In the fourth and final book of this quadrilogy the circle is closing and the decisive battle between Eragon and Galbatorix quickly approaches. The situation is grave; Eragon can’t defeat Murtagh with his dragon, let alone the mad king himself. Still shaken from the loss of his mentor Oromis and the capture of the Varden leader Nasuada, he clings to the hope of an old prophecy. He follows the lead given to him and heads off to the fallen city of Riders. On top of that, the city of Urubaen, in which the king dwells and refuses to leave, is surrounded with hundreds of protective spells that the king has cast over a century. Eragon has become the first real hope for freedom in decades, and in this uneven fight, the future of Alagaesia rests upon his shoulders.
When I finished this book I let the story sink in and thought about it a bit. There are some striking similarities with another famous saga – that of Harry Potter. Eragon and Harry could shake hands when it comes to their inability to kill the main villain. Eragon is not very bright or a good student, same as Harry. The basic rules of magic are very simple, yet Eragon seems not to understand the principles and almost kills himself out of pure ignorance several times. In the book every single one of the side characters is better, smarter and more capable of killing Galbatorix than Eragon. Again, same as Harry Potter. Without his friends, Harry wouldn’t make it through the first book. One is left to wonder why Eragon has become the chosen rider to save the world. The only reason Eragon makes it so far is that Galbatorix wants him alive; otherwise he would be long dead. In conclusion, even with the plot holes and some poor choices, this saga is still my favourite, has a lot to offer and the world that Paolini has created is really worth exploring.
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