more, its not unique and the list of words that i cant pronounce seems to grow evermore,this is afterall my opinion, as is the review. People who dont agree could counter argue without having to go into childish rants about the review, i mean if you look at most reviews they all mostly are saying the same thing. As for good books the forgotten realms are great books but i do prefer some of the warhammer ones, gotrek and felix is still a classic, and malus dark blade is definitely always a good read, and with the added bonus dan abnet and graham mcneil dont take the best part 3 years writing 1 book normally 6 months
The review was generally fine. It’s complexity and slow progression is the downside of Brisingr. And as most readers, we expect better from a sequel. It’s the slander pointed towards the writer that I don’t like since we are reviewing the book, not the writer.
I agree with POSEIDON, a great writer can not survive without strong imagination, and Paolini definitely have plenty of imagination. He may not be as good as the ancient TOLKIEN; but if he is truly attempting to mimic the master, then he is heading on the right path and we can expect better from him in the future. Christopher Paolini is a young writer, he has room for improvement. I’m sure Tolkien will say the same if he’s still around, being an encouraging professor that he was.
And MajorJJH, if you really are a Tolkien reader like you claim, you should know that HUMILITY is one of his greatest teachings.
um excuse me while i drivel
but yes iam a Poalinite or whatever you call it
and yes you writeit
and anotherr thing paolini did study Old Norse as a backgrround for his book
anywat enough crap go jump in a black holr or somthing
once again the childishness of you statements is shown, there is no need to bring childishness into andult arguement
Mee tinks yoo id stoopid. Paolini right reel gud. Yoo kin suck it!
I agree and disagree. Paolini is a horrible writer true, but I don’t agree that the plot was anything special or very interesting as a matter of fact. It’s actually very derivative and smacks of bad LOTRxSW fanfiction.
Here’s a review that I saw that you might be interested in checking out: Brisingr Book Review
Let me start with – I have been waiting a long time for htis book to come out. Not with bated breath or anything, but just checking bookstore shelves two or three times a month, recommending it to my friends. etc. So, when I finally dived into it after its release, it was with that sense of sinking into a bubble bath after a long, hard day of work. That feeling did not last very long.
I only give that prologue to justify the fact that this isn’t me downing a book or series I am not in to. I think Eragon is imaginative and fun, and the story – as the reviewer says – is fantastic. But it is so bogged down by the inexpert use of language that became almost unenjoyable. I found myself commenting to my husband, by the time I got to around page 600 – he’s really not going to even see the bad guy. I can’t believe I read 600 pages and he doesn’t even SEE the bad guy.
I actually googled “Brisingr reviews” to see if I was the only one – I mean, I’m not an expert, maybe I am too shallow to appreciate it (perhaps similar to my unsuccessful attempts with War and Peace). I enjoyed the other two books so much – was this a fluke? No – apparently not.
Thanks for sharing an honest review – because sometimes life is about disappoinments.
PS – I will still read the fourth book. And if he doesn’t at least meet Galbatorix by the middle of the book, woe to Paolini! :)
Wonderful review!
Erm…. I don’t really get it
I mean what the ‘bad’ reviewers said :
“rip-off of starwars, bad writing”
First of all, frodo had an injury to ( his shoulder stabbed by the Nazgûl), second in a huge amount of books has a protagonist which has an injury ( and they’re all good writers), even in stories on Tv or books which tell non-fiction,
And….Not a good writer????
He was 15 years old when he begun to write the cycle
That is a prestation to begin with
If I start to read a cycle, trilogy, etc… then i read from the beginning to make sure i get the point.
If i should start in the middle of trilogy, i would come to the same conclusion as our enthousiastic friends.
Just finished reading Brisingr, and was terribly disappointed. I really enjoyed the first two books, and was driven to read this series by the imagination factor brought up in the first review. I am also an avid Harry Potter fan, but Brisingr is the book that truly separates these two authors. The problem is that this third book contains nothing new. I can’t begin to understand why Paolini would drag out the story in such a way. Maybe he’s trying to stretch himself into the realm of other fantasy writers that have came before, if so he’s definitely stretched himself too far. Brisingr should have been the last book.
while i agree that there were parts in this book that were just plain BORING and at times i found myself skipping a whole chapter, overall i really enjoyed the book. Paolini mightnot be the best writer out there, but he has a good idea and i thouroughly enjoyed the book. i think that you were a little harsh in your review, but i wont bash you for it because im sure you have much more experience in reviewing books than i am.
You know, 4 out of 10 is exactly the same rating as 2 out of 5…
First things first, I love fantasy, I read all the three Paolini’s books and will read the fourth. The storyline is ok. I mean a bit predictable, but that is one of the point of a certain kind of fantasy, enjoyment at how an author treats a common literary topos. Tolkien himself was not original, and he knew it.
I have attempted many times at writing fantasy, and always stopped because I felt that I could not write anything exceptional, anything not derivative, compelling.
