All 5 Eragon books, ranked worst to best

2) Eragon

The book that started it all, the first in the series, and named after our beloved protagonist: Eragon comes in at second on my list.

I have nostalgia for this book. The pure joy of a boy finding a dragon egg and slowly but surely raising and befriending this dragon, who then becomes as much a part of him as his bones; the simplicity of the adventure story, of our protagonist realizing he has been specially chosen and must now travel the breadth of his homeland to fulfill his destiny; the characters we meet along the way, both friend and foe, who aid Eragon in his task or force him to change tact in order to escape them; all of his gives me a warm feeling.

This book introduces us to Arya, and through her the entire elven race. Her mysteriousness for huge chunks of the book reminds us of how much magic in the world we have yet to understand, and Eragon’s fierce loyalty to her rubs off on us readers. This book locks into our brains how important the relationship between Eragon and Arya is.

The adventure across Alagaësia seems vast and exciting; just as we as readers are new to this world, so Eragon is discovering the breadth and variety of the continent where he lives. A boy from a farming family, in a small town way up in the Spine mountain range, Eragon has never ventured beyond the outer limits of his town, and now suddenly he is being drawn into a vast adventure which takes him across rivers, deserts, cities, and mountain ranges which make the Spine seem like hills.

Ultimately, the premise of the novel is quite simple, and it doesn’t do anything hugely shocking or extraordinary within the genre; but there is something so perfectly well done about this book, and something very satisfying about the story every time you read it. It deserves second place on this list. It is the perfect introduction to the world, and makes you want to stick around for the entire saga to follow.