- Brisingr: Book III (The Inheritance Cycle)

There is adventure and dragons , action ! This was a totally awesome book and series! I highly recommend this book to everyone. Move over Imperial series!

I wanted the next book in the Inheritance Cycle series and Amazon had the cheapest price. I was originally nervous to order a book online and that it would show up damaged, but it showed up in perfect condition! I really enjoyed this book and I will be ordering the next one in the series on Amazon.

From the moment I started reading Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, & Inheritance, I have not been able to put these books down. Makes me wish I lived in the day of dragons, and my only aspiration would be to become a dragon rider.

Brisingr is a worthy successor to Eragon and Eldest. It improves in many aspects over the first two, and falls short in others, but overall, is a very good book. However, given the choice, I preferred Eldest.I have a LOT to say about Brisingr, so I'll break it down into pros and cons here:Pros:*Increasing good prose and dialogue.*Roran's chapters were very strong.*Some brief insight into the mind of Murtagh, which was extremely well thought out and developed, solidifying Murtagh's position as the best character in the saga.*Fast-paced, despite some rather prolonged scenes with little happening. I couldn't put the book down without reading at least 150 pages every time I opened it.*Arya finally shows some real personality, talking a little about her past and her relationship with Faolin. (Though Eragon's thoughts about this were rather dumb.)*There was a nice twist on the traditional mentor death towards the end.*We finally get some insight into Galbatorix's mindset, hearing a well thought-out speech from him at the end.*Increasing originality.*Some very neat characters here and there, such as Rhunon, Elva, and numerous new dwarves.*Despite the seemingly black-and-white nature of the conflict between the Varden and Empire, shades of gray appear when the characters question their cause.Cons:*Too much of the book is focused on Eragon. About 80% of the pages are from his point of view, a disturbing unbalanced situation considering that he is only one of five characters who have their own POV in this book.*The more I read, the more I dislike Eragon. He's becoming increasingly ruthless, slaughtering anyone in his way, even those only doing their jobs or forced to serve the Empire. He becomes so cold and uncaring you really have to wonder if he should be a villain, not the hero. He tries very hard to justify his actions, spouting nonsense about how the ends will justify the means and that he'd only be evil if he enjoyed killing, philosophy that is repeated through the book. Most of the problems I have with the series stem from Eragon or the overemphasis on him. What makes it worse is that the rebel faction praises him as a hero, inflating his already bloated ego. There were times when I felt like Galbatorix was the lesser evil, here.*Murtagh is wasted. Despite how powerful and dangerous he is to the Varden, he doesn't wreak nearly as much havoc as he could or should. He is only briefly seen in Brisingr, and is treated more like an environmental hazard that the characters have to avoid rather than a real villain. It's a pity, because Murtagh is easily the best character and the insights into his personality we do see are very complex and three-dimensional.*The plot is a little weaker in structure than Eldest, with some rather prolonged sessions of dwarf politics and dialogue. At times, the plot feels more like a collection of errands that Eragon has to run rather than a chain of events that leads up to the conclusion.*Nasuada becomes so power-crazed and tyrannical in this book that I was hoping Elva would just let one of those assassins kill her so Roran or someone could lead the Varden instead.*The morals are messed up, as previously mentioned. Too much time is spent with the rebels spouting self-justified diatribe on why they are in the right, and why its okay for them to be burning and pillaging on the path to opposing Galbatorix.Conclusion: Brisingr is a great book, but the series is beginning to get weighed down by some obvious problems stemming from the author's choices. Paolini has talent, but he's misusing those talents by focusing on Eragon as the hero and forgetting Murtagh. He's taking the story in the wrong directions and, I think, making a lot of bad decisions when it comes to what he will do. He's doing what he's doing well, but he isn't so good at deciding what should be done.

So passionate and heart wrenching. I love this story and have since the first book. The story transports you as none others.

My granddaughter was ecstatic when she opened her gift!! Perfect shape!!

Brisingr is definitely the best of the series so far, Paolini's writing skills have improved leaps and bounds from Eragon and he has created a rich, involving and highly detailed world, obviously well thought out and painstakingly wrought. I have loved to watch Eragon grow and mature as he takes up his responsibilities, and while he still obviously cares for Arya, I'm glad he doesn't spend half the book drooling over her like a moonstruck calf. I almost wish he wasn't quite so impervious to harm, it's hard to be too excited about an upcoming battle or concerned about the hero's fate when he can heal himself out of hand, no matter how dire his wounds. Yes, it's wordy, but it is a book, not a text message, a book dealing with an epic war spanning an empire, several different cultures and peoples and dozens of characters with multiple storylines. What did you expect? I think that everyone is just too used to watching TV or playing video games and wants instant gratification. All in all, I'd say this is the best of the series so far and a wonderful, rich, thrilling adventure in its own right. The only thing I was disappointed in was that lack of a conclusion. I've been waiting for the end of the Eragon saga for a couple of years now and I was not aware that the series had be extended to four books, so the words "The story will continue and conclude in book four." were a shock. But rest assured, when the fourth book comes out I will be one of the first in line to buy it.

I love this series. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I’m a visual reader and I let my imagination see the story through the eyes of Eragon and Sophie’s.