Kevin's Watch

I just purchased this book at Sam's Club and noticed it is a continuing saga (next book out this August) and wanted to know if anyone else has read it yet...

My kids love Dragon stories...

I've eye-balled several times.....let me know if you like it.

OK - Will do - plan on relaxing in a little bit and reading until I fall asleep...

I've read it.
I like it, Some interesting bits. It is Light ,but thats what i expected,
so yeah its good.

Thanks Warmark - From what I've read so far seems to be a good book for my teens to read...

OK - just finished it. I did enjoy it and was pleasantly surprised to discover the Author was just out of High school when he wrote it. I am actually looking forward to the continuing saga in "Eldest".

It is light Warmark, but it was exactly what I needed to read at this time. I know my children should enjoy it as well, which was why I bought it in the first place.

Yea, some real good bits in it, the end battle and the magic from what i can remember.

I loved this book. But, I read it so long ago I have forgotten about it. Eldest is coming out in August? Kewl, I think I know what Beorn will get for his birthday (there's no way he'll wait until his birthday for HPVI).

Yeah - I preordered Half-Blood Prince - July 16!!!
I should be done with HP by the time Eldest comes out on August 23.

My daughter is enjoying Eragon now. It was a good read and you have to like the characters...

I read it and was quite impressed by the young author's style. He's one to watch for the future.

I reviewed this book on Amazon, as a matter of fact.

Oh god... I hated that book.

Everything came off so cliche...

I dunno, perhaps I'm only jealous He's from around here, if I remember correctly... Fort Benton, I think, but I'm probably wrong.

Edit: Yeah, he lives in Paradise Valley

The Leper Fairy wrote:Oh god... I hated that book.

Everything came off so cliche...

I dunno, perhaps I'm only jealous He's from around here, if I remember correctly... Fort Benton, I think, but I'm probably wrong.

Edit: Yeah, he lives in Paradise Valley

"There is nothing new under the sun."

It was a bit derivative, but at the same time, what isn't?

THe thing that impresses me is that this is a KID who started writing this story when he was about 15, I believe.

As he ages and matures, his writing will deepen and become richer and more original--as I said in the Amazon review, cut the kid a little slack. He's still learning the art of writing.

How many of us could write that well at that age?

There was a review somewhere (amazon?) that slated it, and listed the ways it ripped off LOTR

[rant] Yes, I saw several reviews that panned it--but what fantasy out there does not have similar elements to other fantasies?

It is also accused of ripping off Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider series...and there are similarities there as well.

People keep missing the point that this is a kid who wrote a fairly impressive (if somewhat derivative) novel. It was published originally by a small publisher (his dad, I believe), but it was good enough to hook in enough readers that the big company that now publishes it took an interest.

Most writers start out imitating the authors they love--usually unconsciously. In time, as their experience and confidence grows, their originality blooms as well.

My fear is that if so many people keep slamming this young'un, he may be discouraged and quit writing. And that would be a sad loss to the literary world--he is obviously talented.

Maybe it is my teacher background, but every time someone rails on this boy for "ripping off" other writers, I want to slap them. There's a huge difference between being derivative and being a plaguerist.

Personally, I think those who slam him the most viciously are envious of his talent--but more than that, of his ability to actually sit down and hammer out a novel and FINISH it , while a lot of would be writers (I know many) sit around and TALK about writing, but never actually WRITE.

[/rant]

Cho - Good one. You all need to know that I am a pretty critical reader and I did not know until the book's ending that CP was only a teenager when he wrote this series...
And I don't think I would like it if it was a fantasy novel and didn't include fair strong elves or young heroes that start off with humble beginnings...
Many of the readers who read Eragon are not old enough to have read any other fantasy novel with the exception of CSLewis' "Lion - Witch" series... So they will have no standard to compare it to - with the exception of the WOW gaming kids! (But that is not reading - and this book seems to "play out" like some of the fantasy games.

You know, I can cut the kid some slack for being a kid and not knowing his craft . . . but I cannot cut his PUBLISHER any slack whatever for paying money for the thing.

When I was 21, I submitted a 140,000-word fantasy novel to a publisher. About the same time, I met Dave Duncan, who offered to look at the manuscript and give it a critique. He told me that I could probably get the thing published, but would regret it for the rest of my life. And it's true, I would have. Fifteen years went by before I had sufficient skill and life experience to write that book properly.

The publishing world today is utterly unforgiving. If your career in print starts before you're really ready, you won't get a chance to learn on the job. Your first book may sell well, but if the second one tanks, there won't be a third . . . and there you are, washed up in your early twenties. I hope that doesn't happen to this guy, but it's an awful risk.

So VF what books do you have out now? I am just rereading books until HP 6 comes out next month...I would like to see what you have come up with as you've grown...

At the moment, I haven't got anything out — not a sausage. Apart from some old stuff that I wouldn't publish on a bet, I only have one stand-alone book and one series ready to go; and one editor has been hemming and hawing over both of these for two and a half years, neither rejecting them nor publishing them. (More fool I for sending him both, even though he asked to see them.)

So what I've come up with as I've grown, chiefly, is ulcers. I'm on the point of giving up entirely.

I realize that he was only 15 when he wrote it; that's amazing. But he could've been 50 when he wrote it and I still wouldn't like it.

Maybe it's not BAD, I just didn't enjoy it. I'm not trying to discourage him from ever writing again, or slamming him for trying. It's not even a personal thing, I simply did not enjoy reading the book.

Heh No offense to anyone who didn't fancy it--it takes all kinds of taste to make a world.

Personally, I find R.L. Stine's stupid horror novels totally repulsive and believe him to be a no-talent hack--and he's an adult with scores of published books. At least I enjoyed reading Eragon.

There's just no telling what publishers will publish. I think the bottom line is that publishers will publish what sells....a crap novel (Like RL Stine's) is a guaranteed seller--so he'll die a bazillionaire without a single decent book. My friend Pat who wrote a fascinating historical novel spanning 30 years during the time of the Huegonaut persecutions in France to the "New World" can't get published to save his soul--but his book is thoroughly intriguing.

I think Paolini has a fan base among young readers that is similar to JK Rowling--but not so with the adult readers. His loyal fans will love it if it sucks...which I don't think it will.