comparisons
I saw Deathly Hallows pt.1 Sunday night. I quite liked it. It was very tense from the first scenes making me squirm in my seat as I wondered what was going to happen. I mean, I knew what was going to happen, but I still squirmed in the tension. I liked Bill, but there was no Charlie. I hope he shows up in the next installment - if at all.
One of the things that I was thinking about in the aftermath was the difference between the villain(s) in the Harry Potter series and the one(s) in the Inheritance series. In the Harry Potter books the villain is actually present. In every book. There's always some sort of presence of Voldemort, even if it's just as simple as "he who should not be named".
In the first two books we only get a hint of it. Harry is new to the world - so the touch of Voldemort is light. Just a face and the whispers from students and others who grew up with the hanging fear over them. In book two we get a hint of who Voldemort could have been, book three what he did to people and friendships through Wormtail and the others. And so on. Each book reveals a little bit more about him leading up to the final confrontation in book seven. While Harry wins the confrontations, he loses a bit of something important to him each time once Voldemort has fully returned. It's a constant give and take over the books. In many ways Voldemort takes Harry's innocence.
However in the Eragon books what we get instead is more like a series of boss battles. Sure, each time he 'loses' something but it's soon repaired. In book one he hurt his back in the fight with the Shade, in book two he got Magical Dragon Healinz, leaving no lingering effects. In book two he lost his sword and found out that Morzan is his father. Book three he finds out that no, Morzan isn't his father and he got a new sword. Everything taken away is replaced. He doesn't permanently lose anything important to him. Every final battle he has is like killing time until he reaches enough levels to fight the big bad.
Harry loses Cedric a classmate, Sirius his godfather, Dumbledore his mentor/ father figure and a whole slew of people in the last book. None of these are replaced.
Eragon doesn't permanently lose anything important to him.
Every final battle he has is like killing time until he reaches enough levels to fight the big bad. Galbatorix never confronts him, never tries to get rid of him personally. Why? Because Eragon isn't allowed to lose his big battle against him and once they have their big battle what would be left for the rest of the books? He's not allowed to have small but uneven victories against his enemy as they test each other. Galbatorix isn't allowed to learn that hey, maybe Eragon isn't as nonthreatening as he thought he would be. He's just going to come down on Eragon like a ton of bricks at the end of the last book.
There will likely be no build up. It'll just happen randomly, much like the end of Brisingr and its final battle. I refuse to say climax because that would indicate that there was building up to that particular battle.
I'm reminded a little of Inigo Montoya and his search for the six fingered man. He too only meets up with him at the climax of the film/book. However they long ago had a confrontation when he was just a boy. And he makes sure that people know he is hunting this man down. With his constant "And when I meet him I shall say 'Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die'." This is his driving urge. His quest. He makes this his driving force for his life. We see his disappointment when he meets the Dread Pirate Roberts and discovers that he's not the six fingered man. We have seen the same man and his evilness and know that there will be a confrontation. However it's not a driving force of the story.
Eragon doesn't even have that. His father died of wounds and he killed the man who did it before he even knew about it. Even then there was no 'revenge' in his motives when he killed Durza. Harry has revenge in his eyes, but must learn how to overcome it in book six. But Eragon has been denied any sort of personal motivation.
He doesn't have to save Murtagh, because he's dismissed him easily as evil for enjoying killing and fighting and therefor does not deserve redemption. He has no personal stake and this is what makes the story drag and wander aimlessly. While the Deathly Hallows is mocked about the constant wandering that the main characters do in the first half of the book, there is a goal in mind, they're just unable to obtain it: Find the Horcuxes.
And this is why Brisingr goes no where and arrives at nothing while Harry Potter actually does something.
Longer piece to follow. Plans to finish book over Thanksgiving.
One of the things that I was thinking about in the aftermath was the difference between the villain(s) in the Harry Potter series and the one(s) in the Inheritance series. In the Harry Potter books the villain is actually present. In every book. There's always some sort of presence of Voldemort, even if it's just as simple as "he who should not be named".
In the first two books we only get a hint of it. Harry is new to the world - so the touch of Voldemort is light. Just a face and the whispers from students and others who grew up with the hanging fear over them. In book two we get a hint of who Voldemort could have been, book three what he did to people and friendships through Wormtail and the others. And so on. Each book reveals a little bit more about him leading up to the final confrontation in book seven. While Harry wins the confrontations, he loses a bit of something important to him each time once Voldemort has fully returned. It's a constant give and take over the books. In many ways Voldemort takes Harry's innocence.
However in the Eragon books what we get instead is more like a series of boss battles. Sure, each time he 'loses' something but it's soon repaired. In book one he hurt his back in the fight with the Shade, in book two he got Magical Dragon Healinz, leaving no lingering effects. In book two he lost his sword and found out that Morzan is his father. Book three he finds out that no, Morzan isn't his father and he got a new sword. Everything taken away is replaced. He doesn't permanently lose anything important to him. Every final battle he has is like killing time until he reaches enough levels to fight the big bad.
Harry loses Cedric a classmate, Sirius his godfather, Dumbledore his mentor/ father figure and a whole slew of people in the last book. None of these are replaced.
Eragon doesn't permanently lose anything important to him.
Every final battle he has is like killing time until he reaches enough levels to fight the big bad. Galbatorix never confronts him, never tries to get rid of him personally. Why? Because Eragon isn't allowed to lose his big battle against him and once they have their big battle what would be left for the rest of the books? He's not allowed to have small but uneven victories against his enemy as they test each other. Galbatorix isn't allowed to learn that hey, maybe Eragon isn't as nonthreatening as he thought he would be. He's just going to come down on Eragon like a ton of bricks at the end of the last book.
There will likely be no build up. It'll just happen randomly, much like the end of Brisingr and its final battle. I refuse to say climax because that would indicate that there was building up to that particular battle.
I'm reminded a little of Inigo Montoya and his search for the six fingered man. He too only meets up with him at the climax of the film/book. However they long ago had a confrontation when he was just a boy. And he makes sure that people know he is hunting this man down. With his constant "And when I meet him I shall say 'Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die'." This is his driving urge. His quest. He makes this his driving force for his life. We see his disappointment when he meets the Dread Pirate Roberts and discovers that he's not the six fingered man. We have seen the same man and his evilness and know that there will be a confrontation. However it's not a driving force of the story.
Eragon doesn't even have that. His father died of wounds and he killed the man who did it before he even knew about it. Even then there was no 'revenge' in his motives when he killed Durza. Harry has revenge in his eyes, but must learn how to overcome it in book six. But Eragon has been denied any sort of personal motivation.
He doesn't have to save Murtagh, because he's dismissed him easily as evil for enjoying killing and fighting and therefor does not deserve redemption. He has no personal stake and this is what makes the story drag and wander aimlessly. While the Deathly Hallows is mocked about the constant wandering that the main characters do in the first half of the book, there is a goal in mind, they're just unable to obtain it: Find the Horcuxes.
And this is why Brisingr goes no where and arrives at nothing while Harry Potter actually does something.
Longer piece to follow. Plans to finish book over Thanksgiving.