Inheritance Cycle

[OrangeAipom]

Well, since has a limited selection, he doesn't know of better books.

Like when I first read the Saga of Darren Shan... I was in the middle of the last book, then read something on here about what not to do in a fic, and my mind just clicked, and I had to force my way through to the end...

Wait, what did it say?

 

[Diz]

1)Dragons
2)Magic
3)The setting
4)Elves
5)Dwarves
6)The fact that it was written by a younger person, and not by some old dead guy.

Never heard of the Saga of Darren Shan.

 

[opaltiger]

1)Dragons
2)Magic
3)The setting
4)Elves
5)Dwarves

All of these have been done to death in other, better books. I refuse to believe your library has Inheritance and not some of these (off the top of my head: Robin Hobb, Anne McCaffrey, George R. R. Martin, Tolkien).

But this is all setting; is there nothing about the characters, the story, the writing that you like?

6)The fact that it was written by a younger person, and not by some old dead guy.

How does this influence your opinion at all? If you hadn't know Paolini was sixteen when he wrote Eragon, would you have liked it less? Also, this is a terrible attitude; why should books by "old dead guys" be necessarily bad?

 

[Diz]

They aren't, just that it is easier to make sense of what Paolini is writing. Tolkien has so many forever long conversations between characters he has never introduced before the conversation. Yes, our library has Anne and Tolkien, but none of the others. I did in fact like the characters in the Cycle. As for Arya not being a very strong character, I'm pretty sure that Christopher meant that her emotions ect. were very real. Not her physical strenght. I do admit that the characters in Brisingr were a little flat, people are talking and only when he describes how they say whatever do you realize that they were angry.

 

[LitatheLighmosa]

Arya is too old. She's like, 100 and eggs hatch for only people around the age of 10-20.

Note the word AROUND

 

[opaltiger]

Note the word AROUND

Fine, then, we can get away with a little over twenty. Maybe thirty. A hundred at the outside.

Also elves don't age quite the same way and it is in no way a reach to assume that Arya is perfectly qualified to become a dragon rider. Besides, it is blindingly obvious that AryaxEragon is going to happen and for that, the age thing has to work out, and if it does then logically it works out for the dragon, too. Or maybe Arya can be the first rider over the age of whatever. We've had no shortage of improbable things happening, after all.

They aren't, just that it is easier to make sense of what Paolini is writing.

Tell me truthfully: did you know, when you read the books, the meaning of the word quatrain? Soliloquy? and look I have a whole list, complete with page numbers.

Tolkien has so many forever long conversations between characters he has never introduced before the conversation.

My point was that Tolkien invented elves the way they are most commonly portrayed today. He is something of a tedious writer though, yes.

Yes, our library has Anne and Tolkien, but none of the others.

What seriously no Robin Hobb? :( I thought she was more popular than that, dammit.

I did in fact like the characters in the Cycle. As for Arya not being a very strong character, I'm pretty sure that Christopher meant that her emotions ect. were very real. Not her physical strenght. I do admit that the characters in Brisingr were a little flat, people are talking and only when he describes how they say whatever do you realize that they were angry.

Okay, let me give an example here. Eragon has killed hundreds of people, yes? And yet, somehow, he isn't bothered by it until book three in which he has one disturbing dream then promptly forgets about it again. Is this a dynamic character? Can you honestly say Eragon is a realistic character?

 

[LitatheLighmosa]

In case you never noticed, it also bothered him in Eldest. It didn't bother him in Eragon because he hadn't killed humans, only Urgals, and he didn't know at that time that Urgals are equal to humans.

 

[Exdeath]

I'm pretty sure that somebody who enjoys thinking about killing other species after the person learns about their culture and all doesn't consider them equal to his or her own race. He has to search the minds of the kull who join their army to assure himself that they don't want to kill him.

 

[Eevee]

Then that is his opinion and if he would kindly not squash anyone else's....

it infuriates me that you would try to pass this off as squashing your opinion

all he's doing is expressing quite clearly what he thinks of this series. if your opinion feels emasculated at the sight of his, get a better goddamn opinion

he is not trampling your right to free fucking speech; he has just actually put some thought into what he likes and doesn't like and is sharing it, rather than going "whee I like dragons lol!" and leaving it at that.

 

[opaltiger]

In case you never noticed, it also bothered him in Eldest. It didn't bother him in Eragon because he hadn't killed humans, only Urgals, and he didn't know at that time that Urgals are equal to humans.

My point is that he never dwells on it. Sure, Paolini realises maybe he should add in a passage about it, but it doesn't change anything - afterwards, everything is back to normal. There is no development.

 

[Diz]

Robin Hobb is a girl??? When you first mentioned her, I was like "Robin Hobb? never heard of him" now I'm like..."Woah" I'm not sure our school's library dosen't have her, but she's definantly not on the most checked out list.

get a better goddamn opinion

There you go. Squashing me!

