| Booktalk
#1
My name is Eragon. I am an
orphan, I don't know who my father is and my mother dropped me off at my
uncle's house when I was a baby. No has seen her since. My uncle
and my cousin are my family now, we are farmers trying to make a living
off the land and whatever I can catch during a hunt. One day I go deep
into the mountains to track a deer. I loose the deer, but find a beautiful
blue stone. It is dark blue, with thin white veins that look like a spider
web across it. It is perfectly smooth and feels cool to the touch. It is
a foot long but is amazingly light. No I ask myself:
Where did this stone come from?
Does it have a purpose?
Was it sent here by accident or I am meant to have it?
Is it magic?
What should I do with the stone?
For answers to these questions read Eragon by Christopher Paolini
(Nora Douglas, ndouglas@tuscaloosa-library.org,
Tuscaloosa Public Library)
Booktalk #2
Eragon was the first of the
Dragon Riders. It was an honor for me to bear his name. Even though the
Dragon Riders were no more. Galbatirox had seen to that. Even though it
had cost him his great black dragon. Along with all the other Riders' dragons.
Now he rules as King of Alagaesia by cruelty and sorcery.
I was hunting in the Spine,
the great range of mountains to the West of Carvahall where I lived with
my uncle and cousin. My bow was drawn and I took my last steadying breath
before loosing my arrow when--an explosion shattered the night, scattering
the herd. My shot missed, and where the deer had been there was a large
smoldering circle with a wisp of smoke and a burnt smell. In the center
lay an oval dark-blue stone with thin veins of white spider webbed across
it about a foot long. When I picked it up, it seemed lighter than it should
have.
I took it home with me with
the hope that it would bring enough to pay for the meat, which its arrival
had taken from me. But, nobody was interested in the stone, not even the
traders when they arrived for their annual visit. It proved impenetrable;
harder than a diamond. I kept it under my bed.
Until the night I was roused
from my sleep by squeaking. I soon realized that it came from the stone.
Finally it fell silent and I returned to sleep, only to waken later to
see the stone rocking back and forth in the moonlight. Then, it rolled
onto the floor and a crack appeared, followed by more. A piece wobbled
and toppled to the floor followed by a series of squeaks and a small dark
head. Soon the creature emerged completely from the stone that was now
obviously an egg. It moved into the moonlight and I saw it clearly for
the first time.
It was a dragon. They weren't
extinct after all. And perhaps I was given my name for a reason.
Sam Marsh for The
Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award
Booktalk #3
Certainly you’ve heard of this
book: written when the author was 15, following in the footsteps of many
of the current popular fantasy stories in print and on the screen, it has
been favorably contrasted with Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series, Anne
McCaffrey’s Pern series, and others. So, why read it? Well, because it
is really fresh, a true page-turner of a tale, and will charm you with
the enchanted world it describes. Eragon is a poor farmer boy, out hunting
in the mystical mountains above his home town, who finds a brilliant blue
oval stone. Hoping he can trade it for food for his family, he takes it
home, only to find it is in reality a dragon egg. It hatches into a gorgeous
sapphire blue dragon, a dragon hatched when all dragons were thought to
be extinct! He names her Saphira, and bonds with her, to become the first
free Dragon Rider in 100 years. Enter the evil minions of King Galbatorix,
bent on destroying all freedom in the empire, and Eragon must learn fast
how to survive in a politically complex world far beyond his mountain valley
home. This book is a marvelous read! Read it and enjoy the wonderful relationship
between boy and dragon, in this first book of a fascinating trilogy.
(Jean B. Bellavance for Pennsylvania
Young Reader's Choice Awards, 2004-2005)
Booktalk #4
A young man finding his true
purpose, a dragon, elves, dwarves, an evil king, and magic, all are a part
of the book Eragon. Finding a mysterious blue stone, Eragon is not prepared
to become bonded to its contents. But he does just that when a majestic
sapphire blue dragon hatches, thrusting Eragon into the role of the first
Dragon Rider in a hundred years who is not controlled by the evil ruler
of the Empire. Gifted with only an ancient sword, the loyal dragon, and
sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon begins a quest for his uncle’s
killers initially for revenge. He soon learns, however, that the cruel
king will do anything to get Saphira, the dragon, and himself to serve
him. He must quickly learn to fight and just as quickly understand his
own new powers and ability with magic. Eragon is a sprawling fantasy, filled
with vivid characters, witty dialogue, and nail-biting battle scenes set
in a magical world where a wondrous blue dragon and her rider are at the
center of it all. Once read, you will be eagerly awaiting Eragon’s next
adventure which is entitled Eldest. (Rose W. Grayson, South
Carolina Book Awards, 2006)
Booktalk #5
What’s that? Eragon, abruptly
roused from sleep, listened carefully. All was quiet. Uneasy, he slid his
hand under his mattress to grab his knife. There it was again! A squeak!
He rolled out of bed yanking his knife from its sheath. Quickly lighting
a candle, he noted that his door was still closed. The sound was too loud
for a mouse or rat. Another squeak! This time his eyes settled on the smooth
blue stone on his shelf. About a foot long, the stone had appeared suddenly
in front of him while he was hunting in the forested Spine. He glared at
it furiously. He had not been able to sell the stone or trade it for food,
and now it would not even let him sleep! Now the stone was rocking rapidly
on the shelf, knocking against the wall. Quickly, Eragon jumped from his
bed, knife in hand and began dressing. The stone quivered, rolled forward
and dropped to the floor with a loud thump. Eragon inched toward the door,
ready to make a run for it as cracks appeared in the surface of the stone.
More squeaks and a small dark head appeared, followed by an angular body.
The small creature skittered into the moonlight and Eragon recoiled in
shock. The creature was a dragon. Thus begins Eragon’s adventures as a
Dragon Rider. These legendary men with telepathic links to their dragon
partners ruled the land of Alagaesia before the evil Galbatorix seized
power and killed them all. Eragon and Saphira must learn to distinguish
friend from foe, gaining magical knowledge and allies before Galbatorix
can find and destroy them. Oklahoma
Sequoyah Young Adult Book Award nominee, 2005-2006 |
