After I read Eragon, I kept thinking to myself, I bet Brom is Eragon's father, you know, the whole time, the keeping secrets, 'He was like a father to me', and 'No matter what you think, you're sire was not from here Eragon.'
Paolini took my favortie character (Murtagh) killed him off (or so you think) in the first chapter, and brought him back at the end of the book evil and I'm still hooked.

I think I'm really into these books... I've come up with a number of theories about what will happen in the third Alagaesia book by Paolini.

Eragon and Roran need to rescue Katrina - but where is she hidden? Is she still being held by the Ra'zac? I suspect that there will have to be a major break in the campaign and battles in Book III for the two (or three, if Arya helps) of them to find her - unless they find her in the course of the campaign. I think she may be in Helgrind, if the Ra'zac have her (unlikely, wouldn't she have been eaten?), or somewhere in Uru'baen, if Galbatorix or an underling has her captive.

How is Murtagh as a dragon rider so strong? How come Galbatorix's energy keeps on growing?
I think that in Paolini's world, people's souls give magical energy and power, along with other ways, such as 'natural' phenomenon (magic wells, springs mentioned in Eragon), and physical energy ('traditional magic' in the series)... Why do I think this? See Durza - he was strong in magic because he had so many evil shady spirits inside of him. He wasn't strong enough to rule them, so one or more took control of Durza-Carsaib.
What about Murtagh and Galbatorix? Once the two of them became Dragon Riders, wouldn't they, in theory, have the strength to rule any spirits that entered their mind? I think so.
Remember who said that if Saphira or Eragon was about to die, they needed to sever their mental connection or they'd die or go crazy? I think Galbatorix, when his dragon died, let his dragon's mind inside him. He did go crazy... but had two minds, and thus twice the normal magic power, if spirits/minds produce the power, as Durza would suggest.
I suspect Galbatorix got the idea that the more minds he imprisoned in his own, the more powerful he'd be. So he found a weak rider, the original traitor. He killed him, but as he killed him he opened his mind and said "Come on in - you won't die" and the weak rider's mind entered Galbatorix, imprisoned. As Galbatorix killed more and more riders, he did the same - growing stronger each time. This explains Brom's story, about when Galbatorix killed Vrael - with power coursing through his veins, he anointed himself King of Alagaesia.
Wait a minute! Didn't he just fight the most powerful Dragon Rider at the time, Vrael? Shouldn't he be tired? Really, really tired? Not if he just imprisoned Vrael's mind in his own.
If he could do it with dragon riders, then he could do it with normal magic users. So I bet he augmented his strength, and later Murtagh's, by weaker magician's and imprisoning their minds and magical strength in his own.
This explains why Eragon was confused when he first touched Murtagh's mind in battle above the burning plains, as if he had not contacted one mind, but many crying out as if imprisoned. "The consciousness of the Rider felt strange to Eragon, as if it contained multitudes; scores of distant voices whispered in the caverns of his mind, like imprisoned spirits begging for release."

With only one mind and body - or two if you count Saphira, Eragon would never be able to take on these two, the powerful Murtagh and Galbatorix - unless he opens the "Vault of Souls", explaining what Solembum said to Eragon. I suspect this is something or some place that contains a lot of good souls/spirits. In his plight, they'll enter his mind and let him use them and their magic power against Galbatorix. Eragon couldn't let an evil soul into his mind, so they'd have to be good.

Alright -- I just decided to stop in even though I've only read up to chapter 3. I hope to read the rest of it when I recieve it for my birthday...

But I just felt like grieving over the loss of Murtagh. He's my favorite character, and he's gone! Gone! I've been told to just keep reading...but I just needed to tell this to someone since my sister hasn't even finished the first one. *Sniff*

Yay! I did get Eldest for my Brithday!

EDIT: Hm, I would've posted again, but seeing as no one has replied...


I've only read about a fourth of the book, but is it just me, or is Arya growing quite annoying?

I dunno, I kind of felt like Eragon was the idiotic one. He <i>does</i>, as I said earlier in the thread, keep basically hitting on her even when it's obvious that she's not interested. I do think that Arya's not a very well-developed character, though - she's supposed to come across as all mysterious and Elvish, and ends up seeming a little shallow