Words fail me.

[kippurbird]

Chapter Four: Divergence.

Now, okay, I shall admit that the last chapter had a decent hangover cliffhanger. The problem with it is that there hasn't been any build up. We don't know really who Sloan is to Eragon. The few times he's mentioned it's obscured with things like, "Do you think he will be there?" or "the last person he hoped was there". That could be any million of people. We had a brief dump in the first chapter about Sloan but it wasn't more than a he betrayed Roran but it didn't work so they took his daughter and him. It had no emotion attached to it. It was merely dry facts. When I read it was, "Okay, yay, but what does he mean to you? Why are you so upset about seeing him?" \~/

Paolini gives us another beautiful first line.: The butcher sat slumped against the left-hand wall, both arms chained to an iron ring above his head.

My brain is so wired into the gutter. I don't know if I should find that dirty or not. \~/

After a vivid description of Sloan:

His ragged clothes barely covered his pale, emaciated body; the corners of his bones stood out in sharp relief underneath his translucent skin. His blue veins were also prominent. Sores had formed on his wrists where the manacles chafed. The ulcers oozed a mixture of clear fluid and blood. What remained of his hair had turned gray or white and hung in lank, greasy ropes over his pockmarked face.

Where we also learn that his eyes have been pecked out, Eragon faces a conundrum where I come to the conclusion that he has no concept of Mercy.

What he then should do, Eragon could not decide. The butcher had told the Ra’zac that Eragon had found Saphira’s egg. Further -more, Sloan had murdered the watchman, Byrd, and had betrayed Carvahall to the Empire. If he were brought before his fellow villagers, they would undoubtedly find Sloan guilty and condemn him to death by hanging.

It seemed only right, to Eragon, that the butcher should die for his crimes. That was not the source of his uncertainty. Rather, it arose from the fact that Roran loved Katrina, and Katrina, whatever Sloan had done, must still harbor a certain degree of affection for her father. Watching an arbitraor publicly denounce Sloan’s offenses and then hang him would be no easy thing for her or, by extension, Roran. Such hardship might even create enough ill will between them to end their engagement. Either way, Eragon was convinced that taking Sloan back with them would sow discord between him, Roran, Katrina, and the other villagers, and might engender enough anger to distract them from their struggle against the Empire.

The easiest solution,thought Eragon, would be to kill him and say that I found him dead in the cell . . . . His lips trembled, one of the death-words heavy upon his tongue.

These are his first thoughts, perhaps they're okay, putting Sloan out of his misery and saving his family the trouble of a trial and the things it would sow. I'm not sure I would do that. Taking justice into my own hands, but that's just me, and it seems like fantasy heroes have a knack for doing that. Except Vimes, because Vimes is awesome like that. But it's not terribly horrible, in the grand scheme of things. It's just fairly typical. \~/

He even starts to feel guilty about it because of The butcher might be a despicable person, but the wealth of memories and experiences Eragon shared with him bred a sense of intimacy that troubled Eragon’s conscience. Beyond the hysterical giggles I get with the "sense of intimacy" phrase, \~/ it seems to be that Paolini is saying that Eragon shouldn't feel guilty about this. That it's a bad thing that he doesn't want to kill him. Yes, he is a despicable person but yes he is also someone that Eragon grew up with, of course he shouldn't want to kill Sloan! He's actually trying to Eragon a reasonable human being, something that all normal people would hopefully feel. But it doesn't sound right. It's rather, like, "I should feel like this" and it's very objective, almost as if he's trying to decide if he wants Sloan's meat or not.

Eragon even remembers the time when Murtagh killed a slaver in cold blood and he'd objected. He admits to himself that he'd never killed anyone except in battle (not quite true...) and wonders how he's come to this.

The humanity? It doesn't last.

Roran finally breaks Katrina free, and wants Eragon's help with getting the door away so it doesn't hurt her (something that could have been avoided if Eragon just unlocked it...) \~/ Unsure of what to do -kill him or bring him to the Varden where he'd get killed - Eragon decides to find a third path. He puts the butcher to sleep and locks the door, going to help Roran.

