Eragon, by Christopher Paolini

This review is based on the Listening Library audio version of the novel.

This is a pretty typical fantasy story, starting with a young farm boy who finds a strange blue stone in a remote area while hunting. Pretty soon, we see the stone hatch into a young dragon, learn that the dragon riders have been gone from the land for ages, destroyed by one of their own.

Unfortunately for Eragon, the boy who discovered the egg, that traitorous dragon rider now is the king of the land and his agents are searching for the dragon. Eragon is soon driven from his home, aided only by a bard who is more than he seems.

The story moves quickly, and through all the required phases of such stories, in an entertaining way. We watch as Eragon comes into his own as a dragon rider, and an important person in the politics of the rebels who fights against the evil king.

The characterization in the novel is good, and Eragon grows subtly throughout the events of the story. There are hints in this novel that Eragon will eventually confront an ethical choice, whether to try and restore the dragon riders to power, or to allow the peoples of the land to manage themselves.

All in all, a well-told story that's fun to read!