Eragon goes through some crazy shit. Roran goes through some crazy shit. Pretty much all of the characters go through some crazy shit. I can't write about what kinds of crazy they are all dealing with because that would give too much away and I don't want to spoil it for anyone who may want to read these books.
"Like a pale, sun-bleached pennant, the dry blade of grass hung from between Arya's left thumb and forefinger. It trembled in sympathy with each surge of blood through her veins. Pinching it at the top with her other hand, she tore the leaf in half lengthwise, then did the same with each of the resulting strips, quartering the leaf. Then she began to plait the strips, forming a stiff braided rod. She said, 'Galbatroix's true name is no great secret. Three different elves - one a Rider, and two ordinary spellcasters - discovered it on their own and many years apart.'
'They did!' exclaimed Eragon.
Unperturbed, Arya picked another blade of grass, tore it into strips, inserted the peices into the gaps in her braided rod, and continued plaiting in a different direction. 'We can only speculate whether Galbatroix himself knows his true name. I am of the opinion that he does not, for whatever it is, his true name must be so terrible, he could not go on living if he heard it.'
'Unless he is so evil or so demented, the truth about his actions has no power to disturb him.'
'Perhaps.' Her nimble fingers flew so fast, twisting, braiding, weaving, that they were nearly invisible. She picked two more blades of grass... With a pleased expression, she held out her hands, palms-upward. Resting on them was an exquisite ship made out of green and white grass. It was no more than four inches long, but so detailed, Eragon descried benches for rowers, tiny railings along the edge of the deck, and portholes the size of raspberry seeds. The curved prow was shaped somewhat like the head and neck of a rearing dragon. There was a single mast... Arya leaned forward and murmured, 'Flauga.' She gently blew upon the ship, and it rose from her hands and sailed around the fire and then, gathering speed, slanted upward and glided off into the sparkling depths of the night sky.
'How far will it go?'
'Forever,' she said. 'It takes the energy to stay aloft from the plants below. Wherever there are plants, it can fly.'
The thought bemused Eragon, but he also found it rather sad to think of the pretty grass ship wandering among the clouds for the rest of eternity, with none but birds for company.This book is well-written, as are all of the others. The stories and plots grab you and don't let go. You won't want to put this book (or any of the books in this series) down easily. I constantly wanted to read more and more to see what was going to happen. I had a growing melancholy that there was only one 849-page book left.
