Book Review: Brinsingr (Inheritance #3), by Christopher Paolini

Genre: Young Adult Epic Fantasy
Date Published: September 2008
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
# Of Pages/Listening Time: 748 pages/29 hours and 40 minutes

Goodreads | Audible

Synopsis: Oaths sworn... loyalties tested... forces collide.
It's been only months since Eragon first uttered "brisingr", an ancient language term for fire. Since then, he's not only learned to create magic with words — he's been challenged to his very core. Following the colossal battle against the Empires warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still, there is more adventure at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.
First is Eragon's oath to his cousin, Roran: to help rescue Roran's beloved from King Galbatorix's clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength — as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices — choices that will take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.
Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?

My Rating:

 ★★★★ 1/2

.....For showing how much the author's writing has matured since the first installment.

My Thoughts:

Well, it's clear that Christopher Paolini's writing has matured considerably since his first novel.

I really enjoyed this book. Paolini went into more detail with war politics, and you can tell he did a whole bunch of research on medieval weapons and gear, because there's considerably more detail when he writes about swords and men equipping themselves for war.

I have to say I really love reading about Nasuada and Roran. It's nice to read about people who don't have special powers like Eragon or Arya, just their own brains and determination. It creates a good balance in the storytelling, and gives you more opportunities to relate to the characters you're reading about.

I also like how Paolini is diversifying the Varden; there are elves, humans, dwarves, and urgals, all fighting on the same team. And they're not mixing all that well, particularly the urgals. This diversification is giving the Varden, as well as each race, a lot more depth.

Overall, this is a good installment. I can't say this is the best fantasy that I've ever read, but it is still a very good fantasy story, and, unlike the previous two books, the plot stands alone from other stories. The previous two had similarities to Lord Of The Rings and Star Wars, but this one doesn't seem to be borrowing from anywhere else; it's standing on it's unique storyline, and that is why I still like to re-read this series.