Roran asks what was in the cell and Eragon tells him it was Sloan, dead by the Ra'zac's hands. Roran just shrugs with a "Well it's better that way". They open the door and the Ra'zac were kind enough to leave a taper for Katrina. I don't know why... except that's what you're supposed to find in dungeon cells \~/? Yes. So, taper in the cell for no particular reason except that it's a taper in a cell to give enough light for them to see Katrina. Roran rushes over to her and they have this heart warming exchange:

Never taking her eyes off Roran, Katrina stood and, with a shaking hand, touched his cheek.

“You came.”

“I came.”

\~/ \~/ \~/

I honestly can't make this shit up. I can't. Even if I tried! I ... just am constantly amazed at the amount of unintentional innuendo that is found in these books.

There is a touching reunion scene where there is hugs and OHMGAWD ERAGON'S A RIDER?! Katrina then, naturally, wants to know what happened to her father.

“Wait! What about my father? Did you find him?”

Roran looked at Eragon, then returned his gaze to Katrina and gently said, “We were too late.”

A shiver ran through Katrina. She closed her eyes, and a solitary tear leaked down the side of her face. “So be it.”

I am sorry but a single tear? Her father is DEAD. The man who RAISED HER BY HIMSELF AND MADE SURE SHE HAD FOOD, CLOTHES AND A ROOF OVER HER HEAD IS DEAD!! You do NOT cry a single tear for that person's death. You do NOT shrug it off with a "So be it". No matter how bad of a man Sloan was, he was trying to PROTECT his daughter (if not in the best way). He cared about her THAT much that he was willing to risk his life for her, for what he thought he was doing to save her. \~/ \~/ \~/ \~/ \~/ \~/ \~/ \~/

What sort of heartless bitch just cries a single tear and shrug it off with a "so be it"?

Family members of murders still cry like babies when the murder is sent to death. They'll go and visit them in jail. It's not something that they go "Oh well" and then abandon them. She doesn't even ask to see the body to say good bye to this man not this man, her father. The man she knew her entire life. Who protected her from monsters and tended to her while she was sick... she was his LIFE. And she just leaves him. Just like that. Uncaring. Unfeeling.

What Paolini is trying to convey here is that she is sad -single tear- for what happened but is having the fortitude to move on and accepting it-so be it-. This is not how you express sorry. This is how you pretend to express sorrow, it's a token showing. \~/ \~/ \~/

While they walk back to where Saphira is, Eragon contemplates ways of handling Sloan. He comes up with an idea, "It was an outlandish concept, fraught with danger and uncertainty, but it was the only viable path, given the circumstances. I can not wait to see this one. It's gonna be great to see what he thinks is the "only viable path". \~/ \~/

So they unchain Katrina from her shackles and Eragon needs to make sure she wasn't forced to swear anything in the ancient language that would hurt them, so he reads her mind. We get this interesting bit.

That was the first time Eragon had a reason to use the spells Oromis had taught him for detecting the work of another spellcaster, and he had difficulty remembering every word from the scrolls in Ellesméra. The gaps in his memory were so serious that on three different instances he had to rely upon a synonym to complete an incantation.

There is something odd here. I'm supposed to feel worried, but I'm not. Okay, so there were gaps in his memory. He managed to fix it with a synonym (something that I'm sure he's very good at) but we're not shown what might happen if it was done incorrectly or what he fears might happen if he screwed up so badly. It's more, "Oh, I couldn't remember the word for shiny so I used glittering". There's no tension here, I should be feeling it, but I'm not. It should be more, "the gaps in his memories were so serious he didn't know if he'd done the spells correctly and what it might do to her if he messed up" but in a more flowery language. \~/ \~/

Paolni seems to be unable to create any sort of tension. And I don't see anything I should care about. Big deal, he had to use another word. Why should I care? \~/

Because if he screws up in the ancient language like he did with the creepy girl child, then something bad will happen. Paolini knows this. He forgot to tell the readers this. So, we don't know why he mentioned it and I don't really care. Remember! Just because you know something doesn't mean your readers know it, unless you've put it down in the text. \~/

He finds her clear and clean and Roran is all of course she is! And they walk out, Eragon plotting and planning and putting shields and protections on Katrina. As he listens to them sweet talk it roused a dull ache of longing inside Eragon. \~/ \~/ ehhhehhe... Sorry... that's all I have to say there. ehhehheee...

