I expected to be let down by this book, simply for the reason that it was the last in the series and I didn’t trust Paolini to finish it in a way that I liked and that also served the characters well and did justice to the story. Boy was I in for a surprise…
The first 300 pages of Inheritance did nothing to quell my fears that Paolini wasn’t going to deliver. They consisted of battles and nearly nothing else. Although I enjoy the way he writes battles, I didn’t want to read about them for 300+ pages. Once he got past that, though, I was definitely drawn back into the story.
In Inheritance, we learn more about Roran, Eragon’s cousin, who finally got interesting (I could not stand his parts in Eldest). Galbatorix, the evil tyrannical ruler, also became more than just an evil bad guy, and he played a decent role. Although I never really gave a hoot about Nasuada, the leader of the Varden, even she became a much more fulfilling character. If I was in any doubt of Paolini’s storytelling abilities, this book delighted me into believing he is a gifted writer.
Although I predicted much of what happens in the end, I wouldn’t say it is a bad thing. Enough happens that I could not possibly predict, that was amazingly well done, that I was satisfied by this end of the series. I was also saddened that I knew I was leaving Eragon and Saphira’s lives for good, though Paolini heavily suggested he wasn’t going to abandon future stories in the land of Alagaësia, which pleases me greatly.
My recommendation of this book should be evident by now. If you read the rest of the series, you have to read this. It is a very satisfying end to the series. If you haven’t read Eragon and you enjoy fantasy, I highly suggest trying it out. The world Paolini creates is magically wonderful, and I know I’ll probably be rereading the whole series over summer if I have the time.
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