All 5 Eragon books, ranked worst to best

4) Eldest

The second book in the saga is interesting in good part thanks to the addition of Eragon’s cousin Roran as a new point of view character. In this book we see Eragon begin his training as a Dragon Rider, and while large parts of that are enjoyable (such as Eragon learning about Elvish culture and the history of the Dragon Riders), it can at times feel incredibly convoluted.

The character of Elva, a human baby whom Eragon blesses and accidentally gives the power to feel pain and suffering around her, is an interesting addition and ultimately becomes crucial to the overarching story, but I found the sections focused on Elva frustrating to read at times. It all adds up to this feeling that Eragon’s story is overly long. Although it’s worth noting that the relationships he has with Saphira — his dragon — and Arya — an elf — remain beautiful, and a final confrontation between Eragon, Saphira, Murtagh and the red dragon Thorn are ‘cannot put the book down’ levels of gripping.

As I said before, Roran is my favorite part of Eldest. Having another point of view widens the world, and in Roran’s case addresses an often forgotten question within the fantasy genre: while the protagonist is whisked off on an adventure, what happens to those left behind? How do they cope with the things the protagonist has fled from?

Roran’s arc in Eldest is fundamentally that of a boy becoming a man, driven by his love for Eragon, his father, and the girl he loves, Katrina. He has the classic adventure story but he is not magically gifted or chosen; he chooses to stand up and lead. Whilst Eldest comes in at fourth overall on my list, Roran’s story is the one thing which makes me go “Could this book be third instead of fourth?” It isn’t, for me it is very decidedly fourth, but that I considered it speaks volumes about how well crafted Roran’s storyline is.