Katrina does finally cry.

But not over daddy. They reach the entrance of the cave and the light hurts her eyes and she cries because she thinks she might be blind.

Her tears surprised Eragon. He remembered her as someone of great strength and fortitude. But then, she had spent many weeks locked in the dark, fearing for her life. I might not be myself either, if I were in her place .

Notice finding out her father is dead isn't on that list.

Daddy who?

I'm sorry, but she is not coming off as a sympathetic character I want to empathize with. I'm more worried about Sloan and the fate that Eragon has in store for him. I mean he went through some bad shit and Katrina? She's relatively okay. She wasn't tortured or anything. She's perfectly unharmed. He's been tortured, his eyes pecked out, he doesn't know what's happening to him... he's still chained to the damn wall. And Eragon is deciding his fate for him. Eragon is the last person I'd want to decide my fate.

So, Katrina is introduced to Saphira. And then... and then we get this exchange.

Saphira inclined her head in return. Then she faced Eragon.I searched the Lethrblaka’s nest, but all I found was bones, bones, and more bones, including several that smelled of fresh meat. The Ra’zac must have eaten the slaves last night .

I wish we could have rescued them.

I know, but we cannot protect everyone in this war.

GHAHSKHG:HAS:HFAS:H;hsdf'h"HOIFAH"NFD:NADFNVHGHHGHGHHFHAHS"KFH:NNC
AOUOIF:JA"FUOIDFJ ASUFOH"ASKIU FJ:AFJSASLJJFKJHKGAJSAJFKAFSKJ"AEAEJASF:LKJASF
AKFGIOKASFKJJKJG GAAAAAAAAGFFFFFFHFHHHAHAHAHHHHAAAAAGFFF

GAH

AAHHGHA
HHEGHAS
GHHA:JFUHA

JI:UIOASHJK:UIOIHFAAIL:JASFKJAKJSFKASFFOUW:JSD

HE HAD A FUCKING CHANCE TO RESCUE THEM HE HAD A WHOLE LONG TIME OF A FUCKING CHANCE TO RESCUE THEM!! WISHING DOESN'T MAKE YOU A HERO!! OH GEE WIZ!! YES YOU COULD HAVE RESCUED THEM YOU GREAT BIG FUCKING IDIOT OF A NON-HERO

MY HATRED FOR YOU SEETHES LIKE THE ROTTEN UNDERBELLY OF A BLOATED ZOMBIE CORPSE FLOATING IN THE MUCK OF A SWAMP AFTER A THREE DAY TORRENTIAL RAIN.

GHASHGFHHSHHS;sdas


... Ladies and Gentlemen? Our hero.

I'm going to go to Montana now and practice Moose Hunting. [~]

Eragon then heals up Saphira's internal bleeding wounds with magic. Eragon certainly seems to have a lot of energy for someone who was complaining he was going to be exhausted magically the next day. I would expect him to be acting a bit more tired. He only slumps.

It's time to go! Eragon refuses to go, as he tells Saphira he has to deal with Sloan.

Saphira does not take this well at all and lunges at him, trying to grab him and make him go with her. Paolini manages to abuse another metaphor here by dragging it out to long, "He
understood then how a rabbit must feel when it cowers in its den while a wolf digs after it."

And then something weird happens... in a Paolini forgot to explain what the fuck he was doing way. Eragon shouts the word, "Gánga!" Which makes Saphira leave. I don't know what this word means but it makes Saphira terribly upset. He keeps on repeating it too, saying that she needs to go away, that she shouldn't come back for him.

