Eldest
- 704
- Pages
- about 13 h
- Reading time
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Our view
The second volume of the cycle shows its author growing: the prose is noticeably more assured than in the first novel, and the characters, Eragon above all, are given room to mature. At 704 pages it is a long book, and some readers find it slow. Seasoned fantasy readers may see some of its turns coming. It works best for those already attached to this world of dragons and elves.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Eldest is the second novel in The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini and the sequel to Eragon. It was first published in hardcover on August 23, 2005, and was released in paperback in September 2006. Eldest has been released in an audiobook format, and as an ebook. Like Eragon, Eldest became a New York Times bestseller. A deluxe edition of Eldest was released on September 26, 2006, including new information and art by both the illustrator and the author. Other editions of Eldest are translated into different languages.
Reading order · The Inheritance Cycle
Full order & progress →- EragonStart here
7.57.5 / 10 - EldestThis book
7.77.7 / 10 - Brisingr
8.08.0 / 10 - Inheritance
7.97.9 / 10 - Murtagh
7.97.9 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.7 across 1,419 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 91% of the weight and the score stays at 7.7 — the Young adult average of 7.8 barely moves it.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.2 | 81 | 6% |
| Google Books | 9.0 | 9 | 1% |
| Hardcover | 7.7 | 1.3K | 94% |
Frequently asked
What age is Eldest for?
Eldest sits on the Young adult shelf in the sources we use, which by convention means roughly ages 13 and up. This is a guide from the book’s category, not a publisher’s age rating. It has 704 pages — longer than 72% of the ranked books in Young adult.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Young adult — with scores between 7.7 and 7.8, closest to this book.
