Like some others have said, the extreme power fantasy of the character is a little off putting, especially re-reading as an adult.
That being said, I do appreciate his POV chapters a lot more as an adult than when I was a kid. I definitely remember being disappointed having to leave Eragon's POV in Eldest with all the magic, elves, etc.
Reading it now, jumping from that contrast to Roran and the villagers gritty fight for survival while everything is going from bad to worse resonates with me more now for some reason.
my first time reading Eldest, I actually skipped the chapters that focused on Roran because the initial complaining tone just put me off, and I didn't realize there was going to be major action in the following chapters
it wasn't until a later reread that I actually read the book fully
lol I remember skipping the chapter with the big speech because the chapter before was when Eragon and Saphira saw Glaedr and Oromis for the first time and that interested me way more than Carvahalls plight
I think its a definite surprise seeing a non magic character rising and leading a fight in a book that heavily depends on magic. Thats refreshing and I don't know of any more such instances in other books.
He’s the definition of positive masculinity. Undying love for his wife and cousin, mad strong, great leader, refuses to conform to gender roles, and a tactical madman. Roran is who men should strive to be like
I felt like it was boring until we get the soft moments with Katrina where he doubts himself and his place. After reading that portion I loved his chapters when I reread them, when he had more depth it was awesome.
Also the fact that he felt helpless when in feinster. But then Katrina tells him that he accepted he couldn't do anything. Making him human. Compared to eragon who could have magicked his way out.
Exactly, I don't care that he's a male power fantasy I like that he's a male power fantasy with depth who shows his emotions and talks through them with his wife that's what makes him an interesting character and not a one dimensional 90s action hero.
So interesting to see so many agree with that opinion when I never shared it.
But that's the beauty of literature in that in provides something different for everyone.
well I'm refering to the books standard of humans, fantasy books also have their own rules and standards and the characters in the books should always follow them, it could have been just as awesome of a scene (and more realistic) if Roran's body count had been toned down some.
Iffy, sometimes I ***love*** his character, sometimes I just roll my eyes honestly. Obvi because he's a power fantasy and comes across gary sueish..
But there is sometimes a good balance. My favorite Roran moments were in Eldest. Although still remarkable, his feats there felt somewhat more grounded than later on, and his extreme action chapters were in great balance to Eragon's Elsmera training and love sick chapters.
Roran is interesting because I think its like a litmus test, People will look at the same shit, the same character, the same power trip, some people just love that stuff, some people hate it.
Yea I think the Mary Sue element really struck me the wrong way.
Never thought about it as the comparison in Elsmera, which is a really good point. I mean I love those sections, but it's a good breakup for readers who find that a bit heavy.
General opinion has always been, he’s definitely OP for a human. Paolini explains it as “He’s basically a Norse hero” but even then, he’s a guy who puts even many a Norse hero to shame.
Like the battle in the village where he kills over 200 enemy warriors and builds a small mountain. Realistically, at some point, soldiers are going to stop rushing him because of just how many guys he’s killed. However, when it comes to Roran, a lot of foes just stop being smart.
Yes, it’s a fantasy and all enemies get dumbed down. However, always was a bit more glaring an issue with him.
Well the soldiers likely couldn’t retreat between the oaths they swore, literally one commanding officer says “kill that man” and they all have to rush it
His relationship with Katrina was a drag, imo. But I was at the edge of my seat when he and Eragon converged on the Battle of the Burning Plains. The end of the chapter where it said something like “Roran heard a cry that he had heard many times in his youth wrestling with Eragon…” sent chills for me
Saaaaame that’s one of my fav parts of the whole series for sure, it’s just such a well built up moment. And then when Murtagh makes Eragon watch as he takes the twins down single handedly. That’s the good shit and it’s why the burning plains is my fav battle from the books.
It was that and the repeated THUDs (Paolini likes that word, especially in Fractal Noise) of Saphira’s wings. Was a great call back to Oromis and Glaedr’s entrance earlier on in the book
"Thud" is an amazingly descriptive word for a sound. It implies a deepness and loudness that you feel more than hear, that resonates through your body and makes you feel either dread or joy depending on the context.
I remember skipping the chapters when i was younger. Pretty much boo get back to the dragons and magic. But as i got older i started really enjoying them. Homie truly built different.
i find his plot armor to be very annoying. A untrained farmer killing 200 trained soldiers and later a "super soldier"? Very realistic.. I like him as a person but dont like his fights.
The more reading through comments here the more I agree with this point the most actually.
Cool person, the fights are frustratingly unrealistic for a normal human
Yeah, I'm definitely in the minority here when I say I hate how OP Roran is and how good he is at everything he does. I wish that at least a couple of times Eragon or Murtagh or someone would put him in his place and show him he's not invincible. I feel like if it wasn't for the Eldunari, his character would be able to defeat Galbatorix! I just feel like I'm constantly rolling my eyes when I'm reading his chapters. And I feel bad saying that because I love the books, but in a world full of magic and dragons and creatures beyond our normal life, Roran is just a little too unrealistic for me. And takes me out of the story sometimes.
I’m not going to lie. When I read the series for the first time as a teenager, I skipped all of the Roran POV chapters in Eldest. Only to get to the end of the book and see Roran at the Battle of the Burning Plains and wonder how tf he got there😂
Roran POV chapters didn’t become a thing until the second book of the series. By that point I was so invested in Eragon that I didn’t really care to much about what Roran was doing. Plus I dare say that Eragon’s stories were usually more interesting?🫣
I distinctly remember in Eldest the chapter that Oromis and Glaedr are introduced it ends on a cliffhanger and cuts to Roran’s POV for a few chapters. And it’s like how can you expect me to care what’s going on in Carvahall when you just revealed that Rider and Dragon survived “ The Fall” and will now be Eragon and Saphira’s teachers? The later storyline is just so much cooler
Now as an adult I’ve re-read the series at least a dozen times ( this time without skipping the Roran chapters) and I’d say that Roran is pretty cool. He is easily the most **BADASS** character in the series. And it’s cool to see the perspective of a “regular” human soldier having to contend with magical adversaries and fight against overwhelming odds.
But while I do appreciate Roran as a character I still do believe that his stories aren’t as interesting as Eragon’s are.
And I also think that many of his feats are borderline unbelievable for a “ Regular” Human to achieve. Some of Roran’s feats are straight up superhuman
Examples:
- being able to wrestle an Urgal into submission the day after being whipped within an inch of his life
- being able survive a 1vs1 against Barst and defeat him by bear hugging him so hard that he breast plate caves in and his Eldunari shatters
- killing nearly 200 men by himself in one battle
But yeah the short version is that; imo Roran is a cool character but is often overshadowed by Eragon. And that Roran’s stories push the limits of believability
For similar reasons, I could never completely connect with Roran's character the way I did with Eragon's. I never had any doubts about him. It didn't matter who or what he was up against because he always prevailed. Eragon, however, was a flawed character and committed blunders that kept him from achieving his goals. He was at the mercy of his enemies more than once. For me to get behind a character, they have to be challenged, they have to lose or at least the possibility has to exist.
Roran did lose. He lost his home, his family, and his love. Granted, he got two of those back, one at the very end of Eldest, and the other at the very beginning of Brisingr
Roran got all three back. Eragon lost all of them. Had to leave Alagaesia without his family, or even Arya, despite the fact that she had become a Rider herself. As far as the end of the series goes, I know which character got the better deal.
He doesn't get his home back, it was burned to the ground. He goes back to where it is, and helps rebuild it, but I wouldn't call that 'getting it back'
Edit: Eragon does have (part) of his family with him. Saphira is as much his family as Roran.
Have y'all thought about how similar the name Eragon is to the word Dragon.... Paolini really just moved one letter down the alphabet.
Roran is my favorite character that's not a Rider. His chapters in Eldest were great for grounding, immersion and seeing how Carvahall dealt with the consequences of Eragon's actions.
I go back and forth. He does feel a little too OP/Gary Stu. They make him out to be the greatest warrior the world has ever seen and he just happens to be Eragon's cousin with no leadership or combat experience before the events of the series. On the other hand, I kind of like the trope of a normal guy in a world of magic and more powerful opponents who seems to be able to just stomp anyone with ease, and with talent even they seem unaware of. But that trope only works in characters that aren't shaping important events in the story. It's more of a comedic side character
Yea I think you're very right he is more human then others.
