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Title: mediocrity doth not a fine novel make
Review: The essence of Eragon's failure is its lack of earnestness. What Paolini has done is simply a failed amalgation of adolescent, prepubescent tales that caught his fancy. His depictions of women are ethereal, full of boyish longing. His plot flits hither and thither, from one iconic fantasy tale to another. But what is worst, beyond the sheer silliness of its subject matter and the workmanlike quality of its prose, is the mediocrity in which his subject matter is immersed. Like an adolescent preening for profundity, he simply lays naked a frightening lack of talent, and disregard for the innards of what gives true writing DEPTH. This tale skims surfaces, never plumbs the real depths of its protagonists, makes its antagonists caricatures rather than characters. A painful work to read. Adults and those of discerning intelligence--let the children read this, and have their day. Maturity awaits them down the road.
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