BOOK REVIEW: Eragon by Christopher Paolini

So. I read Christopher Paolini's Eragon under duress. (A summer book club selection that one person insisted was awesome, while everybody else strenuously objected, to ultimate futility.) It was... Okay, plot- and character-wise, there is nothing Paolini does that has not already been done a million times. (And WOW, if I wanted to read David Eddings, I would read David Eddings, y'know?) To Paolini's credit, however, as far as I've read on Wikipedia, he does admit to a long list of influences, though he continues to stress archetype rather than, y'know, thinly-veiled rip-off homage. But yeah, there isn't much anybody can do with elves and dwarves that hasn't been done ten billion times before. There is nothing new anybody can do with the hero's journey, because it is what it is, and what it is, is predictable. I do salute the author for overlaying the extremely typical hero's journey with a bit of McCaffrey-esque dragonrider society, though again, if I wanted to read about dragonriders, I would read Naomi Novik and Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett and, y'know, Anne McCaffrey first. But whatever. It's not something that's super-common in fantasy, as far as I've read. I suppose this is serviceable fantasy for juvenile fiction, but I guess I would prefer writing to be better than serviceable. Because honestly, y'all, the writing is horrible. Just...plodding and passive and expository as all get out, and I want better. Not just for me, but for THE WORLD. In conclusion: Not as horrible as I expected, but definitely derivative, and definitely not as good as it should be, given the hype. Seriously, though, go read some David Eddings instead.