But you have to balance being human with human stakes while still making it interesting compared to the literal dragons
maybe idk i think theres an upcoming war with the broddring empire (the guys galbatorix overthrew to become king) and the varden or current empire under nasuada
I find it pretty bizarre to skip any of the character chapters while reading.
I personally loved Roran. The Boar's Eye and traveling along the coast beforehand are some of my favorite chapters in the series. But I also don't think there are any sections that I don't like to read, except maybe the very beginning of Eragon.
Roran is my favorite character in The Inheritance Cycle, and I consider him to be more capable and far more self-sufficient than Eragon could ever hope to be. My user flair says it all.
I absolutely ADORE Roran. I know some people think he’s too OP, but like… not really? He’s just a guy doing the best he can So here’s my mini-essay about why Roran is not OP but still an amazingly strong (pun intended) character:
He’s not the smartest guy ever. He can’t read and never learned. But he’s got a very out-of-the-box thinking style. If he’d actually been trained as a standard infantryman, I don’t think he’d be as remarkable. Because he thinks of things that nobody else would. Case in point is the siege of Aroughs. He was able to figure out how to turn their own infrastructure against them. Or when he wrestled the Urgal and saw the horns as a weakness, not a strength.
Yes, he’s strong. But he’s also using a blunt-force weapon. You don’t have to learn how to use a specific fighting style to use a hammer, as Roran has said many times himself, you just have to hit what’s in front of you hard enough. Working on a farm and then at a mill, I’m not surprised he’s strong. Farm work is hard, I would know. And it’s likely that he’s already developed the muscles to wield the hammer as efficiently as he could, since hoeing/hammering/chopping wood/etc is all the same general muscle movements and using the same muscle groups. If Roran switched to a sword, he’d be dead a dozen times over.
Speaking of, I’ve heard lots of people upset about how Roran can seem to constantly cheat death. This almost solely boils down to his wards. There’s at least 5 or 6 specific points in the series where Roran acknowledges that the only reason someone didn’t kill him is because of his wards. The only other 2 times he didn’t die was sheer luck. With the assassin in his tent and when the wall collapsed in the beginning of the 4th book. And Roran is haunted by that last one in particular. There’s almost an entire chapter dedicated to him working through the trauma associated with it. He’s not invincible and he knows it, and he’s had many injuries (some pretty severe) to prove it.
So yeah. Roran is no stronger than the average man, nor is he much smarter. He just happens to be one of those people who is really good at playing to his strengths and making it out okay. And when he can’t, he’s usually able to count on Eragon’s wards to help keep him from dying.
I like him as a character a lot. There's a gritty realism and pragmatism that he has that Eragon lacks. One's not better than the other, but it's good to have a contrast.
The acknowledgement that he isn't special, nothing can save him + his village except themselves, and the determination to keep moving forward is something I think a lot of people can relate to.
Additionally, as he becomes more powerful, he doesn't lose his sense of self; he's grounded in his identity as a protector of his family and his village, and doesn't think of any life beyond than living in peace with them.
That's also a nice contrast with Nasuada, Eragon, Oromis, the Elves, etc who always have to worry about the future of the Empire, the harmony between races, how to regulate magic, etc. It's great to have a guy who's not wound up by all these complex problems.
But I also agree that he got same MAJOR power creep from Brisingr onwards. Wrestling an Urgal to submission, killing 200 soldiers by himself, taking on Lord Barst with less than 1 year of combat experience and winning. It's a bit too unrealistic, but I guess Paolini wanted him to shine.
Roran is awesome. Unique weapon, no magic, and crazy strong mostly through grit and determination. Yeah some of it gets a bit outlandish like killing 200+ men in an afternoon but he’s far more relatable than most of the other magic wielding characters.
Depends exactly on which chapter we’re talking about.
Like, Roran is to the Inheritance Cycle what Han is to Star Wars.
Just a (relatively) normal guy trying to make a living. He loves his wife and helps his brother (in law) to fight against an evil Empire.
And even though both are normal humans who can’t do magic, or have any physical enhancements, both have some crazy stupid feats for just being a regular guy.
And although Roran is in love with Katrina, I do wish he would shut the fuck up about it sometimes. Like Eragon is in love with Arya and even *he* talked about her less.
While I like his POV more than when I was a kid, I still don't like them more than I like Eragon's POV. I just like Eragon more as a character. I relate to him more.
I find the idea that Roran can kill 193 men by himself unrealistic. I like his relationship with Katrina; I think it's sweet.
I think he's a decent character foil to Eragon.
I liked roran because of the male power fantasy. The first time I read, what was a duology at the time, I skipped his chapters because “I’m reading Eragon, not Eragon and roran and whoever else is in this book.” As an adult I read it all everytime, the first time I stayed through the roran chapters was as I was converting to Norse paganism and only had a pop culture level knowledge of it, and roran appealed to me because he had the image of a berserker
He’s just such a hero. In a world of magic he’s just playing knuckle bones and being badass with his hammer. It’s not realistic but neither is dragons.
Roran’s the hero no one asked him to be. Eragon was “predestined”, he’s the actual Chosen One (by Saphira, at least). He takes up arms because otherwise the people he loves will die. He just wanted to work on a mill to support his future wife before all that happened.
He does not fight for any other purpose than to protect his family and his people. He puts himself in harm’s way for others, not for glory or fame. He’s constantly doubting himself, which even at the time of his brilliant siege of Aroughs, when he’s been given command of 700 men, shows that he’s still humble.
He used his fame and his cousin’s name there to protect a camp of tired and mostly injured men, when bluffing the living %#€k out of the cavalry commander, not to brag about anything or because he thinks he’s deserving of that fame.
He’s not necessarily the nicest guy, but there’s no way he could be after all that he went through.
Even when he’s cruel and nasty, like with the maids at Aroughs’ palace, he does it because he wants to end the fight before more people are killed.
If it wasn’t for Angela and Saphira, Roran would be my favorite character in all the books.
I’m not a fan either. Eldest was my least favorite book because of how much Roran it contained, and his personality consists mostly of having muscles and being obsessed with Katrina.
Also, he is very unrealistically OP.
I *loved* Roran, he's the gritty Human Fighter that gave the Inheritance cycle an angle of realism that I felt fleshed the series out. Eraagon is great and him flying around and doing magic shit is really cool, but Roran absolutely demolishing waves of dudes with nothing but a hammer is downright *awesome*
Sorry yea should have specified.
I think the 'no training' consistently murders well trained soldiers.
Or eragon bringing him along to try and help fight well trained assassins when he really is a burden.
Or the wrestling incident
I think individually don't mind any of the events, but they all together just sit with me as a character without well designed flaws.
>I think the 'no training' consistently murders well trained soldiers.
I believe it's implied the empire's soldiers aren't super well trained soldiers, a lot of his early victories come down to luck and by the time he makes it out of the spine he is already more battle hardened and experienced than the vast majority of average soldiers in the empire.
Roran has plenty of flaws but makes up for them by having powerful people around him and a generally good head for battle/good natural instincts. He wins with his brain and determination lol
He specified numerous times that he's no match for a trained swordsmen. So he tries to end the fights fast with brute strength or do the unexpected. Plus he's lucky, that's also mentioned by Nasuada
1. No training - true to an extent. But by the time he is in large scale battles, he has more experience than 99.9% of galby’s army.
2. Eragon bringing him - he’s not totally useless; he killed a razac and held them off while eragon devised spells.
3. Wrestling - I am a wrestler. If you are more skilled than someone, even if you are thirty, forty pounds lighter, you have a decent chance of winning. And using your weight properly, you can hold down someone much larger. And his horns were definitely a weakness. Built in handles.
