Eragon Summary

Eragon, a 15 year-old boy, lives with his uncle Garrow and cousin Roran on a farm on the outskirts of a small village, Carvahall. While hunting in The Spine, a large range of mountains running down the West side of AlagaÐ"«sia, which is believed to have mysterious happenings, Eragon is surprised to see a polished blue stone appear in front of him. After failing to sell or trade the stone, Eragon witnesses a baby dragon hatch from the "stone," which was in reality a dragon egg. He questions Brom - the elderly town storyteller - about the Dragons and the history and ways of the Dragon Riders. After this talk, Eragon names the dragon Saphira after hearing Brom mention the dragon's name. He raises the dragon in secret until two of King Galbatorix's servants, the Ra'zac, come to Carvahall looking for the egg. Eragon and Saphira manage to escape by hiding in the forest, but Eragon's uncle Garrow is fatally wounded and the house and farm are destroyed. Once Garrow dies, Eragon is left with no reason to stay in Carvahall, so he goes after the Ra'zac, seeking vengeance for the destruction of his home and his uncle's death. He is accompanied by Brom, who insists on helping them.

Eragon becomes a Dragon Rider through his bond with Saphira. On the journey, Eragon learns sword fighting, magic, and the ways of the Dragon Riders from Brom, who is a former Rider whose dragon had been slain. Eragon does not know this yet. They travel through several cities, and Eragon is shocked by the way that the Empire is harming the land and its people. Finally, after obtaining information in the town of Teirm, Brom, Eragon, and Jeod (Brom's old friend) conclude that the Ra'zac reside in the city of Dras-Leona. There, the Ra'zac lure Eragon, Saphira, and Brom into an ambush. Although a stranger, Murtagh, rescues them, Brom is gravely injured and dies shortly after Ð'-- but not before finally revealing to Eragon that he was a Dragon Rider, whose deceased dragon shared Saphira's name. Eragon also finds out that Saphira knew from the moment she met Brom, but didn't tell Eragon because Brom requested her not to.

The new company Eragon, Murtagh, and Saphira travel in search of the hidden leagues of the Varden, a strong rebel faction that Brom had mentioned on their journey. On the way, Eragon has dreams of a beautiful elf, all of which feature her suffering in a prison. While stopping near a city with an inhabitant that could potentially reveal the Varden's whereabouts, Eragon is captured and imprisoned in the same prison that holds the elf. Murtagh and Saphira stage a rescue and Eragon escapes with the unconscious elf. During the escape Eragon and Murtagh battle with a Shade, a body controlled by evil spirits. The fact that a Shade is walking freely in the land deeply disturbs Eragon and he suspects that Galbatorix is planning something terrible. The Shade is shot by an arrow from Murtagh, but is not completely killed. However,