Did anyone notice that Eevee is pretty much the only active person on this thread cursing?

Why would someone go further than "I like the subject of this story, it has an different style of writing that I'm not used to and I like, and the characters are interesting."? I understand if it's a school thing, but I don't think a teacher would have his/her students read Inheritance, it's too long to be pratical.

 

[Negrek]

I like the subject of this story, it has an different style of writing that I'm not used to and I like, and the characters are interesting

It's hardly very specific. That's like being asked why you bought a car and you replying, "It had a lot of nice features." Fair enough if you're just replying to an idle question, but if you're trying to defend to someone why your car is any good, that's never going to fly.

What is it about the writing style that you like? How are the characters interesting? And so on.

 

[Teh Ebil Snorlax]

Here's a whole site dedicated to it.

Anti-Shurtugal? They couldn't argue their way out of an English class with a stormtrooper death squad at their command. They have blatant oversight in at least two articles (which I've pointed out to no response or acknowledgement) and many of their other articles include fact-twisting and paraphrasing.

Considering how freaking sheltered he is? Don't count on it.

Also he's still a pompous ass.

Oh, do you know him personally?3

Wait a second. Arya... Strong? Is that a typo, or is Paolini more fail than I previously thought he was? And I already had a really really bad opinion of him...



I agree... There were so many people at my high school going around with the newest Inheritance book (Brigsinger or whatever it's called) and saying how awesome it is. And when I said that I don't like the series, they start going on and on about how awesome it is and how I should go read it. They also try to convince me that Eragon is not fail. More proof that America sucks.

You like it; we don't. We are providing perfectly valid reasons as to why we don't like it. We are not flaming it. If that offends you, it's really not our problem.

I've used Crazy Linoone's post as an example. He calls Arya a bad character without giving any reasons why and cites his reasons for hating the book...and America, oddly enough, because people at his school liked it and recommended it.

yeah because Murtagh is totally less than twenty. of all the other candidates you listed, the two elf children were mentioned in passing in one of the final chapters in the penultimate book; having one of them be it would be rather anticlimactic. Elva is morally ambiguous, heaven forbid she get a dragon; Nasuada is out because of her age (I assume she's more than twenty; if not, wtf Paolini), according to you. For a new character, see my first point.

Arya is the only logical choice, and of course Paolini is going to go for the option where everything fits and ends up happily; he is that sort of writer.

Actually opal, I'm pretty sure that Arya is out, as she has handled the egg previously and it hasn't hatched. Also, Nasuada is in fact Eragon's age.

 

[Autumn]

...and America, oddly enough, because people at his school liked it and recommended it.

I can't speak for CL, but I live in America and thus have basis behind my agreeing with her hating of America. :V

 

[surskitty]

Oh, do you know him personally?3

No, but one can get quite a decent idea of what someone is like from interviews and so on. If he doesn't make the effort to seem like anything other than a pompous ass in his public appearances, then what exactly are people expected to conclude?

 

[Teh Ebil Snorlax]

Possible reasons for acting like a pompous ass:
1) He's nervous and unsure of himself and is getting his words out wrong.
2) His coddling parents have made him overconfident in his writing ability.
3) He is in fact a pompous ass.

Personally, I'm inclined to go with 2). Maybe he's overcondifent in his writing ability, but that doesn't make someone a pompous ass. If you, surskitty, were overconfident about your (theoretical) guitar-playing skills, that wouldn't make you a pompous ass, would it?

 

[opaltiger]

Anti-Shurtugal? They couldn't argue their way out of an English class with a stormtrooper death squad at their command.

this indicates to me that you have not read a single article on the site

They have blatant oversight in at least two articles (which I've pointed out to no response or acknowledgement) and many of their other articles include fact-twisting and paraphrasing.

specifics?

Actually opal, I'm pretty sure that Arya is out, as she has handled the egg previously and it hasn't hatched.

what when

Also, Nasuada is in fact Eragon's age.

... wtf Paolini

 

[Exdeath]

Also, we're talking about the third egg, i.e. the one Galby has.

 

[surskitty]

Personally, I'm inclined to go with 2). Maybe he's overcondifent in his writing ability, but that doesn't make someone a pompous ass. If you, surskitty, were overconfident about your (theoretical) guitar-playing skills, that wouldn't make you a pompous ass, would it?

If I was not only overconfident but vocal about it, yes, it would make me a pompous ass. If I stopped being overconfident about it, then I would no longer be a pompous ass.

 

[Harlequin]

you know

it occurs to me that

who the fuck cares about Paolini because god damn it he's a twat. Like the books all you want, just realise why they're literary shit.