Paolini, for all is imagination is a kid: his writing resembles his schooling and his readings. The lack of rhetorical features is appalling, the length of certain transitions is enormous, the repetitions (not to say the places where it almost feels plagiarism) are way too many. And the plot twists are actually really really boring: i mean, ok I’m going to have 2 phDs one in philosophy one in literature, so i am not your average reader, but… who had not guessed that Brom was his father from day one? Who had not guessed that Oromis would die? or that Orik would become king?
I do love Angela’s character, and even Arya is well rounded… but the plot needs to be a bit more fast and unpredictable. All in all I agree with the 4 rating, maybe a 5. Writing well… is a skill in and of itself, there are well written books that are very boring… literature is full of those… I feel Paolini is lacking exactly that humility which blocks many of a perspective fantasy writers.
Ok. I agree with the few things you discussed in your review. BRISINGR was NOTHING compared to ERAGON and ELDEST. I don’t know what Christopher Paolini was thinking when writing this book, it is if someone else written this book. His first two books were absolutely fantastic while this one dragged on and on. What he put in 750+ pages could definitely be condensed into around 250 or 300, and be even more cohesive than his lengthy book was. You could tell a couple things from reading this book:
He lengthened it just for the sake of saying he couldn’t finish the story, thus enabling him to create the 4th book of the TRILOGY (which by the way, means 3), thus forcing followers of the Eragon story to buy the 4th book, thus making/labeling Christopher Paolini as a SELLOUT.
It was evident that he attempted to write like JRR Tolkien while compiling his book. Some parts of the book i even imagine him closing his eyes and just typing jibberish.
This book could and definitely should have been completed with this last installment of the Inheritance Trilogy…erm excuse me, I mean Cycle.
I noticed a lot of other really disconcerting but specific ways in which Paolini practically plagiarizes others work. In the Redwall series, and in the book Martin the Warrior (I think) the sword of Martin (which by the way can’t break) is forged with, get this, a meteorite found on the beach. While it’s forged the names of famous warriors are also invoked upon it. Similar much to how they make rider’s sword?
Secondly, the “Black Hand”? I think Paolini was learning about WWI when he was writing this because that’s the exact same name of the Serbian radical group responsible for the assassination of an Austria-Hungary heir, which sparked the beginning of WWI.
Something which i just find truly pathetic and laughable in the whole “cycle” is the attached guide to Paolini’s language. Wow. How could he even be so arrogant to include this? He in no way has had the proper teaching to even begin to think of creating some language out of thin air as Tolkien so famously did. It really makes me laugh when he presumes that people will be so utterly entranced with his works that they would actually take the time to understand his ill formed rules. Maybe he just took the guide Tolkien created and changed the order?
All in all, i think a 4 was well deserved.
I doubt anyone cares, but i personally love all the books so far. I can’t really critisize or praise the review, because for a start i’m 14 and dont really read many book, but i thought it was quite biast to opinions, and was a tad unfair. but again…Personal opinion!
Brad.
This is purely opinion, but personally the sword-making was one of the more interesting parts of the book for me. ^.^
De acuerdo with the review, though I think your whole “Paolini is crap” section was a bit harsh. It really is quite difficult to write a series of this stature, if you’ve ever tried.
I agree with you in the sense that it did seem like Christopher Paolini was trying to write like J.R.R. Tolkien, even though his writing skills are nowhere near Tolkien’s. However, you need to consider the audience that Paolini’s books are trying to target. They’re mostly for younger adults, or young teens. Perhaps it may not be enjoyable for a critic like yourself, but some others would find Paolini’ writing suitable, or even inspiring. I for one agree with your review, but you should go a little bit more in depth on the better parts of the book, to balance out praise and criticism. Overall good review.
MMMM, I have to say that I’m reluctant to join the crowd bashing poor Chris. Yeah he did start (Emphasis on the word START) his series at age 15, but he is also a published author charging good money for his work. Having said that I feel it;s only right to judge that work by the same standards that we judge any other writer. Having said that, I really don’t like his story. i am a very big fan of fantasy and dragons definetly strike my interest. i think he’s a good writer. i just think that he needs his own ideas instead of stealing entire plots. i for one don’t like reading a story where I know not only the ending but all major twists. A lot of you fans of his work keep saying “Well why don’t you see if you can do better yourself?” well for that I say. I will…in fact I have. My book “A Hero’s Legacy” will be on sale late October, available for pre-order sooner. It involves dragon riders since that’s what I’m into. i’m sure that i can prove without the shadow of a doubt that a young author can in fact create something unique and fresh without the use of enyire plotlines from other great works. Chris is about a year older than me so feel free to judge us on equal terms.
I agree with Meagan. I think Christopher should publish a revised version of Brisingr and then make it as brilliant as Eragon and Eldest, for those two books were fantastically written. Brisingr did seem to be filler paper becuase nothing much was happening. I guess it was Paolini’s way of imitating the real world, becuase in the real world, things happen awfully slowly. Still, I wish he made better use of 600+ pages. After being devoted to the first two books, I was slightly disappointed. But, coming from a 14 year old 9th grader, what do I know?