She's all sad like a kitten, but leaves him, and he is all sad and agonizing because of this. Paralyzing him in anguish. Saphira leaves, because of this word he keeps on shouting over and over again, promising she'll be back in a week, no matter what.

As for Eragon? How is he going to get back? He's going to run.

Yes.

Okay. I'm done.

Drinks: 25 & bottle

Comments

[thelittlebudgie.livejournal.com]

OO

Fweee?

I... good lord, he's the hero? This is kinda late in the game to be pulling the "He was the villain all along" card.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Yes. He's the hero.

No. I don't know why.

[smurasaki.livejournal.com]

...
Holy fucking what!?

I mean, I'd heard about this, but damn, it's worse than I expected. It's full of stupid: was there also a candle in Sloan's cell or can Eragon now see in the dark? Eragon is running back? Seriously? And it makes no sense that Sloan was horribly tortured and Katrina untouched. That's just burning stupid. Either they would both be tortured or they would both be unharmed. I can't think of any reason why he would be tortured and she wouldn't. The only reason she might get "better" treatment is if she's was being used to "entertain the troops" or if she's been turned into some kind of magical trap (which would require the villains to know she was going to be rescued or mean that Eragon interupted a plan to release her to the rebelion). Gah.

As for Eragon's comment about the slaves - I think you pretty much summed it up. Anti-heroes spit on him. I'm beginning to wonder if there's anyone in this world who isn't at least bordering on sociopathy. Oh, wait, last I knew Murtaugh (aside from being forced to be a villain) seemed to have normal human emotions. *headdesk*

Have a cookie? A nice chocolate cake? Dinner at a five star restaurant? You deserve something for slogging through this horror.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Of course there wasn't a candle in Sloan's cell, but Eragon had created a were-light so they could see.

Yes, Eragon is running back.

Yes, it doesn't make any sense that one was touched and the other untouched. They did question her even.

I wanted to throw the book across the room. Alas, it is on my laptop.

Dice?

[torylltales.livejournal.com]

He's actually trying to Eragon

"to Eragon" should totally be the new slang for "to be a douchebag" or "to engage in the act or activity of assholery". :D "See that guy? He's such an Eragon. Last night at the party, he was Eragoning all over the place."

Eep. I think I just unintentionally innuendoed.

“I came.”

:D Paolini seriously doesn't notice these things. I mean, seriously!

GHAHSKHG:HAS:HFAS:H;hsdf'h"HOIFAH"NFD:NADFNVHGHHGHGHHFHAHS"KFH:NNC AOUOIF:JA"FUOIDFJ ASUFOH"ASKIU FJ:AFJSASLJJFKJHKGAJSAJFKAFSKJ"AEAEJASF:LKJASF AKFGIOKASFKJJKJG GAAAAAAAAGFFFFFFHFHHHAHAHAHHHHAAAAAGFFF GAH AAHHGHA HHEGHAS GHHA:JFUHA JI:UIOASHJK:UIOIHFAAIL:JASFKJAKJSFKASFFOUW:JSD

Well, the insanity kicked in a bit earlier than I expected. Although I do think you're perfectly justified with this.

I'm going to go to Montana now and practice Moose Hunting.

Moose hunting, or Paolini-hunting? I gotta say, though, I thoroughly enjoyed your coverage of this chapter. Very entertaining indeed. Watching your slow (or rapid?)descent into madness is morbidly fascinating. Almost hypnotic.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

It came a lot earlier than I expected too.

Seriously, that was my reaction. I couldn't think of anything coherent to say. It just... was honestly beyond words.

As for moose hunting, well, it'll give me a nice excuse to go, "Oops, I thought you were a moose".

[oozaru-angel.livejournal.com]

Oh, you've gotta be JOKING. That BASTARD. Sloan was/is my favourite! And that thing with the slaves... Argh!

At least SMeyer completely confusing Edward's characterisation was funny. This is just frightening. Hero my ass, my story's villian is more merciful than this guy and my villian takes joy in torturing children!

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

The words are just as I reported them. I can't think of anything else to say beyond that.

