Third book in the Eragon series, also called the Inheritance Cycle. Eragon’s story continues and the final battle is taking shape. We did not get to see that final battle per se, of course, because the story ends in the fourth book of the series, Inheritance, but with Brisingr we were at the gates of it.
What a long read! I am not saying this just to say, I have verified how long it has taken me to read it, (to distract myself from this «heavy» reading I found myself reading many other books in the meantime, yes) I spent almost three months with Brisingr in my hands.
I think that of the three books in the Eragon series I have read so far, Brisingr has been the one I liked the most. Mainly, because all along I had the feeling that something incredible was about to happen, and that if there are countless descriptions of elements that do not add anything obvious to the story is because everything is going to align in any given moment and when it does it will be incredible.
In Brisingr we learn a lot more about all the characters, but I think that, in addition to Eragon and Saphira, the ones we learn the most about, and therefore from whom there are also more dedicated chapters, are Roran and Nasuada. We learn from their personalities and why they are a great help to Eragon in his fight against Galbatorix. Did we want to know so much about these characters? Maybe not ... but they belong to history nonetheless.
Without giving away anything of the story, (no spoilers policy), things finally start to happen in Brisingr, and there are many confrontations. I say this because my feeling during the second book, Eldest, was that the author seemed to be trying to avoid this, and when something finally happened, it was already the end of the book. Hence, my comment in the review on Eldest in which I say «just the last quarter of the book is interesting.» At Brisingr, those encounters finally happen, and end as we all expected. We knew they were going to happen, and they also culminate as we expected. (Or at least I already expected such an outcome). I’m talking about Glaedr and Oromis, and I won’t say anything else about it. And, a final surprise, finally we see for a few seconds the shadow of the enemy … three books without even knowing how he looks, and finally at the end of Brisingr he appears. He wanted to be like Sauron, probably, from whom we only get information about his appearance in a few pages throughout the whole Lord of the Rings series.
Paolini takes a hell of a lot of time putting together his scenes and then it takes even longer for the story to move forward. It’s his writing techniques and what defines him as a writer, but I think they could only be applied to fantasy books. It reminds me a little of the Fellowship of the Ring, (yes, another comparison with the Lord of the Rings), where Tolkien described each tree, each stone, each path that the protagonists found in their adventure. This may be an unpopular opinion, I am very sorry if I have hurt any susceptibility.
Final comment: I think Brisingr’s mission is to motivate and prepare us for the end of the series in Inheritance, no more and no less. Despite taking so long to complete the book, the way it ends has greatly motivated me to continue reading the last volume in the series. Of course, the desire to finish the story and know the outcome already exists in me, but Brisingr gives us an extra push to continue reading. If it is worth reading or not, I think that, in all these long series, there are books that serve to organise the events (especially when there are so many) and then head towards the final stretch.
Quote of the book: “Islanzadi sighed, and suddenly appeared tired. “Ormomis may have been your proper teacher, but you have proved yourself to be Brom’s heir, not Oromis’s. Brom is the only person who managed to entangle himself in as many predicaments as you. Like him, you seem compelled to find the deepest patch of quicksand and then dive into it.”
Eragon hid a smile, pleased by the comparison.”
Keep on reading,
Questions to answer in the comments:
Have you read any of the books in the Eragon series, that is, the Inheritance Cycle? And in particular, have you read «Brisingr»? Did you like it? Do you agree with my final comments on the book? Have you read any similar book of the same genre that you would like to recommend? Please answer these questions in the comments section below.
GG KLIMT 