Eragon took possession of my heart!

No, not the character really, but the book, and the experience it has brought me.

It all started a few years back, when I first started reading an e-book, and for the first time in my life, enjoyed reading an electronic book. The name was 'Eragon'. And it got me intrigued. Eragon is the only e-book I've completed, an achievement in itself. But then, I stopped and forgot all about it.. Until a few months back, when I again saw the book on Flipkart. It was a book containing both Eragon and Eldest, and since I had not read Eldest, I decided to buy it. Anyways I always wanted to possess the actual book. Reading from an e-book can be tiring at times.

So I read Eragon again, and proceeded to Eldest and then couldn't resist the need to buy Brisingr as well. I was spell-bound to the story, the many intricacies of it. I like stories of magic as such, but this is the best of the lot. It has the usual charm of magic and the unknown, but not just that. Not just could I visualize Alagaesia with all of its beauty and misery, but I also was mesmerized by the many facets of the story which brought forth new concepts and new imaginations. Say for example, the "ancient language" or "Gramarye", which expresses everything by its true name - a language in which one cannot tell a lie (though of course it can be twisted to fit one's purposes). It is an amazing concept, and somehow I believe in the idea. It seems plausible that such a language may well exist, but may be lost to us. Then the concept of meditation - to open one's mind to the world, so that one can hear and feel every living being around, from the smallest unicellular organisms to the biggest of creatures. It seems a true form of meditation, something that seems to me closely related to the Hindu scriptures. There lies a large number of such concepts and more. 

Another feature of the series is the characters. They are not perfect, not even Eragon himself. As the prime character, he is naturally endowed with almost all the great features needed in a man's character. However, he also has his shortcomings. He is, for example, sometimes very stubborn in his beliefs, as in case of the Urgals. Although it does not directly affect anything of importance, it is still a smudge in his character. Apart from Eragon, however, the other characters have their flaws. They have their fears, their weaknesses and sometimes are quite selfish to their own goals. True that a reader wants the very best in his heroes, but a character only seems real if it has all the facets - good and bad. A perfect character may be bestowed upon God Himself, but no one else can really possess it!

I have enjoyed my read and am eagerly waiting for my copy of 'Inheritance', where the journey ends. And for once, I am not unhappy that the adventure will come to an end. It seems only right that it should happen. This, like any other story should not continue so long that it loses its charm, as mostly happens. I will always have the books to revert to whenever I feel like, after all. 

I would recommend this book to everyone who has a knack for imaginations and fantasies. It is a read worth having in life. My thanks to Christopher Paolini for bringing this living magic to my life. Like many of the books I have read and loved, this book has also played a role in shaping my thoughts, imaginations and views in life. :)