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Title: Very familiar, but fun nonetheless.
Review: I probably wouldn't have bought this book for myself, but when I got it for Christmas and had some free time on my hands, I figured, "What the heck". Right out of the gate, you can see where Mr Paolini's influences lie. All the standard elements are in place and ready for action. People with strange names, creatures with strange names, places with strange names. Extraneous apostrophes cavort with their umlaut buddies in all sorts of unexpected places. The good guys are attractive and the bad guys are ugly. Very black and white stuff. It's the superficial elements of Tolkien, Pratchett, Zelazny, McCaffrey and a host of others, all crammed into a single volume. I kept reading anyway.Before long I was rewarded with character development, a deepening plot, and a very readable writing style. So readable, in fact, that by 5:00 the next morning I was eagerly awaiting the next installment. When it hits the stores, I WILL buy it for myself.
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