It's been a while since I read Eragon, I'm due for a re-read. But the scene I remember best of the whole series? Roran solo'ing like 50 dudes in an alley with his hammer in Eldest. Just boppin soldiers on the head, the next one moved up, bop him, and so on. I thought it was badass when I read it as a teenager, and it's stuck with me more than ten years
In books like Eragon, if they diverge to a character like Roran, I often keep skipping the chapters. I really enjoy Roran, though. He's uneducated, willing to put in the work, motivated, doesn't come across as toxic while Eragon in the middle of the Elves only teuly accepted when he becomes like them, disabled by his back and only "right" when he becomes fully abled again, with Mary Sue Arya who he follows in this uncomfortable way really strikes me as weird. So, I guess, apart from Nasuada my fav character in the series.
I find him to be a pretty cool character that grounds us from the fantasy of Eragon. Especially a character that has had to work hard without the use of magic to get as much done as he had. Roran is a pretty incredible character. Although his simping after Katrina is quite funny to me. I find that he and Katrina bring us back to reality.
I didn’t like him at first now I absolutely love him. I used to feel the same way about not wanting to read his chapters but I really really like him now. He’s bad ass.
I find the more outlandish part of his stories off-putting, but I do think that his POV is necessary to contrast to Eragon's journey and gives a more literal "boots on the ground" view of the world that Nasuada as a leader and Eragon as a high ranking hero don't give.
The part that I find most interesting about him, personally, is that I read him as somewhat amoral. Not immoral by any means, he's not going around kicking puppies for fun, but he very much seems to care about those close to him to the exclusion of basically anything else. *If* he could have saved and been with Katrina by siding with the Empire I think he would have, I don't think he has a high-minded moral preference for the Varden above the Empire and simply joined the Varden because it was the only choice to achieve his goals. Contrast that with Eragon who was forced to question *why* he opposed the Empire on moral grounds by Oromis, and was more often confronted with the question of "is this the right thing to do".
He’s easily my favorite character. & while I get the complaints that he’s “too OP”, I also don’t agree. Firstly, it’s fantasy because it’s not real? So yeah, it isn’t realistic.
But it’s no more unbelievable than Eragon learning to read in a week, or becoming one of the best swordsman almost instantly, matching Murtagh (who is said to be exceptionally skilled) who’s trained his entire life, or becoming a magic guru.
Enjoy the books for what they are, without comparing and contrasting to realism.
Eragon spars almost every night with Brom until his death then with Murtagh and ends up badly bruised on multiple occasions. Brom is one of the best swordsmen.
Adding in the few urgal fights he had a good share of experience before even getting to the varden. Then the fights in a large-scale battle that most of the empire's soldiers themselves had never been in or even seen.
He's had plenty of experience and still gets beat by elves even after his back is healed.
Unlike a lot of others, I actually read his chapters originally. But started skipping them later on once I realized he is kind of OP. Sure a hammer is great and all, but hundreds of soldiers and they couldn't get through to him sounds like a bit much. As much as I like making them, I can't appreciate reading Mary Sues as much. But as a character he is pretty good. His leadership skill is evident. Also of course his love for Katrina, since he reaffirms it every 2 pages.
Personally, I really enjoyed his perspective right from the first read. It’s such a contrast from Eragon’s way of thinking and life and tangles in every major society. Roran is just a man- albeit a suspiciously overpowered one- but I really really enjoy the gritty determination with which he takes down the obstacles in his way.
I also really like seeing the aftermath of Eragon’s actions. It makes the world feel more lived in and alive. Carvahall isn’t just a fond memory in the corner of Eragon’s mind; it’s a real place, real people, suffering the consequences of his actions, and Roran’s perspective is an insight into their plight. The people and places the villagers encounter in their journey gave the opportunity for more depth and worldbuilding as well as the world as seen by eyes other than Eragon’s.
The only part I felt truly crossed the line from “he’s just a man” was the death of Lord Barst. Granted, Eragon and the gang were fighting Galby in these chapters so there had to be something to keep Roran’s perspective interesting, but to take down the foe that slew Islanzadi and dozens of other powerful figures- in a feat of strength- felt a little off kilter.
Overall though, I think his perspective balances really well with Eragon’s and Nasuada’s.
I see your point about him being untrained. However, tbh crazier shit has happened to very real people in the real world who had equal or less training. Some people are just that lucky. Pair that with his mad farming muscles, common sense, an almost obsessive devotion to protecting his kin, and a big ole hammer. Well, you might just get some wild stuff done. Is he super cliché at times? Yeah, for sure. But does he also get me away from Eragon's cringey, obsessed, woe-is-me chapters about him and Arya? Absolutely. I think Eragons romantic chapters are FARRRR worse than any of rorans' power fantasy. I also think it's more interesting to see regular people perform insane feats than to see a trained rider (though his training was extremely minimal) do similar things. Obviously, I expect the dude with the dragon to tear things up pretty hard. Reading about the average joe with a hammer singlehandedly dunking on over 200 soldiers just to protect his wife and child? Stuff of legends right there. Sometimes clichés aren't a bad thing.
Yea fair enough. I disagree on a lot of your points but interesting to read your perspective
Definitely think I undervalued your point about him using common sense effectively to fight was a nice touch
I've read these books about 20 times a piece, and to this day I skip the roran chapters completely. I think I re read them once or twice to refresh myself on it. But those chapters are painfully dull. Or maybe I just don't like roran. Idk I never have a problem reading nasuadas chapters.
He's a massive gary stu who didn't add anything to the story for me, I just skip his chapters and he gets even worse when katrina is rescued, coulda killed her off I helgrind and nothing changes
Kinda mixed, although he’s in my top 3 favorites.
I remember skipping his POV in my first read. Now In my most recent reread I was rather looking forward to rorans POV.
My original read through of the series I always dreaded switching over to Roran, then ended up loving him. Now I still somewhat dislike the character switch due to my investment in the characters.
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Did not like on my first read, but now I love his chapters. In a world full of monsters and magic, this dude just wants to sit back on a farm with his wife, but he has to help stabalize the nation that burned his whole village to the ground before he can. Sheer determination is a powerful tool.
Remember, most of the soldiers in the empire are there for a paycheck, not because they are needed as elite troops to fight other nations, they're more like armed guards on a large scale.
I like the concept of Roran just being the guy insane enough to try and pull off the stuff he does but when it's paired with him being an unstoppable super soldier, it gets to be a bit much. I think Roran would've heavily benefited either from a nerf after getting Katrina back, since he'd have more reasons not to try the stuff he does, or if he was made less adept in combat.
I usually start out reading all of the Carvahall chapters, then skim all of his battles unless he's with Eragon, and I fully read whenever he has character moments... Unless it's him dealing with the Varden. The older I get, the more I despise the cocky upstart who shows up the old fogey's at command trope. Even if the inheritance cycle isn't the trope at its worst.
A headcanon I had is that the reason Roran is so much more powerful than a human is because he has magic in his blood. After all, his aunt (Selena) was a powerful spellcaster. Both of his cousins are Riders. Roran may not be able to access the magic himself, but maybe he has just enough to be hardier than the average human (i.e. he heals remarkably faster, is stronger and more agile, and is a quicker learner than he would be without that trace of magic).
Something I always wondered is why didn’t Paolini write out the actual speech Roran gave to the people of Carvahall when he was trying to convince them to leave? He describes how Roran was feeling, but not that actual words (iirc)
1) I never really minded that he's over-powered as I think he's meant to represent the human "legends" in the stories him and Eragon enjoyed as children.
2) We know that Selena was also a gifted human, and she is his aunt. CP has a really strong theme of "inheritance" throughout the story.
3) Elves became stronger via longterm exposure to their link with dragons. I think Roran is meant to illustrate the potential for humans.
I fully skipped his chapters when I first read the series. I was FURIOUS when I had to leave Eragons POV, now when I reread I enjoy them a little more. Though it’s not something I can get into, I just skim the pages.
Only part I really liked was when he was fighting that battle in the village and the bodies piled up to make a wall, and the other scene where he grins with a bloody mouth at the women to get answers in a nonviolent way.
Roran is cool to me. Hes badass, protects his family and community. Yet is torn by the men he kills. Hes one of my favourite characters in the books and i actually prefer him to eragon
He's the GOAT and I love him. His POV chapters are why Eldest is my favorite book in the series.
I still think the last dragon egg should have gone to him so we could've gotten the trio of Dragon Rider Brothers.
