(no subject)

Finished reading 'Eragon' by Christopher Paolini, and can I just say... meh.

Okay, I know he was fifteen when he wrote it, and that's very commendable, especially since I'm 20 and my stories look as though they were written by a sleep-deprived, sugar-crazed Fangirl whose idea of comedy is 'Ninja monkeys attack!'. Whcih they were. But the whole book is one giant cliche. I saw every 'plot twist' coming a mile off. I figured out Brom was a magic-user within the first few minutes (harmless old story-tellers are *always* magic users). I knew Murtagh was going to be Morzen's kid. I knew Brom would die.

There's nothing wrong with being influenced by Lord of the Rings - hell, most modern-day fantasy has some degree of LOTRness - but it shouldn't come through on every page.

And more importantly, his female characters suck. I mean really suck. Like, David Eddings level of suckitude. They're weak, helpless, one-dimensional and downright boring. The only one who is even slightly likeable is Angela (who amuses me with her toad/frog philosophising). And that's it. I already hate Arya and... that other girl who is so mind-numbingly dull that I can't remember her name.

The Shade was briefly cool, until he died and we had the goddamn tragic past scene. I hate tragic pasts. I want my villians to be evil just because.

So much of the media frenzy around this book focuses on his age, that it seems his followers have neglected to actually read the book itself.

I'm already hating the movie.

(no subject)

Finished reading 'Eragon' by Christopher Paolini, and can I just say... meh.

Okay, I know he was fifteen when he wrote it, and that's very commendable, especially since I'm 20 and my stories look as though they were written by a sleep-deprived, sugar-crazed Fangirl whose idea of comedy is 'Ninja monkeys attack!'. Whcih they were. But the whole book is one giant cliche. I saw every 'plot twist' coming a mile off. I figured out Brom was a magic-user within the first few minutes (harmless old story-tellers are *always* magic users). I knew Murtagh was going to be Morzen's kid. I knew Brom would die.

There's nothing wrong with being influenced by Lord of the Rings - hell, most modern-day fantasy has some degree of LOTRness - but it shouldn't come through on every page.

And more importantly, his female characters suck. I mean really suck. Like, David Eddings level of suckitude. They're weak, helpless, one-dimensional and downright boring. The only one who is even slightly likeable is Angela (who amuses me with her toad/frog philosophising). And that's it. I already hate Arya and... that other girl who is so mind-numbingly dull that I can't remember her name.

The Shade was briefly cool, until he died and we had the goddamn tragic past scene. I hate tragic pasts. I want my villians to be evil just because.

So much of the media frenzy around this book focuses on his age, that it seems his followers have neglected to actually read the book itself.

I'm already hating the movie.