Eragon by Christopher Paolini

The kingdom of Alagaesia is ruled by cruel Galbatorix, a madman who has destroyed entire races in order to achieve the throne.  Allied against him are the Varden, a group of rebels fighting a seemingly hopeless battle to overthrow the evil usurper.

Arya is an elf who carries one of only three remaining dragon eggs.  She and the Varden hope to be able to restore the dragon riders, a perfect partnership of man and dragon.  Once there were many, but Galbatorix has destroyed all but his own dragon.  The egg Arya carries is one of three eggs that he kept hoarded in his castle.  However, the theft has been discovered and as she is captured she is forced to use magic to send the egg far away.  The spell misfires.

Eragon is an insignificant boy in an insignificant village until fate sends him on a different destiny than he could ever have anticipated.  While he is out hunting, Arya's spell brings the egg to him rather than to the intended recipient.  When the egg hatches for him, Eragon is thrown into a world of which he never dreamed.

This book is reminiscent of some of the great fantasy sagas such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Because Paolini was only a teenager when he wrote Eragon, it is not as polished as Tolkien's works, or even as polished as the Eragon sequels.  Nonetheless, I enjoyed it.  It's a book that will appeal to boys and even some girls.  There is combat-style violence in it, which I would put at about a PG level.  Because of the length and complexity of the book, as well as the war-centered themes that dominate it, I would say it is probably appropriate for middle school and above, with only limited interest among elementary age children.

In spite of his youth, Paolini has the ability to create a plot that has continuity, complexity, and interest.  He has also created a cast of characters who appeal to me.  Eragon is a sympathetic, relatable protagonist that the reader truly comes to care for.  The conflict in the novel is masterfully done, with the antagonist (Galbatorix) represented by multiple nasty henchmen and their armies.  Supporting characters such as Brom, Murtagh, Arya, and so forth are also well-drawn and three-dimensional.  As far as hero journeys go, this book holds its own.  The sequels are, in my opinion, even better, as Paolini's writing skills visibly improve.