I agree, Eragon was a terrific book, particularly when you consider the age of the author (I believe he wrote this when he was 17). It is highly derivative of other books -- there are pieces of LOTR, Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Riders, and even some Star Wars elements. However, he managed to put it all together in such a way that it still felt fresh and original. I particularly liked the way he described the dwarf caves with the dragon accomodations up in the rooftops and the slides down (am I remembering this correctly?).

I have Eldest on my Christmas list, and I'm really looking forward to reading it.

I read it. It was awesome. I'll say no more. About Eragon don't own it took it out of the library but sounds right. The dwarf cities were awesome. I want to look at the fortune-telling again. I think it could contain some valuable information for the third. So if you own Eragon SheriZ6 please post it. Well I don't want to accidently let my lips slip so I'll end it here.

hpmadfanatic, I asked for copies of both books for Christmas. I read Eragon last January and would like to re-read before Eldest.

My memory of this is definitely rusty, but I recall that I had a strong suspicion that Eragon and the young man he meets towards the end (can't recall his name) of the book might actually be brothers ... sorry to be so vague! I'll be interested to see if I'm right.

Do you have any info on the third book? Is it something that will be released soon, or is Paolini going to go the Rowlings route and make his readers wait *g*?

Maybe the author is too busy on the movie set to write the final book! ;-)
Eragon is currently being filmed in Hungary.

Thanks for bringing up this book for discussion. I've picked up Eragon in the bookstore several times, hesitated, then set it back down. Since no one ever mentioned it, I thought it might be simply awful. Now I'm encouraged to give it try.

i am now encouraged to give this a go also.

but i have just 1 question...are there any fantasy books out there right now, good ones, that are not part of a series or trilogy?

I don't know. Personally I am a fan of seies so I don't look for singles. But I guess you could Google Fantasy Books -series. You might get something.

I heard the third book is called Empire.

I also loved this series. Had looked at Eragon back when it first came out, thought it would be something I would like, and was going to buy a hardcover of it, and decided I really didnt have the $20 or $30 to buy it. So when Eldest came out, they had both books out on display, and decided that Eragon still seemed like a book I would like, so I bought both, and read them back to back in a few days. They were so great that I started passing them around to people, and havent been able to get them back yet lol.

Another great fantasy series (I'm with you hpmad.., I like the series books) is Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. All three books were fantastic. I think it took me a little bit to get into the first book, but then I couldn't put the dang things down after I got into it. (Another series that is still floating around among friends lol)

jedicow ~ trying to think of a good fantasy book that wasnt part of a series, and right off hand I cant think of one. Are you wanting childrens, young adult or adult fantasy? Let me look around at my books, and if I think of one, I will post it.

Angie

Here is a link that might be useful: Inheritance web site

I loved these two books, can't wait until the third one... or the movie!!!

jedicow - In case you haven't read it, a GREAT non-series fantasy book is none other than Tolkien's "The Hobbit." Other than that, can't think of any.

Check out my blog for Eragon and Eldest cover art.

Here is a link that might be useful: Renegade's BS

I enjoyed Eragon, but I'm having difficulty getting into the sequel. I've picked it up 3 or 4 times now, and haven't gotten past the first dozen pages. I haven't given up quite yet, though.

There's quite a selection of non-series fantasy out there. Patricia McKillip is the first that comes to mind as a well-known fantasy writer who doesn't succumb to endless series. :) Her last 6 or so are standalones, as is one of her earliest (and a favorite of mine) The Forgotten Beasts of Eld. Peter Beagle also stays away from series, though he's not as prolific as McKillip. Try his early classic The Last Unicorn or his more recent Tamsin. Robin McKinley's Deerskin and Sunshine are both standalones, as are Charles DeLint's Riddle of the Wren and Pauline Gedge's Stargate (no relation to the movie/TV series). I don't think Emma Bull's War for the Oaks is part of a series either. In YA, check Lloyd Alexander's The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha and The Wizard in the Tree. Fairy-tale re-tellings are generally one-offs too, such as Edith Pattou's East and Kij Johnson's The Fox Woman.

Hope that gives you some ideas,
cheryl

I would also second the recommendation of Emma Bull's War for the Oaks. I was reminded of urban fantasy from writers such as Charles de Lint and Neil Gaiman. She has written a couple other books and I think they are all stand-alone books.

Paula

Another War for the Oaks fan here. That is one of my all time favorite books. She also wrote Finder which is a novel affiliated with the "Borderlands" series (written by several different authors, if I'm remembering correctly), but it can be read as a stand alone. Her Bone Dance and Falcon were also stand-alones.

I got my hardcover copies of Eragon and Eldest for Christmas, and I have yet to get back to them. I'm thinking they'll make great summer vacation reading at this point!

Another fantasy trilogy that I adored was The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix. It consisted of Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen and really grabbed me right from the beginning. (Although I may be a bit biased, Lirael is a librarian before she finds her true calling!)

Oops, I misread. You're looking for books that AREN'T in a series. Jane Yolen writes some great stand-alones. Most of her books are Children's/YA (which are fun to read). But she's written a few adult fantasies which are good, too. Briar Rose was an interesting story that combined the traditional tale of Sleeping Beauty with a look at the Holocaust.

She has some dragon stories, too, that I've heard great things about but haven't read yet: Dragon's Boy and soon to be released Dragon's Heart, in addition to the Pit Dragon trilogy.