Eragon's Guide to Alagaesia

Author: Christopher Paolini

Pages: 32, illustrated

Published: November 3 2009, Knopf Books for Young Readers

Genre: Fantasy

Cover Score: A

Overall Grade: A-

Source: Publisher

Fans of Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle (Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr) will be more than happy with this illustrated volume that brings all of the lore and characters from the books to life. Printed on glossy, thick paper, Eragon's Guide to Alagaesia is chock-full of things to look at and touch: samples of "dragon skin", maps, pictures of primary book characters, funky font, textured paper, and fold-out guides that cover everything from the language of ogres to troll hair to dragon breeds.

On the other hand, this colorful guide can be very confusing to those (like me) who haven't yet read the books. This book makes a perfect gift for the holidays that any Eragon fan would want to flip through over and over again.