Brisingr

Brisingr, by Christopher Paolini, is the 3rd novel in the Inheritance cycle.

Following the events in Eldest, Eragon and Saphira have joined Roran and try to free his fiancé. But after returning to the Varden, Eragon soon faces another battle with his brother Murtagh. Eragon realizes that Galbatorix must be providing Murtagh with extra power somehow. And Galbatorix has another surprise in store for the Varden, as his soldiers no feel no pain and can keep fighting even after sustaining serious blows.

Eragon continually finds himself torn between all the promises he has made. He must protect the Varden, help his dwarf clan with the choosing of their new king, return for final training with his dragon rider master, and discover a way to overthrow Galbatorix.

Brisingr focuses on Roran a great deal, with his growth and battles. I found myself enjoying his character a great deal more in this book. Though, Saphira has become one of my least favorite characters, as she seems to have little personality and no sense of humor. This is a major disappointment, since she’s a central character and one of the few dragons left.

The story also gets bogged down quite a bit with the traveling and time with the dwarves. I felt the descriptives could have been cut back quite a bit, and made for a smoother read.

But the action and adventure were very entertaining. And some big revelations lead to exciting and stirring results. Brisingr has a climactic ending, with a predictable but moving outcome. The odds are stacked against Eragon and the Varden. And Galbatorix seems undefeatable. The fourth and final chapter in this epic cycle can’t come soon enough.

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Related Reviews:

Eragon: https://scifichick.com/2006/11/16/eragon-inheritance/
Eldest: https://scifichick.com/2007/01/31/eldest/