Thread: Eldest: The Stunning Follow-up

a dragon’s egg literally drops out of nowhere into his life, from which hatches his future soul mate.

My jaw dropped when I read this. You know why? Because I can't believe this bastard stole from Jane Yolen. She was one of my favorite fantasy authors when I was younger, and this sounds exactly like the plot of the Dragon's Blood series. Which, I might add, is an excellent series for kids.

And since he is just a kid, it's more than likely he read the series and actually did mean to steal that concept.

Originally Posted by Hodge

My jaw dropped when I read this. You know why? Because I can't believe this bastard stole from Jane Yolen. She was one of my favorite fantasy authors when I was younger, and this sounds exactly like the plot of the Dragon's Blood series. Which, I might add, is an excellent series for kids.

http://www.wizardnews.com/story.200508131.html

"Also Christopher Paolini, who sent his manuscript of Eragon to her [Yolen]. She thought it was pretty good work, for a 15-year-old. She noted that a 15-year-old who gets his manuscript printed up by parents who are printers and takes it around to schools until he generates enough interest to be signed by a major publisher makes a compelling backstory too."

"She [Yolen] also said that the Potter books are very derivative, that many people have written essentially the same story, including herself eight years ago. (This would be her book Wizard's Hall.)"

She thought it was pretty good work, for a 15-year-old.

I don't care if she thinks it's good. I think it's incredibly unoriginal and deceitful to take a bunch of elements from other books and use them as your own without changing them drastically (and knowningly doing it is even worse).

Age is no excuse. I'm really getting sick of the "It's good for a fifteen year-old" card. It should be taken for its own merits, which sadly are very little.

[quote="Hodge"]

I don't care if she thinks it's good. I think it's incredibly unoriginal and deceitful to take a bunch of elements from other books and use them as your own without changing them drastically (and knowningly doing it is even worse).

So J.K. Rowling should be reamed for ripping off Jane Yolen's work, being deceitful to take a bunch of elements from other books and use them as her own with changing them drastically (and knowingly doing it is even worse, right?

JK Rowling did not rip off more than Paolini. Sorry, but I've read both, and no. There is no book that I have ever read in which I recognized more elements from well known authors.

Originally Posted by bobothegoat

Name any published book and, no matter how bad it is, I'm sure I can find good reviews for it.

Dan Brown is a perfect example of this.

i liked eragon but i read eldest and i cant read it again. its SO BORING i was reading thinking will he just DIE already and end our misery.
i found some scenes grotesque in desription, seens ment to be sad were hikarious.

also about the 15 thing he STARTED at 15 and he finished at 20 also he's now like 25

Actually, he started "Eragon" at 15 and ended at 18, but that doesn't excuse how awfully cheesy "Eldest" was. I saw his inclusion of the bath, toothbrush, etc. as a sad shortcut to an end. I thought by the second book he would have found some selfesteem that would allow for him to branch out with his own ideas, but when I read his description of the elves, I just about gagged.

There are movies perfect for Sunday (Brat Pack movies, Lifetime movies, etc.) when you want mindless entertainment before work on Monday. Well, here's you're Sunday Book.