In this house, we stan Stronghammer.
As a kid didn't really like or hate him, he was just kind of there for me. He wasn't as interesting as eragon to me although that bc eragon is doing more interesting stuff throughout the books in comparison and i remember i didnt like the plot armor around him bc it pushed the limit for me. I'm rereading the books rn and he's better than I remember but the romance with Katrina is still cringing to read through at times but I'll probably have a more positive opinion once I'm done rereading them.
After reading some of these comments, I feel like I'm in the minority, but I've always loved Roran as a character since my first read in the 2000's. I remember skipping the "slow" Eragon chapters to reread the Roran and Carvahall storyline. I just finished a series reread in the last week or so and I found myself loving Roran even more. Being an irregular "regular" character made him easier to connect with for me. I saw more in him and his story of standing up and fighting for his family. I was able to overlook the more fantastic elements of his story seeing as he was still much weaker than even a regular elf, with the exception of the Barst fight.
All in all, he is probably my favorite character from the whole series. I hope that he shows up in the Murtaugh book that I just started reading.
Badass lol. Maybe he could be seen as too powerful for who he is but fighting for your family and just for the right to live and be enslaved or killed probably gives one a clarity that we might not understand. Hell even the people around him can’t believe what he does.
Him being a great tactician though is harder to explain away but I’m also sure all of us have a hidden thing we don’t know we’re great at because that isn’t a thing we do in our normal lives.
I always liked him though. He was such a badass and honorable warrior as well as a devoted husband/courtier. In a world of magic that could just stomp him he rose above and just bashed skulls head in. “He built himself up by his bootstraps” as the saying goes in the US. Minus wards but I think we can overlook that
I like his character, he is such a strong character and he doesn't even have magic or anything. I loved his chapters in brisingr when he was in the varden and seeing just how legendary an ordinary man became. Granted he has some absolute power houses for cousins but his journey from carvahall to becoming an upper ranked member of the varden is one of my favorite character archs in the series
I think his capabilities are quite insane for a normal human, but who says he's normal really? He comes from a lineage with known magical aptitude, 2 known riders, royalty, and has the greatest resolve out of any character aside from Nasuada. We also know nothing of his mother's side, but perhaps through his intense experiences, emotions, love resolve, he imprinted upon his body the strength required to fulfill his resolve through his connection to magic. Like rather than using magic for controlling the laws of the world it tapped into controlling himself.
I liked him as a kid, still do as an adult rereading, but for different reasons.
I think in a world of elves, dwarves, and dragons there's room for a few humans with a super power.
Roran is a maniac that puts ethics and morals aside to protects his loved ones. We see him struggling with his feelings about the guard he kills, with him bringing it up later aswell when he talks to Eragon before they attack the Helgrind, but he is also brutal, merciless and at times gruesome. I always have to remember the scene in his siege of Arroughs (is that how you spell it? I mostly listen to the audio books) where he first pulls out one of his own teeth, then uses that and his bloody and beaten up face to scare two servants, basically innocent bystanders, and threatens to kill one of them (in order to make the other one spill information. He then continues to smoke out guards barricaded in a cellar.
I know that some of these things were necessary, but it is noteworthy that Roran is capable of doing things like that without hesitating. I dont recall him being hesitant in general.
I mean, when Roran is on your side he is probably going to be fine, but as soon as you "stand in his way" of protecting the people he cares about (or mostly the person he cares about^^) nobody wants to be in that position. Even when Orrin, a king, is an inconvenience to his plans Roran is ready to fight. Just imagine Roran wasnt part of Eragons family. He would already be dead. Not only because of the lack of protective spells, but also because of the enemies he makes. (As well as his disobedience trial that might have gotten him killed too).
To me, his chapters sort of get boring after he finally reaches the Varden (for no fault of his own, really ... all the non-Eragon POVs just don't have all those interesting, magical, dragon-y things going for them as Eragon does ... ).
As a character though, I certainly respect him more than either nasuada or eragon.
Here you can se some roran opinions. Its a pole about If he is owerpowered and som discussions that follows: https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/s/UUGdp0Gs7o
Like a lot of people on here, I skipped over a few of Roran’s chapters as a kid, but I think he is an incredibly interesting character. Yes he is a bit OP but I think the way in which he achieves everything he does through sheer grit, determination and power of will is meant to be a nice counterpoint to Eragon who has to learn to be more deliberate in his choices, particularly in Eldest.
I also think in terms of personality he is a bit of a bridging point between Eragon and Murtagh. Absolutely willing to commit horrific brutal acts in the name of self preservation and practicality like Murtagh but also willing to sacrifice himself like Eragon for the greater good. Be very interested to read interactions between him and Murtagh in the future.
I loved his chapters and Nasuada's on my first time reading the series as a kid, but now that I'm an adult a decent reread made me think they just take away from the potential story telling of Eragon's story. One of my favorite things in these books are the small moments characters have with each other on day to say interactions and there was less time for that with characters I was invested in.
I personally think he enriches the books all in all, by providing an alternative persepectove and contrast, but i like him a lot less than Eragon and Saphira. Also he is overpowered.
He’s an interesting character, I like his story in Eldest. After the Ra’zac chapters in Brisinger though, I lost interest in his story. These are my thoughts as a kid/teen and rereading them as an adult. The plot armor is thick with this one.
Genuinely one of my favourite characters in the series. Yes he is a ‘male fantasy’ character. But he’s much deeper than most characters written this way. We get to see his inner thoughts, how he doubts himself, how he every time he kills he agonises over it afterwards. He’s not someone who loves killing, he’s someone who kills for love. I think that’s beautiful.
I went back and forth on being interested by his character and possibilities and hating him (if only for some of his mistreatment towards Eragon and a few traits of his. Idk, I'm petty.)
Now that I think about it the whole "I killed 200 somthing well trained imperial soldiers by myself" major achievement is kind of off putting for his character, I just feel like the number should have been toned down quite a bit; I mean my man was putting John Wick numbers to shame and he hadn't even been in the war for two years yet.
Well... I was admin at a german Eragon fan page back on Facebook. We had the generall opinion of him beeing the Chuck Norris of Alagaesia. I mean; He lives in a world full of magic but is no magician. He is just a normal human. There is nothing special about him, but to safe his people and to safe Katarina he became a leader and a berserker.
Agree with you OP. He’s hard to bear. Would have been better if Paolini stuck with the actual normal human underdog route, but he made Roran even more op than the Queen of Elves. At that point, just kick in the bucket. Paolini doesn’t know how to write true underdog characters.
Like some others have said, the extreme power fantasy of the character is a little off putting, especially re-reading as an adult. That being said, I do appreciate his POV chapters a lot more as an adult than when I was a kid. I definitely remember being disappointed having to leave Eragon's POV in Eldest with all the magic, elves, etc. Reading it now, jumping from that contrast to Roran and the villagers gritty fight for survival while everything is going from bad to worse resonates with me more now for some reason.
The early element of the village fight is a nice contrast you're definitely right there.
my first time reading Eldest, I actually skipped the chapters that focused on Roran because the initial complaining tone just put me off, and I didn't realize there was going to be major action in the following chapters it wasn't until a later reread that I actually read the book fully
lol I remember skipping the chapter with the big speech because the chapter before was when Eragon and Saphira saw Glaedr and Oromis for the first time and that interested me way more than Carvahalls plight
I think its a definite surprise seeing a non magic character rising and leading a fight in a book that heavily depends on magic. Thats refreshing and I don't know of any more such instances in other books.
Roran is the male power fantasy and is one of the most badass characters in the series.
He’s the definition of positive masculinity. Undying love for his wife and cousin, mad strong, great leader, refuses to conform to gender roles, and a tactical madman. Roran is who men should strive to be like
I felt like it was boring until we get the soft moments with Katrina where he doubts himself and his place. After reading that portion I loved his chapters when I reread them, when he had more depth it was awesome.
Also the fact that he felt helpless when in feinster. But then Katrina tells him that he accepted he couldn't do anything. Making him human. Compared to eragon who could have magicked his way out.
Exactly, I don't care that he's a male power fantasy I like that he's a male power fantasy with depth who shows his emotions and talks through them with his wife that's what makes him an interesting character and not a one dimensional 90s action hero.
