Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

SPOILERS and of course a bit of critique. Don't read any further if you don't want the plot discussed and the details of the whole book brought to light...

This book starts out with the sickest mutilations of the body. War is gross but the details are even worse. This first part though was just details of a satanic type cult chopping off their own body parts or limbs because it was cool. Then sacrificing human slaves. Yuck!!! I really wish I could have censored this part before my son read the book but he read it before I did and what can you do?

Then it was interesting that there was another kind of mutilation to the body but by a noble character for noble reasons. The only way to win the support of this one tribe and to be a person they respected and they would let this person be their ruler was for the people trying to win this office to participate in the Trial of the Long Knives ceremony. One person cuts their arm then the other person cuts and they go up and down both arms and the first person to stop looses and the last one to cut wins. It is so bloody and painful and then they can't have a magician heal them but it must heal naturally so the scars are forever seen and respected by all for bravery and sacrifice.

Then Eragon also does a type of mutilation to his body. He is constantly breaking the bones in his hand as he fights and then he has to use a lot of energy to heal himself with magic. So to save himself the pain and inconvenience of breaking his hands every time he goes into battle he uses magic to make his hand grow huge callouses on his knuckles so they are more durable when breaking peoples head open and killing them in battle.

Compared to today's world there is a lot of plastic surgery to heal scars from accidents or birth defects. There is also a lot of plastic surgery for convenience and to make one self beautiful. There is also tattoos, piercings and other things that are all a form of "mutilation".

Paolini separates Eragon many times from his dragon in this book. This causes lots of problems because there are a lot of people that want him dead. Of course he comes out triumphant in the end.

I like how he visits the land of the Elves and tries to find a sword. He also finds out how the really bad guy gets all his power. Makes sense, he gets it from the second heart which he captured or collected over the years from dead dragons, technically this heart is where the dragon still lives on and isn't really dead completely. Eragon also forges a new sword, which is why this book is called fire. His sword is also called fire, or Brisingr in Elvish language.

Of course we can't forget his brother Roran and his brave true love Katrina, which they rescued from the Ra'zac (evilest of all creatures). His brother is in the army of the good guys, the Varden. He has to kill so many bad guys and the book goes into detail for every person slaughtered. It also has lots of details of war strategy and Raran eventually commits insubordination but in so doing proves what a great leader and brave person he is. He saves the whole division of the army from dieing unnecessarily but risks his own life. When he returns he is whipped 50 lashes but then promoted to captain of his own division. Hmmm, not sure what Paolini is trying to prove there.

Overall the book was long and bloody and disgusting, yet interesting and quite a set up for the next book to follow. All of the characters have been developed and something is should happen to move us along...but the book ended and said sorry you have to wait for the next book, which is actually part of this book but it was getting so long they had to make it in to two book and call it the Eragon cycle not trilogy.

Broken Healing Book not recommended for the faint of heart

Journey To The Center Of The Earth by Jules Verne

Whew, finally finished it! Way too much geology for me! It was amazing how much imagination he crammed in to one book. I really couldn't tell what was fiction and what was just fake.
I guess now I can watch the movie.

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Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale

I waited in anticipation for this book to finally come and when I got it I was shocked...it was an illustrated novel. I have never been into comics. In fact I never read them. But since I had the book and it was one of my favorite authors I read it.

Surprisingly it was very entertaining and unique. I couldn't guess what Rapunzel would do next. I have never heard this slant on the age old fairytale story and I couldn't wait to read the whole thing. It was longer then I thought for a comic but worth the read.

My favorite thing about the book is Rapunzel's long red hair. She has it braided into two long ropes and then uses them as a whip like Indiana Jones to get places or to knock things (like guns) out of others hands. She is very brave.

If you want to borrow it let me know!

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