My main villain blew up and entire city and became a mass murderer. He is fully acknowledge to be fucking nuts and yet even then he's not the sort that would do this to anyone. If he's going to kill you, he'll just kill you. He doesn't take joy in killing people, it's just what he needs to do to achieve his goals.

[flameraven.livejournal.com]

Bah. The whole situation with Sloan is awful. I mean hell, yeah, he may have been kind of a jerk to Eragon in the village and he may have betrayed him, but shit. Tortured to the point of near death and now blind? Whatever the man has done, I think that's punishment enough. You don't kill him just because he was a bastard before. (Also, Eragon seemed to be a punk-ass cocky brat and probably deserved it.) If Eragon is such an uber healer, why not do the best he could to heal Sloan up a bit and take him with them? Maybe he could even restore his eyes, I don't know how powerful the magic is. (Although if "everything you say in the ancient language becomes true," he could just say "Sloan's eyes are healed" and be done with it.) So really, this wouldn't even be a mercy killing. It's just Eragon being an asshole.

Also, I'm surprised, if Sloan was conscious (I assume he was, since Eragon later put him to sleep) that he didn't react when Eragon showed up in his cell. If he was blind and had been for a while, and he's sitting in a cell with nothing to hear but silence, I'd imagine Eragon breaking/walking in to the cell would cause Sloan to either 1)flinch, thinking his torturers are back, or 2) call out and ask who's there, at which point Eragon has to talk to him. If Sloan asked for a relief of his misery (mercy killing) that's one thing, but again, Eragon could just heal him, so wtf?

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

If Eragon was a true hero, he wouldn't do that to him. He would give mercy. He would have defended Sloan for what he did because he did it out of love for his daughter.

Sloan did react when Eragon entered his cell and did call out, but Eragon said nothing.

And really, you expect Eragon to act like any hero would?

[subieko.livejournal.com]

I like to pretend that Katrina had already thought her father must be dead because the Ra'zac are baaaaaaad shit, yo, and he couldn't be used to lure Eragon in. That way her lack of grief is more of a 'she already knew' thing. Yeah, I know, there should still be the 'oh God, he really is...' grief, but I want to like Katrina just because there are SO few likeable characters in these books, and most of them keep dying. The Ra'zac became likeable characters in this book, in comparison to Eragon and co. And then OF COURSE they died...hmph. BUT ANYWAY.

Haha, Eragon's cracktastic decision about the 'only viable path' for Sloan...yeah, it's kinda...there are no words. There are seriously no words. And Sloan is so sympathetic in that scene, and Eragon is so monstrous and sociopathic and evil. It's kind of insane.

I dunno, I liked the 'you came' exchange. I mean...you're sure you'll never get out alive, and then the person you love shos up to rescue you...of course you're like 'you...really came...?' I found it kinda sweet. ...well, comparatively. There are good things...by comparison! If you compare every character to Eragon, they seem much better!

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

It's amazing how flip flopped the characters are. The ones we were supposed to like are despicable and the ones we were supposed to hate... are likable.

There is never One viable path. Unless you're very narrow minded. Or an idiot.

It was okay. My brain just seems to be wired in gutter mode.

[ember-reignited.livejournal.com]

Of course Katrina wasn't tortured. It's narrative necessity. If she were, she'd be unattractive when they found her, and Roran, being the sociopath that he is, would be utterly repulsed, and probably refuse to speak with her until Eragon had healed her up, and then the whole romantic subplot thing would be pretty much ruined.

Can't edit comments

[ember-reignited.livejournal.com]

Although I guess we then have to wonder why Paolini doesn't just make that more plausible by not having Sloan horrifically tortured either. The best answer I can come up with: he's also a sociopath, and thinks this is "poetic justice," or else just wants to torture a character he doesn't like.

(Me? It's usually the characters I like the most that I torture the worst. Wonder what that says about me.)

[shmeiliarockie.livejournal.com]

I know it would slow up the "action", but REALLY? Is there seriously no mention that Katrina is obviously pregnant?

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Nope.