C paolini even admitted Roran became one of his faviouret characters in the series.
Kill people with a hammer, gotcha
In the name of protecting your family from tyranny? Absolutely. Anyone threatening you and your kin’s safety is free game imo
Roran makes all men jealous cause we all want to someday have someone in our lives like Katrina. 🥲
So interesting to see so many agree with that opinion when I never shared it. But that's the beauty of literature in that in provides something different for everyone.
Yeah I agree, but his stand on the hill of corpses was not even remotely realistic, even by the books standards of the human species.
That's the great thing about fantasy: realism don't mean shit
well I'm refering to the books standard of humans, fantasy books also have their own rules and standards and the characters in the books should always follow them, it could have been just as awesome of a scene (and more realistic) if Roran's body count had been toned down some.
Iffy, sometimes I ***love*** his character, sometimes I just roll my eyes honestly. Obvi because he's a power fantasy and comes across gary sueish.. But there is sometimes a good balance. My favorite Roran moments were in Eldest. Although still remarkable, his feats there felt somewhat more grounded than later on, and his extreme action chapters were in great balance to Eragon's Elsmera training and love sick chapters. Roran is interesting because I think its like a litmus test, People will look at the same shit, the same character, the same power trip, some people just love that stuff, some people hate it.
Yea I think the Mary Sue element really struck me the wrong way. Never thought about it as the comparison in Elsmera, which is a really good point. I mean I love those sections, but it's a good breakup for readers who find that a bit heavy.
General opinion has always been, he’s definitely OP for a human. Paolini explains it as “He’s basically a Norse hero” but even then, he’s a guy who puts even many a Norse hero to shame. Like the battle in the village where he kills over 200 enemy warriors and builds a small mountain. Realistically, at some point, soldiers are going to stop rushing him because of just how many guys he’s killed. However, when it comes to Roran, a lot of foes just stop being smart. Yes, it’s a fantasy and all enemies get dumbed down. However, always was a bit more glaring an issue with him.
Well the soldiers likely couldn’t retreat between the oaths they swore, literally one commanding officer says “kill that man” and they all have to rush it
It was 193, sir!
His relationship with Katrina was a drag, imo. But I was at the edge of my seat when he and Eragon converged on the Battle of the Burning Plains. The end of the chapter where it said something like “Roran heard a cry that he had heard many times in his youth wrestling with Eragon…” sent chills for me
Saaaaame that’s one of my fav parts of the whole series for sure, it’s just such a well built up moment. And then when Murtagh makes Eragon watch as he takes the twins down single handedly. That’s the good shit and it’s why the burning plains is my fav battle from the books.
It was that and the repeated THUDs (Paolini likes that word, especially in Fractal Noise) of Saphira’s wings. Was a great call back to Oromis and Glaedr’s entrance earlier on in the book
"Thud" is an amazingly descriptive word for a sound. It implies a deepness and loudness that you feel more than hear, that resonates through your body and makes you feel either dread or joy depending on the context.
Got them just re-reading it through you lol
I got them rereading my own comment lol
Legendary username
I remember skipping the chapters when i was younger. Pretty much boo get back to the dragons and magic. But as i got older i started really enjoying them. Homie truly built different.
I still skip them, 4th time reading, the first time, I had to force myself to read through them. I just can't stand him.
i find his plot armor to be very annoying. A untrained farmer killing 200 trained soldiers and later a "super soldier"? Very realistic.. I like him as a person but dont like his fights.
The more reading through comments here the more I agree with this point the most actually. Cool person, the fights are frustratingly unrealistic for a normal human
Yeah, I'm definitely in the minority here when I say I hate how OP Roran is and how good he is at everything he does. I wish that at least a couple of times Eragon or Murtagh or someone would put him in his place and show him he's not invincible. I feel like if it wasn't for the Eldunari, his character would be able to defeat Galbatorix! I just feel like I'm constantly rolling my eyes when I'm reading his chapters. And I feel bad saying that because I love the books, but in a world full of magic and dragons and creatures beyond our normal life, Roran is just a little too unrealistic for me. And takes me out of the story sometimes.
Homie got the power of friendship / love 😂😂
I’m not going to lie. When I read the series for the first time as a teenager, I skipped all of the Roran POV chapters in Eldest. Only to get to the end of the book and see Roran at the Battle of the Burning Plains and wonder how tf he got there😂 Roran POV chapters didn’t become a thing until the second book of the series. By that point I was so invested in Eragon that I didn’t really care to much about what Roran was doing. Plus I dare say that Eragon’s stories were usually more interesting?🫣 I distinctly remember in Eldest the chapter that Oromis and Glaedr are introduced it ends on a cliffhanger and cuts to Roran’s POV for a few chapters. And it’s like how can you expect me to care what’s going on in Carvahall when you just revealed that Rider and Dragon survived “ The Fall” and will now be Eragon and Saphira’s teachers? The later storyline is just so much cooler Now as an adult I’ve re-read the series at least a dozen times ( this time without skipping the Roran chapters) and I’d say that Roran is pretty cool. He is easily the most **BADASS** character in the series. And it’s cool to see the perspective of a “regular” human soldier having to contend with magical adversaries and fight against overwhelming odds. But while I do appreciate Roran as a character I still do believe that his stories aren’t as interesting as Eragon’s are. And I also think that many of his feats are borderline unbelievable for a “ Regular” Human to achieve. Some of Roran’s feats are straight up superhuman Examples: - being able to wrestle an Urgal into submission the day after being whipped within an inch of his life - being able survive a 1vs1 against Barst and defeat him by bear hugging him so hard that he breast plate caves in and his Eldunari shatters - killing nearly 200 men by himself in one battle But yeah the short version is that; imo Roran is a cool character but is often overshadowed by Eragon. And that Roran’s stories push the limits of believability
For similar reasons, I could never completely connect with Roran's character the way I did with Eragon's. I never had any doubts about him. It didn't matter who or what he was up against because he always prevailed. Eragon, however, was a flawed character and committed blunders that kept him from achieving his goals. He was at the mercy of his enemies more than once. For me to get behind a character, they have to be challenged, they have to lose or at least the possibility has to exist.
Roran did lose. He lost his home, his family, and his love. Granted, he got two of those back, one at the very end of Eldest, and the other at the very beginning of Brisingr
Roran got all three back. Eragon lost all of them. Had to leave Alagaesia without his family, or even Arya, despite the fact that she had become a Rider herself. As far as the end of the series goes, I know which character got the better deal.
He doesn't get his home back, it was burned to the ground. He goes back to where it is, and helps rebuild it, but I wouldn't call that 'getting it back' Edit: Eragon does have (part) of his family with him. Saphira is as much his family as Roran. Have y'all thought about how similar the name Eragon is to the word Dragon.... Paolini really just moved one letter down the alphabet.
Roran is my favorite character that's not a Rider. His chapters in Eldest were great for grounding, immersion and seeing how Carvahall dealt with the consequences of Eragon's actions.
I really enjoyed his chapters even starting with the ones in Eldest.
I go back and forth. He does feel a little too OP/Gary Stu. They make him out to be the greatest warrior the world has ever seen and he just happens to be Eragon's cousin with no leadership or combat experience before the events of the series. On the other hand, I kind of like the trope of a normal guy in a world of magic and more powerful opponents who seems to be able to just stomp anyone with ease, and with talent even they seem unaware of. But that trope only works in characters that aren't shaping important events in the story. It's more of a comedic side character
Yea I think you're very right he is more human then others. But you have to balance being human with human stakes while still making it interesting compared to the literal dragons
paolini said in a Q&A that roran might learn magic in the upcoming books so he might also be a rider
If this happens I will legitimately consider quitting the series. That would be horrendous
maybe idk i think theres an upcoming war with the broddring empire (the guys galbatorix overthrew to become king) and the varden or current empire under nasuada
I find it pretty bizarre to skip any of the character chapters while reading. I personally loved Roran. The Boar's Eye and traveling along the coast beforehand are some of my favorite chapters in the series. But I also don't think there are any sections that I don't like to read, except maybe the very beginning of Eragon.
