This is pretty sad.

OMG CHRIS PAOLINI'S EMAIL

The original email seems to be written from a pretty clear headed, but if you look at the comments below.... !!!!

One of my favorites (didn't read a lot of them):

Although the original post kinda answered the question...

Another I read had something like "I dropped out of school because I was reading your books instead of working"

You can see my response at the bottom (forseti).

I know Karn like(d) Paolini, and he's pretty damned smart, but this is worse than mostly anything I've seen for Rowling. I have to say, I'm really glad my favorite living author, whom I can actually communicate with (Stephen R Donaldson) isn't popular with masses of kids and teenagers. I don't even particularly dislike Paolini's stuff - based on what I've heard of his efforts to make his book sell, I actually admire him - he's just not my type. I don't blame him for all these people being so...well, like they are, but it's still very depressing when so many people get confused by a bit of humor.

I put the Eragon books on the same level I do the Davinci Code. Really fun and entertaining to read, but having very little literary value.

Meh. At the very least, the cover art for the books totally pwns. Normally I like detailed pictures instead of one-character stuff, but the dragons on both books are drawn very purdy.

I honestly hate the cover art. The dragon looks like a horse to me.

Actually, I went back and I see exactly what you mean now. I still think it looks ok though. But now it's unnerving to look at it and think of a horsey all the time.

Maybe this should be the cover of Eragon?

EDIT-The other thing I will say in Paolini's defense is that he did a better job than I could. I mean, I'm sure I could write 20 pages better than the best 20 pages in his books, but there's no way I could produce a novel of length while retaining my sanity. I simply don't think I'd be able to concentrate on a single work for more than a month or two.

Of course, I am also not pursuing a career in writing as of right now.

I couldn't take the art seriously after I saw the horse.

Hehe, there are advertisments for Eragon in this topic now.

Aww ya, I love spreading the power of corporate America to message boards.

Heh. Isn't the Trilogy more of something you go back to now, just because you've read the first two? Sort of like Harry Potter, I suppose.