content: Like many, our family bought this book and the next based on the glowing reviews of the many readers. Unfortunately, we were in for quite a shock as these are the most unimaginative, poorly written books ever published. At Borders where I returned all four books we purchased (2 copies of Eragon and 2 of Eldest), there was a pile of returned copies of Eldest behind the counter. I was in fact unable to get a refund, instead I got store credit on a gift card.Eragon is an uninspiring story chock full of tired, overused characters. The prose is unimaginative, very wordy, and fails miserably on all levels. Each characters talks just like every other character. I don't know why everyone said this book was so good. My kids are in tears. Thanks a lot Chris Paolini for ruining our last week of summer break!