The “Eragon” series (so far, three books) by Christopher Paolin is a wonderful series of books for boys, teens, men and female sci-fi/fantasy fans. Very similar to the “The Lord of the Rings“, these books will appeal to most any boy over 10. Battles are fought, lives are lost and yet hope is never far away.Now if you’re looking for a book about dragons that is happy all the time, this is NOT the series for you. You might prefer “Dragonflight” by Anne McCaffrey (the first in the Dragonriders of Pern series). Her series is great and has a little less violence and definitely not the ringing sense of loss that permeates “Eragon“.

Still if I was going to pick a book for my kid to read, I’d suggest “Eragon”, especially if you have a boy who finds most books boring. “Eragon” reads like more of a graphic novel with tons of descriptions of gore and glory that seems to appeal to guys.

Be forewarned, this is a four part series of books. Once you have “Eragon”, you can’t avoid “Eldest” and “Brisingr” and you’ll have a fan on the edge of their seat for the fourth book (which hasn’t been released yet). I think it is cruel of Paolin to make us wait to find out how it all turns out!

If you’re buying for a boy or girl who’s prone to nightmares, you might want to read it out loud together or pre-read it to make sure it will be safe for your child.

If you’re an adult who loves these books, you must read George RR Martin’s series that starts with “Game of Thrones” – possibly my favorite series of books ever (read my review). Though “Lord of the Rings” is clearly in contention for that title.