Inconsistencies

by Arget Hackslayer

By definition, the fantasy genre contains elements which require the reader to suspend their disbelief, because such things do not occur in our world. Unfortunately, many writers take this to mean that they can have inconsistencies or unrealistic things in their stories and get away with it, using the excuse that it's fantasy. This is laziness at it's height, and also bad form. Anything that the author must explain or clarify in interviews should have been worked out and put into the book itself.

I. Eragon rides Saphira for the first time

If you'll recall the very first time Eragon rode Saphira, you'll remember that his legs suffered an injury due to the roughness of her scales, yet Paolini specifically mentions that his pants are not torn. Why is this? If the backs of Eragon's legs are torn and bleeding, shouldn't his pants also be torn?

On a related note, this problem magically goes away once Eragon fashions a leather saddle. We never hear about the saddle-which is subject to the same treatment of Eragon's legs-becoming torn and having to be mended, even though it should have to be.

II. The Windstorm

In another section of Eragon, a windstorm picks up, and Saphira is unable to close her wings. Bear in mind that, although she is a young dragon, her wings have to be strong enough to pick her entire body off of the ground and sustain her for long flights (and no mention is ever made of her becoming tired or having to rest during those long flights), so it would have to be an exceptionally strong wind to keep her wings from closing. That in itself I probably would have overlooked, but then, Eragon comes along and is able to push her wings closed. Eragon, a mere 15 year-old human boy, is able to close wings that the dragon herself cannot close?

That's a pretty hard pill for me to swallow.

III. Garrow is poor

In the beginning of the book, we are repeatedly told that Garrow is poor, and doesn't even have food for the winter-thus why Eragon is hunting for meat and later tries to barter for it. Then, we find Garrow and Roran eating chicken for breakfast. If they have chicken, why is Eragon hunting?

And then, when they go into Carvahall, Garrow passes out coins to buy trinkets. Up until this point, Paolini has repeatedly told us that they are poor. Therefore, there are two things wrong with this scenario: where did the coins come from, and why isn't Garrow buying meat with it?

And, speaking of meat…

IV. Spotlessly clean butcher shops

I don't know how many of you have ever seen the inside of a butcher's shop, but I have, and, let me tell you, they are not clean places. In this modern age, butcher's shops are not clean. How can one expect a pseudo-Medieval butcher shop to come even close to the scrupulously clean that Paolini describes?

I don't buy it. Do you?

V. Galloping horses

Let me preface this by saying that my experience with horses is limited, but I do have a basic knowledge of them.

During a particularly intense chase scene, our heroes in Eragon gallop on their horses. All night.

These are live animals, not machines. Galloping a horse all night is like asking a human to sprint all night, and that's not even taking into account the burdens the horse would be carrying. It would kill a human, just as it would kill a horse.

Then, to rub salt into it, the horses are fresh and ready to go the next morning. Assuming that the horses actually made it through the night, they would certainly not be fresh the next day.

VI. Swordplay

All right, most fantasy authors have, at the most, a rudimentary knowledge of swordplay, but it seems to me that Paolini didn't even bother trying to research it.

Zar'roc's description is as follows:

"It was about five feet long and, from the way he handled it, rather heavy." (Eragon, pg. 107)

Later, when Eragon is training with it, Paolini tells us that he uses it one-handed. Most swords that long are designed to be used with both hands; further, they only weigh, at most, seven pounds (Zar'roc is supposed to be much heavier than that.).

Then, one starts to wonder how Eragon is able to wear a 5-foot long sword from his waist. Most 15 year-old boys are anywhere from 5'6 to 5'10, which means that, at most, Zar'roc is only ten inches shorter than Eragon. It doesn't seem likely for such a sword to hang comfortably from his waist.

Now, we move on to swordplay itself.

First and foremost, mention of combining sword moves is made, which any novice swordsman would know can't be done. Then, we move on to the fact that Eragon becomes a master swordsman in a matter of a couple of months. Yes, Eragon is Speshul. I know he is a Dragon Rider and thus may be a bit quicker to learn things, but some things cannot be rushed. Swordplay is one of them.

There is a reason why most master swordsman in the Middle Ages were taught from the time they were seven. It takes practice-not only to learn moves, but also to learn footwork, how to apply everything in a fight, how to anticipate blows, et cetera. This is not the sort of thing that can be learned overnight or at an accelerated pace, no matter how Speshul someone is. Some may be quicker to pick it up than others, but not in a few months.

VII. Vegetarian Elves

Okay, so this isn't about the Elves in general as much as a single Elf: Arya.

In Eldest, we find that Elves are vegan-they don't eat meat, and don't believe in using animal products. However, in Eragon, Paolini describes Arya as wearing a leather suit.

The last time I checked, leather was the skin of an animal. I've heard some fans attempt to explain it away, but it's Paolini who needs to explain it-or own up that he made a mistake. And, remember, even if there is a perfectly good explanation for it, that explanation should be in the book itself, instead of being subject to clarification in interviews or by fans. A reader should not have to speculate on inconsistencies in order to come up with a reason for it. Come to think of it, inconsistencies shouldn't be there in the first place.

VIII. Eldest Timeframe

In the beginning of Eldest, we learn that Elain—a woman in Carvahall—is five months pregnant; by the end of Eldest, she is still pregnant, thus it is safe to conclude that less than four months have passed.

However, we also learn that Thorn can breathe fire, which means that he must be six months old, thus at least six months have passed between the beginning and end of Eldest; also, Eldest begins in spring and ends in spring, so either a year passed or a month or two passed. The latter has already been disproven by Thorn breathing fire; in any case, it took Eragon two months to reach Ellesmera, so his training would have to have been only a day or two long to fit the timeline, which we know isn’t true because Paolini detailed several days of training.

I’ve heard the argument that we have no idea how human biology in Alagaesia works; I’m disinclined to use this excuse, because of the mere fact that they are human. Being human means that the biology would be the same, otherwise they would be a different species.

IX. Transportation of the egg

In the prologue of Eragon, Arya transports the egg to the Spine using magic. Why does she not transport herself and her guards to a safe location?

For that matter, why does she not simply transport the egg from point A to point B in the first place? Why risk getting caught and tortured by traveling?