Okay, I did it. For the sake of completion more than any particular exitement. Actually the completionist drive started already around book two, when it started to become more and more apparent that Eragon is little more than Gary Stu. By the time we got to book four Eragon was so mighty that even Roran insinuated that he was god-like.

Speaking of Roran, for some reason he was attempted to be made an important character. Is it a bad sign when the reader winds up hoping that the important character dies? Unfortunate Roran survived. As did, unfortunately, Katrina. I fail to see what was so awesome about these two? WHY was Galby so interested in capturing Roran to begin with and then who died and made him general? No, seriously, exactly what qualifications did he have for command? He was a freaking FARMER! He had NO military training and for some reason all the people who did seemed to think he shat rainbows. For a goodly while I found myself rooting for the villains...

The climax of the story? Oh this could have been so much more. 'Making Galby understand' indeed. What sort of a way to kill him was that? Did Paolini not want to bloody the hands of his hero with a king's blood, so they did it in this roundabout way where Galby became his own undoing? Erm, how does that fit in with Roran killing a whole little army by himself AND keeping count?

So after Galby was killed I thought that surely the story must be near the end. I was listening to an audiobook on my ipod so I didn't have the priviledge of being able to see how much was left. It was not near the end. There were more than TWO HOURS still to go! Three or for chapters of wrapping up everybody's post-war occupations.

The entire argument between Nasuada and Orrin of who should take over Galby's throne was stupid and pointless. I fail to understand why Orrin thought he had any claim at all, because even though he was an ally, it was not his damn country. Besides he already HAD a throne, and Nausada was already the leader. The very theory of making Roran king made me snort in disbelief. WHY HIM? See above! Shame he didn't die, really. If he had been killed off good and proper in the first book, the series wouldn't have been so dreadfully long because we could have left out a load of pointless Roran chapters that had little to no relevance to anything at all.

And Orrin? Erm, excuse me, but where did the bodysnatchers come from? Apart from name and title there was nothing of Orrin in the last book whatsoever that even remotely resembled the character when first we met him.

Okay, so Nasuada got the throne in the end. Yeah I totally hadn't guessed that, /sarcasm. What really really rankled me the most about this whole book is that they go through all the trouble of overthrowing Galby and putting Nasuada on his throne so that SHE CAN CONTINUE ON WITH GALBY'S POLITICS. Galby wanted to control the usage of magic and Nasuada latches on to this as soon as she's crowned. The only difference is that he would do it by force whereas, as a stereotypical woman, she would do it by surveillance and spying. The point is, though, that although there methods are not the same, she continues to work on the goal of this supposedly evil king. What does that say about her, really?

Arya becoming queen of the elves as well as having the last egg hatch for her were both so obvious that I shan't even bother to comment on it.

I shall give it two stars, because at least I did manage to get through it, but I was not impressed and I think Paolini's age showed several times throughout the series.