Follow Friday #41

Thanks to Parajunkee and Alison Can Read for hosting FF every week!

This week's question:

Q: Fight! Fight! If you could have two fictional characters battle it out (preferably from books), who would they be and who do you think would win?

A: Hmmm... that's a hard one. I don't know. First thing that popped into my head was Tucker from Unearthly, by Cynthia Hand... but I don't know who I'd put him against. Then Cole from Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls series pushed Tucker out of the way. But again, don't know who I'd have him battle it out with. I think they are both phenomenal characters (I totally love them) but I don't know if I'd want them to battle anyone really. Ugh. Always with the hard questions. Maybe Eragon from the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini vs. Harry Potter. :-P What do you think? Both able to use magic, but two totally different types of magic. Would be interesting.

Who would you pick?

Review - Inheritance by Christopher Paolini (audio CD)

Not so very long ago, Eragon—Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider—was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the much-anticipated, astonishing conclusion to the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.

I have to say... most of Inheritance by Christopher Paolini did not disappoint. I was looking for an epic conclusion to the series and epic is what I got.
I have never heard a more descriptive story in all my life. It may not have been as grotesque in some spots if I'd read it instead of listened to it, but the lovely Gerard Doyle read the whole thing to me. I mean it went in to great GREAT detail about the horrific deaths of certain people and it turned my stomach.
So in this final installment of the Inheritance Cycle, Eragon has to find a way to defeat Galbatorix and keep the Varden and his family alive. He faces the sick and twisted priests of Helgrind who are looking to sacrifice him to their "gods" as a form of punishment. And he fights against soldiers who feel no pain and are protected from magical use and therefore are incredibly hard to kill unless you can get close enough to kill them by hand. He goes on a journey to find his true name in a last ditch effort to find a way to end the reign of the cruelest king Alagaesia has ever seen.

There are definitely tests of will in this story. Tests of courage and heart, love and loyalty. It had a lot of surprises, some good some not. And it focused, not only on Eragon, but on Roran (his cousin) and Nasuada (leader of the Varden). Roran seems to have grown leaps and bounds from the young man he was at the start of Eragon into a man who has earned the respect of the entire village he came from along with the rest of the Varden and it's leaders. And we find out Nasuada has an iron will that not even the strongest evil can break.

I enjoyed the book a lot. Minus the grotesque parts that I had a hard time listening to (and I have a strong stomach). The only thing I DISLIKED was the end. And I'm not going to tell you why. You'll have to read it or listen to it to find out.

I'd recommend this book, obviously first and foremost to fans of the first 3 novels in the series. To epic fantasy lovers. Fans of dragons and elves. Maybe not for younger people... as in 13 or under. But it should be ok for an older crowd.

Follow Friday #36

Thanks to Parajunkee and Alison Can Read for hosting Follow Friday every week!

This weeks question:

Q: BeefcakeandBabes Asks: I like unique names for characters and am looking forward to coming up with some when I start writing. What’s the most unique character name you’ve come across?

A: Hmmm.... I read a lot of epic fantasy so there aer LOTS of unique and unusual character names. Like Murtagh or Galbatorix or Islanzadi from the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. Legolas, Eowyn, Faramir and 99.9% of the names from Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. Hermione (I know this one may only be unique to me), Albus Dumbledore (I love what this one means), Minerva McGonagall from Harry Potter by JK Rowling. Katsa and Po from Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Sabriel and Lirael from the books of the same name by Garth Nix. There are probably tons more that I could find but I think I've taken up enough room. :-P

Book Trailer - Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Unfortunately I have to wait a bit longer for this as I'm broke and can't afford any books. I'm really excited to read it though. Check out the trailer I found from Random House Books!

Review: Eragon (Audio CD) by Christopher Paolini (narrated by Gerard Doyle)

So in anticipation of the final installment in the Inheritance Cycle, I re-listened to the audio CD version of Eragon by Christopher Paolini. I think I said in a recent post that this audio version is narrated by Gerard Doyle and I have to say I think he is just fantastic. He is tied with Jim Dale who narrates Harry Potter (and has played parts in movies like Pete's Dragon). 

Eragon has been one of my favorite series and I think the narrator plays a big part. I love Saphira's voice and honestly, I can't figure out how he does it without destroying his throat.

Now, there are times when Christopher Paolini goes in to TOO MUCH detail, and it kind of drags on when you're reading, but when you listen to someone else read it, it's not so bad. It's entertaining and best of all, it keeps my GIRLS entertained too. Which is generally a hard thing to do.

I love the series and really wish it had ended with Brisingr, but I understand there was just too much to fit in to one book. But he sure has taken his sweet time letting go of this fourth one. A lot of people say the series mimicks Lord of the Rings with the Urgls being like the Orcs and what not. But really, I don't care. Everyone gets their ideas from someone right?

I definitely suggest everyone who's read the book pick up the audio CDs. Even if you haven't read it and hadn't planned on it, you should pick up the audio CDs. Let someone else do the reading for you.

In My Mailbox #19

IMM is hosted every week by Kristi The Story Siren.

I didn't receive any new books in the mail this week.

But I got something almost better.

I found a ton of OLD books! Books that I'd been missing for years and had counted as lost completely.

I found all of my Harry Potter books that I'd been missing (and I now have 3 copies of The Sorcerer's Stone) so now I don't have to rebuy them! I found all the of the books in the original Bartimaeus Trilogy (although now I understand there's a 4th book) by Jonathan Stroud. I found my copies of Eragon and Eldest, by Christopher Paolini, to go on the bookshelf with my copy of Brisingr. I found Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. I found Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke. And more that I can't remember.

In My Mailbox #18

IMM is hosted every week by Kristi, The Story Siren.

This week was a library week again. I'm about halfway through The Regime by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. It's book 2 in the Before They Were Left Behind series. I read the first 1, The Rising, many years ago and this was the first time since the initial release date that I've seen book 2. I've also read the entire Left Behind series and I definitely recommend all books.

I also picked up Eragon by Christopher Paolini on audio CD to listen to in the car. I'm anxiously awaiting Inheritance so I figured I'd give myself a refresher and listen to/read books 1-3. I love listening to Gerard Doyle narrate the books. I've listened to them before.

For the girls I got Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl on audio CD as well. It was relatively short so it wasn't too hard for them to listen to and it kept their attention for the most part. I must say, I wouldn't have picked Eric Idle as a narrator, his voice is just a little harsh at times, but it was fun to listen to.

Follow Friday #15

  Q. Name 3 authors that you would love to sit down and spend an hour or a meal with just talking about either their books or get advice on writing from?
A. Geez... I don't know if I could pick just 3. I would probably have to go for JK Rowling, CS Lewis, and JRR Tolkien. And for someone who's name isn't on their books as just initials, I'd have to add in Jane Austen as well. And MAAAAAAAAAAYBE Christopher Paolini. I know that's more than 3, but I don't do well having so few favorites.

Waiting On Wednesday #4

WoW is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It spotlights upcoming releases that are anxiously awaited.

This week I'm waiting for Inheritance! The final novel in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. It's not due out until NOVEMBER. UGH.

From Randomhouse.com:

"Not so very long ago, Eragon—Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider—was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.
Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.
The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?"

I must say this, it's about cotton picking time! I thought this was NEVER coming out! Yay. I may have to re-read Brisingr to familiarize myself with the characters again. Because even though I've read it twice and listened to the audio book, I've forgotten MOST of what happens! AHH.