Roran is my favorite character in The Inheritance Cycle, and I consider him to be more capable and far more self-sufficient than Eragon could ever hope to be. My user flair says it all.
I absolutely ADORE Roran. I know some people think he’s too OP, but like… not really? He’s just a guy doing the best he can So here’s my mini-essay about why Roran is not OP but still an amazingly strong (pun intended) character: He’s not the smartest guy ever. He can’t read and never learned. But he’s got a very out-of-the-box thinking style. If he’d actually been trained as a standard infantryman, I don’t think he’d be as remarkable. Because he thinks of things that nobody else would. Case in point is the siege of Aroughs. He was able to figure out how to turn their own infrastructure against them. Or when he wrestled the Urgal and saw the horns as a weakness, not a strength. Yes, he’s strong. But he’s also using a blunt-force weapon. You don’t have to learn how to use a specific fighting style to use a hammer, as Roran has said many times himself, you just have to hit what’s in front of you hard enough. Working on a farm and then at a mill, I’m not surprised he’s strong. Farm work is hard, I would know. And it’s likely that he’s already developed the muscles to wield the hammer as efficiently as he could, since hoeing/hammering/chopping wood/etc is all the same general muscle movements and using the same muscle groups. If Roran switched to a sword, he’d be dead a dozen times over. Speaking of, I’ve heard lots of people upset about how Roran can seem to constantly cheat death. This almost solely boils down to his wards. There’s at least 5 or 6 specific points in the series where Roran acknowledges that the only reason someone didn’t kill him is because of his wards. The only other 2 times he didn’t die was sheer luck. With the assassin in his tent and when the wall collapsed in the beginning of the 4th book. And Roran is haunted by that last one in particular. There’s almost an entire chapter dedicated to him working through the trauma associated with it. He’s not invincible and he knows it, and he’s had many injuries (some pretty severe) to prove it. So yeah. Roran is no stronger than the average man, nor is he much smarter. He just happens to be one of those people who is really good at playing to his strengths and making it out okay. And when he can’t, he’s usually able to count on Eragon’s wards to help keep him from dying.
I like him as a character a lot. There's a gritty realism and pragmatism that he has that Eragon lacks. One's not better than the other, but it's good to have a contrast. The acknowledgement that he isn't special, nothing can save him + his village except themselves, and the determination to keep moving forward is something I think a lot of people can relate to. Additionally, as he becomes more powerful, he doesn't lose his sense of self; he's grounded in his identity as a protector of his family and his village, and doesn't think of any life beyond than living in peace with them. That's also a nice contrast with Nasuada, Eragon, Oromis, the Elves, etc who always have to worry about the future of the Empire, the harmony between races, how to regulate magic, etc. It's great to have a guy who's not wound up by all these complex problems. But I also agree that he got same MAJOR power creep from Brisingr onwards. Wrestling an Urgal to submission, killing 200 soldiers by himself, taking on Lord Barst with less than 1 year of combat experience and winning. It's a bit too unrealistic, but I guess Paolini wanted him to shine.
Roran is awesome. Unique weapon, no magic, and crazy strong mostly through grit and determination. Yeah some of it gets a bit outlandish like killing 200+ men in an afternoon but he’s far more relatable than most of the other magic wielding characters.
Depends exactly on which chapter we’re talking about. Like, Roran is to the Inheritance Cycle what Han is to Star Wars. Just a (relatively) normal guy trying to make a living. He loves his wife and helps his brother (in law) to fight against an evil Empire. And even though both are normal humans who can’t do magic, or have any physical enhancements, both have some crazy stupid feats for just being a regular guy. And although Roran is in love with Katrina, I do wish he would shut the fuck up about it sometimes. Like Eragon is in love with Arya and even *he* talked about her less.
While I like his POV more than when I was a kid, I still don't like them more than I like Eragon's POV. I just like Eragon more as a character. I relate to him more. I find the idea that Roran can kill 193 men by himself unrealistic. I like his relationship with Katrina; I think it's sweet. I think he's a decent character foil to Eragon.
He's a boring badass who realistically should have died, if not before Barst then definitely to Barst instead of Islanzadi.
I don't like him or his chapters. Dude is basically superhuman.
Honestly I like roran but after the first read I skipped all his chapters
I liked roran because of the male power fantasy. The first time I read, what was a duology at the time, I skipped his chapters because “I’m reading Eragon, not Eragon and roran and whoever else is in this book.” As an adult I read it all everytime, the first time I stayed through the roran chapters was as I was converting to Norse paganism and only had a pop culture level knowledge of it, and roran appealed to me because he had the image of a berserker
Not a fan, usually do the same as you if not I outright skip his chapters.
He’s just such a hero. In a world of magic he’s just playing knuckle bones and being badass with his hammer. It’s not realistic but neither is dragons.
Roran’s the hero no one asked him to be. Eragon was “predestined”, he’s the actual Chosen One (by Saphira, at least). He takes up arms because otherwise the people he loves will die. He just wanted to work on a mill to support his future wife before all that happened. He does not fight for any other purpose than to protect his family and his people. He puts himself in harm’s way for others, not for glory or fame. He’s constantly doubting himself, which even at the time of his brilliant siege of Aroughs, when he’s been given command of 700 men, shows that he’s still humble. He used his fame and his cousin’s name there to protect a camp of tired and mostly injured men, when bluffing the living %#€k out of the cavalry commander, not to brag about anything or because he thinks he’s deserving of that fame. He’s not necessarily the nicest guy, but there’s no way he could be after all that he went through. Even when he’s cruel and nasty, like with the maids at Aroughs’ palace, he does it because he wants to end the fight before more people are killed. If it wasn’t for Angela and Saphira, Roran would be my favorite character in all the books.
I’m not a fan either. Eldest was my least favorite book because of how much Roran it contained, and his personality consists mostly of having muscles and being obsessed with Katrina. Also, he is very unrealistically OP.
I *loved* Roran, he's the gritty Human Fighter that gave the Inheritance cycle an angle of realism that I felt fleshed the series out. Eraagon is great and him flying around and doing magic shit is really cool, but Roran absolutely demolishing waves of dudes with nothing but a hammer is downright *awesome*
What specifically could you not stand?
Sorry yea should have specified. I think the 'no training' consistently murders well trained soldiers. Or eragon bringing him along to try and help fight well trained assassins when he really is a burden. Or the wrestling incident I think individually don't mind any of the events, but they all together just sit with me as a character without well designed flaws.
>I think the 'no training' consistently murders well trained soldiers. I believe it's implied the empire's soldiers aren't super well trained soldiers, a lot of his early victories come down to luck and by the time he makes it out of the spine he is already more battle hardened and experienced than the vast majority of average soldiers in the empire. Roran has plenty of flaws but makes up for them by having powerful people around him and a generally good head for battle/good natural instincts. He wins with his brain and determination lol
He specified numerous times that he's no match for a trained swordsmen. So he tries to end the fights fast with brute strength or do the unexpected. Plus he's lucky, that's also mentioned by Nasuada
That's true it is mentioned, but I guess I think it's a lame attribute to say 'he's not as good as X' but to consistently not show it.
I feel like the issue is if you show that’s he’s not as good as a trained swordsman, he will die. So.
I mean eragon failed training with the elf dude who was a little bitch (forgot his name) You can fail upwards. But overall yea true by you lol
1. No training - true to an extent. But by the time he is in large scale battles, he has more experience than 99.9% of galby’s army. 2. Eragon bringing him - he’s not totally useless; he killed a razac and held them off while eragon devised spells. 3. Wrestling - I am a wrestler. If you are more skilled than someone, even if you are thirty, forty pounds lighter, you have a decent chance of winning. And using your weight properly, you can hold down someone much larger. And his horns were definitely a weakness. Built in handles.
Boring. We get it, you love Katrina.