[berseker.livejournal.com]

This is disgusting. I´m- I´m kinda jealous of Paolini now, because I have a hard time coming up with bad things for my villains, you know, the kind of bad that is not token or forced but just pure unadultered EVIL, and he does it without even trying.

Eragon? Totally deserves to die, and Saphira is no better than he is. Nor is Kat and Roran. And he can´t even say he was the villain all along, because we´re in the third book now and it´s too late to pull that off, but- ugh!

Damm. I knew this was going to be bad, but I didn´t think it would be so utterly awful.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Isn't it amazing? You should take a lesson from his book and have your characters do what Eragon does.

[selah-ex-animo.livejournal.com]

I've lost count of how many times I've read through the "gánga" scene, and still cannot fathom what distressed Sapphira so much that she turned tail and ran. Drama failure, much? "Gánga" is like an inside joke that no one understands - except worse because of the baggage of "serious business" attatched.

Katrina came across as remarkably unscathed when she walked out of her cell. Not even a hint of mental scarring. Helgrind must not be that bad a prison. Tension, where hast thou fled?

Gah, I was so irritated by the emotional distance in this novel! Just as you said, when mentioning the gaps in Eragon's memory, there's no tension. My indifference to the events of this story was so palpable you could cut it with a butter knife. It made me want to kick something, >>

But your sporkings make up for the interest factor absent in the novel.

[the-norseman.livejournal.com]

Ganga means to walk, walking, etc. However it doesn't make sense to say ganga, if he said "g. braut" (go away) that'd make sense but this doesn't. Also not sure if it should be ganga or geng given that it's an order.

[x-trickster-x.livejournal.com]

Y'see, this reminds me of an essay I read a little while back. It was actually on this book and the heroine but they mentioned the treatment of one of the characters in the book. She was the bitchy rival-character of the MC and ended up horribly raped, etc, for it. This? This reminds me of this. If it's the case, it's ridiculous the lengths that Paolini goes to to exact revenge on Sloan for things he did to Eragon. =\

I find it truly disgusting that Paolini thinks that Eragon in a hero. Not to mention a little sad- Eragon would make an absolutely FASCINATING villain, dontcha think?

trauma and fantasy

[arial-vs-lotus.livejournal.com]

okay, i get Paolini's insistence that psychotic violence and black and white morality are rather generic fantasy "hero" traits. there are far too many other uber-violent fantasy books besides Inheritance. It's the bloody lack of trauma that's even weirder, because so many bad writers insist on putting people through absolute Hell and having them universally react as though they got a splinter.
in my NaNo i put my poor MMC through HELL, absolute HELL and then wanted to cry when he managed to get back to a normal life and started exhibiting PTSD. he *flinched* once he realised he even could go free after what he went through, poor baby. In an interesting twist someone commented on my MC's very lack of Manly Courage, insinuating that he was weak, naive, pathetic and unmasculine. My rejoinder was "The man had his hand cut off, after being beaten and raped. I'd be crying too."

[mranon-y-mous.livejournal.com]

"So be it."

ಠ_ಠ

[dove-cg.livejournal.com]

*dies* That is the best smiley ever! :D

... I admit I'm creepy

[dove-cg.livejournal.com]

Is it wrong of me that Sloan's situation is actually a semi-typical turn-on of mine? Hurt comfort... DAMMIT!

... ... Dude. Even ignoring my crazy fetishes (injured older man chained to a wall... I am being serious, yes you may laugh at me or squirm and ignore me), that's goddamn cold. Sloan doesn't deserve any of this. One of these days, I'll write a nice story where his daughter still loves him and it'll show how he only wants the best for her. ;_;

Anyone else think that maybe Paolini is using Sloan to get back at someone in real life? That's what it feels like to me. I mean... DAMN. ;P

Re: ... I admit I'm creepy

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Nothing wrong with fetishes. We all have them.

But, yes, that was wrong.

And maybe, I don't know enough about his life to judge.

[easol.livejournal.com]

“You came.”
“I came.”

That's how you got knocked up, dumb bitch.

