How is the 'Eragon' series similar to the 'The Wheel of Time' series?

Answer 1

The Wheel of Time series is 13 books long and is vaguely reminiscent of Lord of the Rings, although extremely unique in telling it defers greatly in time line, history, human types and hybrids. Truthfully, the only real correlations is that they both delve in magic (of sorts) and are in the fantasy realm. It can be said that where Tolkien is more of a spot-on Fantasy-Fantasy, R. Jordan is more of a Realistic-Fantasy, blending mundane ages with magical, adding realism to surrealism.

Eragon is also set in a world with quests etc. but it's about "Dragon riders" who are destined to meet and ride their fated Dragons and one of the Dragon riders turns evil and starts killing the other dragon riders and their dragons and this kid gets sucked into this war and begins adventuring. If you liked Wheel Of Time, you would most likely not be impressed with Eragon, as it seems to be a compilation of knock-offs from other fantasy realms. Plot, Arch-types, the like. Also, where as Robert Jordan succeeded in elaborate tales, politics, portraying the land and character depth, Paolini seems to be lacking. This could also be due to his young age(15) at writing the Inheritance Cycle Books (Eragon and up.)

Along those lines I'd also recommend the Dune series, Trickster's Choice & Trickster's Queen, East (based off of the original Norwegian folktale east of the sun and west of the moon)

The first of the Wheel of Time books was published thirteen years before Eragon. The beginnings of both stories have young men for main characters, living on farms outside of town. Both were raised by men that were not their fathers. These men were both severely wounded by animal/human hybrids that destroyed their homes. Both main characters went back into the wreckage to retrieve their bows and arrows, then had to make a stretcher of sorts to drag their foster fathers into town to be healed. They were then sought out and had to flee their home towns. Their travel partners also have many parallels. Roran and Perrin (whose names sound alike) are both down to earth, quiet, heroic types that prefer hammers over swords. They both love their villages and convince the peaceful community to leave their farms, pack up what they own, and go battle what threatens them. Matrim and Murtagh are both being somewhat directed by forces dark forces outside of their control. The main characters also both travel with magical females. Moiraine and Arya both come from groups that are magic casters and have very close ties to the female leaders of their groups. There are also other scenes that seem "borrowed" such as the main character pulling water up from beneath the desert floor.

It is to be noted that the similarities between these books are superficial; The overall storyline is greatly enhanced within the Wheel of Time series, along with a multitude of other significant traits that define a master author.

Answer 2

Both the "Eragon" series and "The Wheel of Time" series are epic fantasy novels that involve a young protagonist on a hero's journey to fulfill a significant destiny. They both feature intricate world-building, magical elements, and complex political landscapes. Additionally, both series explore themes of good versus evil and the struggle against dark forces threatening the world.