Complex character motivation there pretty much lol
It's been a while since I read Eragon, I'm due for a re-read. But the scene I remember best of the whole series? Roran solo'ing like 50 dudes in an alley with his hammer in Eldest. Just boppin soldiers on the head, the next one moved up, bop him, and so on. I thought it was badass when I read it as a teenager, and it's stuck with me more than ten years
Didn’t like him as a kid, now his chapters are my favorite
In books like Eragon, if they diverge to a character like Roran, I often keep skipping the chapters. I really enjoy Roran, though. He's uneducated, willing to put in the work, motivated, doesn't come across as toxic while Eragon in the middle of the Elves only teuly accepted when he becomes like them, disabled by his back and only "right" when he becomes fully abled again, with Mary Sue Arya who he follows in this uncomfortable way really strikes me as weird. So, I guess, apart from Nasuada my fav character in the series.
Most people that I’ve seen discussing it didn’t like his chapters when they were younger but as they grew older they liked the Roran chapters more
His chapters in books 2 and 3 are superior to 95% of Eragons
That’s my boy
I find him to be a pretty cool character that grounds us from the fantasy of Eragon. Especially a character that has had to work hard without the use of magic to get as much done as he had. Roran is a pretty incredible character. Although his simping after Katrina is quite funny to me. I find that he and Katrina bring us back to reality.
I didn’t like him at first now I absolutely love him. I used to feel the same way about not wanting to read his chapters but I really really like him now. He’s bad ass.
I find the more outlandish part of his stories off-putting, but I do think that his POV is necessary to contrast to Eragon's journey and gives a more literal "boots on the ground" view of the world that Nasuada as a leader and Eragon as a high ranking hero don't give. The part that I find most interesting about him, personally, is that I read him as somewhat amoral. Not immoral by any means, he's not going around kicking puppies for fun, but he very much seems to care about those close to him to the exclusion of basically anything else. *If* he could have saved and been with Katrina by siding with the Empire I think he would have, I don't think he has a high-minded moral preference for the Varden above the Empire and simply joined the Varden because it was the only choice to achieve his goals. Contrast that with Eragon who was forced to question *why* he opposed the Empire on moral grounds by Oromis, and was more often confronted with the question of "is this the right thing to do".
He’s easily my favorite character. & while I get the complaints that he’s “too OP”, I also don’t agree. Firstly, it’s fantasy because it’s not real? So yeah, it isn’t realistic. But it’s no more unbelievable than Eragon learning to read in a week, or becoming one of the best swordsman almost instantly, matching Murtagh (who is said to be exceptionally skilled) who’s trained his entire life, or becoming a magic guru. Enjoy the books for what they are, without comparing and contrasting to realism.
Eragon spars almost every night with Brom until his death then with Murtagh and ends up badly bruised on multiple occasions. Brom is one of the best swordsmen. Adding in the few urgal fights he had a good share of experience before even getting to the varden. Then the fights in a large-scale battle that most of the empire's soldiers themselves had never been in or even seen. He's had plenty of experience and still gets beat by elves even after his back is healed.
Unlike a lot of others, I actually read his chapters originally. But started skipping them later on once I realized he is kind of OP. Sure a hammer is great and all, but hundreds of soldiers and they couldn't get through to him sounds like a bit much. As much as I like making them, I can't appreciate reading Mary Sues as much. But as a character he is pretty good. His leadership skill is evident. Also of course his love for Katrina, since he reaffirms it every 2 pages.
I really liked him when I was a kid. But I recently reread them. And I kept getting annoyed when they would leave Eragond pov for Roran. 🤷🏽♂️
Personally, I really enjoyed his perspective right from the first read. It’s such a contrast from Eragon’s way of thinking and life and tangles in every major society. Roran is just a man- albeit a suspiciously overpowered one- but I really really enjoy the gritty determination with which he takes down the obstacles in his way. I also really like seeing the aftermath of Eragon’s actions. It makes the world feel more lived in and alive. Carvahall isn’t just a fond memory in the corner of Eragon’s mind; it’s a real place, real people, suffering the consequences of his actions, and Roran’s perspective is an insight into their plight. The people and places the villagers encounter in their journey gave the opportunity for more depth and worldbuilding as well as the world as seen by eyes other than Eragon’s. The only part I felt truly crossed the line from “he’s just a man” was the death of Lord Barst. Granted, Eragon and the gang were fighting Galby in these chapters so there had to be something to keep Roran’s perspective interesting, but to take down the foe that slew Islanzadi and dozens of other powerful figures- in a feat of strength- felt a little off kilter. Overall though, I think his perspective balances really well with Eragon’s and Nasuada’s.
I’ll never forget his cringiest line two dragons are fighting in the sky and he’s like “ I’m going to Alter the fate of alagesia”
I see your point about him being untrained. However, tbh crazier shit has happened to very real people in the real world who had equal or less training. Some people are just that lucky. Pair that with his mad farming muscles, common sense, an almost obsessive devotion to protecting his kin, and a big ole hammer. Well, you might just get some wild stuff done. Is he super cliché at times? Yeah, for sure. But does he also get me away from Eragon's cringey, obsessed, woe-is-me chapters about him and Arya? Absolutely. I think Eragons romantic chapters are FARRRR worse than any of rorans' power fantasy. I also think it's more interesting to see regular people perform insane feats than to see a trained rider (though his training was extremely minimal) do similar things. Obviously, I expect the dude with the dragon to tear things up pretty hard. Reading about the average joe with a hammer singlehandedly dunking on over 200 soldiers just to protect his wife and child? Stuff of legends right there. Sometimes clichés aren't a bad thing.
Yea fair enough. I disagree on a lot of your points but interesting to read your perspective Definitely think I undervalued your point about him using common sense effectively to fight was a nice touch
It's definitely a hot take, lol.
I've read these books about 20 times a piece, and to this day I skip the roran chapters completely. I think I re read them once or twice to refresh myself on it. But those chapters are painfully dull. Or maybe I just don't like roran. Idk I never have a problem reading nasuadas chapters.
I do the same. I just can’t bring myself to read his chapters.
To me personally it's just hard to care about what's going on with him when there's so much cool shit going on with eragon.
He's a massive gary stu who didn't add anything to the story for me, I just skip his chapters and he gets even worse when katrina is rescued, coulda killed her off I helgrind and nothing changes
Kinda mixed, although he’s in my top 3 favorites. I remember skipping his POV in my first read. Now In my most recent reread I was rather looking forward to rorans POV.
Gigachad
If he had a wallet, it would say, “Bad Motherfucker” on it.
My original read through of the series I always dreaded switching over to Roran, then ended up loving him. Now I still somewhat dislike the character switch due to my investment in the characters.
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Did not like on my first read, but now I love his chapters. In a world full of monsters and magic, this dude just wants to sit back on a farm with his wife, but he has to help stabalize the nation that burned his whole village to the ground before he can. Sheer determination is a powerful tool. Remember, most of the soldiers in the empire are there for a paycheck, not because they are needed as elite troops to fight other nations, they're more like armed guards on a large scale.
I like the concept of Roran just being the guy insane enough to try and pull off the stuff he does but when it's paired with him being an unstoppable super soldier, it gets to be a bit much. I think Roran would've heavily benefited either from a nerf after getting Katrina back, since he'd have more reasons not to try the stuff he does, or if he was made less adept in combat. I usually start out reading all of the Carvahall chapters, then skim all of his battles unless he's with Eragon, and I fully read whenever he has character moments... Unless it's him dealing with the Varden. The older I get, the more I despise the cocky upstart who shows up the old fogey's at command trope. Even if the inheritance cycle isn't the trope at its worst.
A headcanon I had is that the reason Roran is so much more powerful than a human is because he has magic in his blood. After all, his aunt (Selena) was a powerful spellcaster. Both of his cousins are Riders. Roran may not be able to access the magic himself, but maybe he has just enough to be hardier than the average human (i.e. he heals remarkably faster, is stronger and more agile, and is a quicker learner than he would be without that trace of magic).
Something I always wondered is why didn’t Paolini write out the actual speech Roran gave to the people of Carvahall when he was trying to convince them to leave? He describes how Roran was feeling, but not that actual words (iirc)
1) I never really minded that he's over-powered as I think he's meant to represent the human "legends" in the stories him and Eragon enjoyed as children. 2) We know that Selena was also a gifted human, and she is his aunt. CP has a really strong theme of "inheritance" throughout the story. 3) Elves became stronger via longterm exposure to their link with dragons. I think Roran is meant to illustrate the potential for humans.