"it seems like fantasy heroes have a knack for doing that."

Cause they're the heroes! They can do ANYTHING.

"She closed her eyes, and a solitary tear leaked down the side of her face."

I suspect this is because Paolini is too immature to realize that making all the good guys act noble and dignified all the time A) does not make them dignified and B) makes them come across as emotionless p**cks.

Recall LOTR. When Sam thinks Frodo is dead, he spends HOURS passing out, freaking out, crying, talking to Frodo's supposed corpse and agonizing over what will happen next. He doesn't just shed Paolini's signature single tear and decide, "Que sera sera, I'm the new Ringbearer." THAT is how you act when someone you really care about dies.

And with all Katrina has gone through, you'd expect her to crumble against Roran and cry her eyes out for hours, and be freaking out for days. But then, we couldn't have her being all noble and disdainful of her traitor daddy, because even though he loved her he obviously is totally evil and unworthy of being cared about.

"Notice finding out her father is dead isn't on that list."

Well, she's someone Eragon personally approves of. What else would you expect?

"MY HATRED FOR YOU SEETHES LIKE THE ROTTEN UNDERBELLY OF A BLOATED ZOMBIE CORPSE FLOATING IN THE MUCK OF A SWAMP AFTER A THREE DAY TORRENTIAL RAIN."

And I love you for that line.

"I know, but we cannot protect everyone in this war."

Not only does this show what a sociopathic little creep Eragon is, but it makes Saphira look bloody stupid -- she knows they could have saved them, but apparently is unaware of this.

Sad thing is, this psycho stupid thing could have been easily avoided if they'd arrived and found the fresh skeletons chained to the rock or a bloodstain or something; then this statement would make sense. But then, Paolini couldn't have his "Eye of Argon"-style anti-religion torture porn.

"Eragon shouts the word, "Gánga!" Which makes Saphira leave. I don't know what this word means but it makes Saphira terribly upset."

POT. It's a slang word for pot. Saphira probably thinks that Eragon's gonna smoke all of it without her. Also a term for a female participant in a gangbang or a slut, a river in India, and a St. Louis record company.

But the one Paolini has in mind is probably a word derived from Faroese/Swedish/Icelandic and old Norse. It STILL doesn't make any sense because it means "walk" or "to walk" -- and Saphira is presumably not WALKING back to the Varden. Sigh.

And I may be wrong about this, but I think the present participle should be "gangandi" or "gongur" which would the present participle. "Ganga" is not only plural but is used as an infinitive. And as an imperative to the second person, I think it should have "tú" as well.

(Admittedly I may be all wrong about this because not only are my grammar lessons a sepia-toned memory, but I am not proficient in any languages derived from old Norse. Then again, neither is Paolini).

[the-norseman.livejournal.com]

Actually I think that "ganga vekk" might work, but that is based on my knowledge of Norwegian. However ganga by itself just doesn't work.

[kellicat.livejournal.com]

Wow. I'm now tempted to cancel my hold on Brisingr. How did Paolini go from crappy to completely vomit-inducing in the space of one book? I mean it was creepy before but now...

I have no words.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Neither did I and I'm reading the full thing.

[the-norseman.livejournal.com]

Speaking of not minding if something horrible happens to Eragon et co I found a snippet of some Rule 34 material for Eragon, let's just say that something horrible happened to Eragon.

[dryaunda.livejournal.com]

Must be figuratively speaking, because I couldn't find "Eragon" in rule #34.

(Must remember to proofread replies...)

[j-ninjacat.livejournal.com]

0.o 0.0 0.0 o.0

ERAGON IS NOW A FULL-BLOWN MANIAC.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Yes.

[db-silverdragon.livejournal.com]

Ya know what would have been amusing? If the ancient language was complex enough than a minor screw-up would result in a MAJOR screw-up in a spell.

If I'd written this, I think I'd have had Eragon forget how to do a ward around Katrina, so he'd shove some synonyms in. Unfortunately, since the language is so complex, his ward ends up making Katrina explode.