Books at the Box Office: Eragon

My generation was raised on Harry Potter, but those of us who liked to read outside the series quickly found Eragon, a four book “cycle” that dominated some time in our lives. However, unlike Harry Potter, the book did not jump to the big screen with ease. We got one adaptation of the first book that was universally panned…but the books survived! They are good-ish! If you like dragons, you’ll like them!

From Amazon:

Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy—until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire.

So a few things: I don’t really LOVE fantasy books, but I liked this series a lot growing up. It held my attention. Also, even though Eragon is 15 in the first book, my library shelves it as juvenile fiction. They don’t have like…sex or anything but they are about overthrowing a bad regime, dragons, etc–so do with that what you will. Also, I’ve never read Lord of the Rings, so I can’t contribute to that comparison in any meaningful way. I am really excited to read Paolini’s new book, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, when it comes out in September.

Onto the movie….buckle your seat belts.

Guys, how did this movie come out in 2006? How OLD AM I? Wow, seriously, I feel so old. I remember seeing this and being distracted the whole time by the blinking mic on Eragon (aka Ed Speleers’s lapel. Also Jeremy Irons was in it? The CGI was bad…but it was also 2006 so I’ll give them a pass. It just didn’t compel anyone, and there’s a reason they never made the other books into movies. So odd. This was some Pre-TV adaptation of Game of Thrones stuff that D&D would have eaten up.

Anyway, the moral of this story is I may go home and watch the DVD of Eragon I’ve had for OVER A DECADE and reminiscence, but mostly I’m excited to read his new book.