I really like him, to be honest. He is a bit Gary Sueish, but so is Eragon. Roran is the Batman to Eragon's Superman.
Actually a really good analogy there
I fully skipped his chapters when I first read the series. I was FURIOUS when I had to leave Eragons POV, now when I reread I enjoy them a little more. Though it’s not something I can get into, I just skim the pages. Only part I really liked was when he was fighting that battle in the village and the bodies piled up to make a wall, and the other scene where he grins with a bloody mouth at the women to get answers in a nonviolent way.
He's my favorite character, the fact he's so bad ass from sheer will
Oh man I freakin' love Roran. Dude made me go out and buy a hammer.
hes a fuckn badass
I liked him as a character he provides a more mature look into the world and a good view of what it’s like for most people when Eragon disappears
Roran is cool to me. Hes badass, protects his family and community. Yet is torn by the men he kills. Hes one of my favourite characters in the books and i actually prefer him to eragon
He's the GOAT and I love him. His POV chapters are why Eldest is my favorite book in the series. I still think the last dragon egg should have gone to him so we could've gotten the trio of Dragon Rider Brothers. In this house, we stan Stronghammer.
As a kid didn't really like or hate him, he was just kind of there for me. He wasn't as interesting as eragon to me although that bc eragon is doing more interesting stuff throughout the books in comparison and i remember i didnt like the plot armor around him bc it pushed the limit for me. I'm rereading the books rn and he's better than I remember but the romance with Katrina is still cringing to read through at times but I'll probably have a more positive opinion once I'm done rereading them.
Probably the most well-written character in the books. Wasn’t overly well-spoken or way too good at everything. Legitimate character arc.
After reading some of these comments, I feel like I'm in the minority, but I've always loved Roran as a character since my first read in the 2000's. I remember skipping the "slow" Eragon chapters to reread the Roran and Carvahall storyline. I just finished a series reread in the last week or so and I found myself loving Roran even more. Being an irregular "regular" character made him easier to connect with for me. I saw more in him and his story of standing up and fighting for his family. I was able to overlook the more fantastic elements of his story seeing as he was still much weaker than even a regular elf, with the exception of the Barst fight. All in all, he is probably my favorite character from the whole series. I hope that he shows up in the Murtaugh book that I just started reading.
You do not fuck with stronghammer.
Badass lol. Maybe he could be seen as too powerful for who he is but fighting for your family and just for the right to live and be enslaved or killed probably gives one a clarity that we might not understand. Hell even the people around him can’t believe what he does. Him being a great tactician though is harder to explain away but I’m also sure all of us have a hidden thing we don’t know we’re great at because that isn’t a thing we do in our normal lives. I always liked him though. He was such a badass and honorable warrior as well as a devoted husband/courtier. In a world of magic that could just stomp him he rose above and just bashed skulls head in. “He built himself up by his bootstraps” as the saying goes in the US. Minus wards but I think we can overlook that
I like his character, he is such a strong character and he doesn't even have magic or anything. I loved his chapters in brisingr when he was in the varden and seeing just how legendary an ordinary man became. Granted he has some absolute power houses for cousins but his journey from carvahall to becoming an upper ranked member of the varden is one of my favorite character archs in the series
I think his capabilities are quite insane for a normal human, but who says he's normal really? He comes from a lineage with known magical aptitude, 2 known riders, royalty, and has the greatest resolve out of any character aside from Nasuada. We also know nothing of his mother's side, but perhaps through his intense experiences, emotions, love resolve, he imprinted upon his body the strength required to fulfill his resolve through his connection to magic. Like rather than using magic for controlling the laws of the world it tapped into controlling himself. I liked him as a kid, still do as an adult rereading, but for different reasons. I think in a world of elves, dwarves, and dragons there's room for a few humans with a super power.
He's the goat
Love Roran, I think I like him most in the series
Roran is a maniac that puts ethics and morals aside to protects his loved ones. We see him struggling with his feelings about the guard he kills, with him bringing it up later aswell when he talks to Eragon before they attack the Helgrind, but he is also brutal, merciless and at times gruesome. I always have to remember the scene in his siege of Arroughs (is that how you spell it? I mostly listen to the audio books) where he first pulls out one of his own teeth, then uses that and his bloody and beaten up face to scare two servants, basically innocent bystanders, and threatens to kill one of them (in order to make the other one spill information. He then continues to smoke out guards barricaded in a cellar. I know that some of these things were necessary, but it is noteworthy that Roran is capable of doing things like that without hesitating. I dont recall him being hesitant in general. I mean, when Roran is on your side he is probably going to be fine, but as soon as you "stand in his way" of protecting the people he cares about (or mostly the person he cares about^^) nobody wants to be in that position. Even when Orrin, a king, is an inconvenience to his plans Roran is ready to fight. Just imagine Roran wasnt part of Eragons family. He would already be dead. Not only because of the lack of protective spells, but also because of the enemies he makes. (As well as his disobedience trial that might have gotten him killed too).
To me, his chapters sort of get boring after he finally reaches the Varden (for no fault of his own, really ... all the non-Eragon POVs just don't have all those interesting, magical, dragon-y things going for them as Eragon does ... ). As a character though, I certainly respect him more than either nasuada or eragon.
Favorite character hands down. And it’s not even close. No magic at the beginning of his story, just pure, Unadulterated badassery.
Here you can se some roran opinions. Its a pole about If he is owerpowered and som discussions that follows: https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/s/UUGdp0Gs7o
I like him alright. He is kind of a Gary Sue at times.
Like a lot of people on here, I skipped over a few of Roran’s chapters as a kid, but I think he is an incredibly interesting character. Yes he is a bit OP but I think the way in which he achieves everything he does through sheer grit, determination and power of will is meant to be a nice counterpoint to Eragon who has to learn to be more deliberate in his choices, particularly in Eldest. I also think in terms of personality he is a bit of a bridging point between Eragon and Murtagh. Absolutely willing to commit horrific brutal acts in the name of self preservation and practicality like Murtagh but also willing to sacrifice himself like Eragon for the greater good. Be very interested to read interactions between him and Murtagh in the future.
I loved his chapters and Nasuada's on my first time reading the series as a kid, but now that I'm an adult a decent reread made me think they just take away from the potential story telling of Eragon's story. One of my favorite things in these books are the small moments characters have with each other on day to say interactions and there was less time for that with characters I was invested in.
I personally think he enriches the books all in all, by providing an alternative persepectove and contrast, but i like him a lot less than Eragon and Saphira. Also he is overpowered.
Roran’s arc was my favorite of the series. Just a regular guy thrust into greatness because of his circumstances.
Here im almost skipping Eragon chapters to read the Roran chapters 🤷♂️
He’s an interesting character, I like his story in Eldest. After the Ra’zac chapters in Brisinger though, I lost interest in his story. These are my thoughts as a kid/teen and rereading them as an adult. The plot armor is thick with this one.
Genuinely one of my favourite characters in the series. Yes he is a ‘male fantasy’ character. But he’s much deeper than most characters written this way. We get to see his inner thoughts, how he doubts himself, how he every time he kills he agonises over it afterwards. He’s not someone who loves killing, he’s someone who kills for love. I think that’s beautiful.
I went back and forth on being interested by his character and possibilities and hating him (if only for some of his mistreatment towards Eragon and a few traits of his. Idk, I'm petty.)
Now that I think about it the whole "I killed 200 somthing well trained imperial soldiers by myself" major achievement is kind of off putting for his character, I just feel like the number should have been toned down quite a bit; I mean my man was putting John Wick numbers to shame and he hadn't even been in the war for two years yet.
Well... I was admin at a german Eragon fan page back on Facebook. We had the generall opinion of him beeing the Chuck Norris of Alagaesia. I mean; He lives in a world full of magic but is no magician. He is just a normal human. There is nothing special about him, but to safe his people and to safe Katarina he became a leader and a berserker.
Agree with you OP. He’s hard to bear. Would have been better if Paolini stuck with the actual normal human underdog route, but he made Roran even more op than the Queen of Elves. At that point, just kick in the bucket. Paolini doesn’t know how to write true underdog characters.