Both books line up for chapters 1-4 as far as story lines go, if you count the prologue in Eragon as the first chapter.

Both fantasy novels and part of a series.

Eragon is a YA (Young Adult) novel, whereas Sorcerer’s Stone is technically a children’s book, although there are strong arguments that it is also YA in the later books.

Eragon has a word count of 157,220. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone has a word count of 76,944. The recommended YA novel word count is 60,000 - 90,000. This tells me that word count doesn’t have a bearing on whether the book is successful.

Funny enough, the whole “Eragon Series” has about 904,000 words in it. The Harry Potter series has about 1,084,000 words in it. So both series have about the same amount of words, but Chris has fewer books and each book is much bigger. Interesting… Also, fun fact, the bible has about 783,000 words.

In the first paragraph of Eragon, I get the sense that Chris is a far less experienced writer than Rowling at the time of his writing this. This feeling doesn’t last long though. It is also not surprising given that he was 15, and I do not mean to say that it is bad writing.

Both Eragon and Sorcerer’s Stone are written in third person limited. The former from Eragon’s point of view and the latter from Harry’s. HOWEVER, Chirs changes this up in the following books as he follows other people. Interestingly, there is a hierarchy to this. Any time Eragon is in the scene, it is from his point of view. If there is a scene where Eragon is absent, Chris will write through the eyes of another character. The vast majority of the Harry Potter series was written from Harry’s point of view. Like, you could almost round it to 100%.

Both series have one main villain who exists through to the end of the last book. But, Harry battles Voldemort in every book, whereas we don’t even meet Galbatorix until the last book. Instead, Eragon faces different mini-bosses in the other books, fighting his way to the main villain.

I get the feel with both of these books that this is a real world. I think part of that comes from writing in a way that assumes the reader already has the background knowledge. Reading the book should be like turning on the news, they don’t have to explain every little detail to me because I already know the world we live in. It is written as if this world has gone on for thousands of years before the point I am reading, and will continue to go on for thousands after the end. Nobody is holding my hand explaining everything to me and being like, “Remember that, it will be important later!” You have to trust your readers to catch on, and to be smart enough to follow along and remember.

The Harry Potter series is written in a way that it could almost just be one massive book. The Eragon series is in a way too, but not quite. There is a subtle but distinct change in Chris’s writing style over the books, while I don’t remember feeling that with Rowling. Also, Chris’s second book picks up where the first one ended, and book three picks up relatively close to where two ends. But, there is a bit of a jump from the end of three to the beginning of four and we start in the midst of battle. Just an observation.

The event that started the story for both series happened in the first chapter, or in Eragon’s case, the prologue. For Harry Potter it was him surviving the killing curse after his parents death, and for Eragon it was the egg being sent.

Harry’s survival of the killing curse is crucial to the plot in the end of book 7. Eragon finding the egg in and of itself is not. For Eragon it was his goodness and wanting to help Galbatorix understand, which he developed over the series. Hmm…

From what I remember, both Chris and Rowling did outlines. I personally feel this is almost a requirement to create a series like this and have it be best seller material. I believe Rowling outlined the whole series. I know Chris outlined the first book, but I am not sure if he had the whole series outlined before he finished the first book.

Both series have their symbols, but I have to say that Harry Potter has the more iconic ones, the lightning bolt scar and the glasses. Eragon’s symbols may include the egg, the dragons, the symbols on the sword, and the swords themselves, but I think the map may be the biggest one. Still, none are as well known as Harry Potters. What will be your symbol?

Chris uses shorter chapters than Rowling. I feel like Rowling’s are more dense in the sense that every single word feels like it pushes the story forward at a swift, but not too quick, pace. Chris writes far more descriptions, way more in depth. It is a slower, less dense feel, like a dinner salad, so you can eat more of it. He goes into way more detail than Rowling does. These two distinctly different styles give each series a different feel. Neither is better than the other in my eyes, they are just different. It is interesting. Rowling writes through time quicker and thus her writing is more dense. Chris writes through time so much slower, analyzing every aspect of everything. To put it another way, the Inheritance Cycle covers 2 or 3 years of time (it is a bit fuzzy). In roughly the same amount of words, Rowling covers 7 years.

In both books the first chapter/prologue is in a place that doesn’t include the main character, but is oh so important to the story.

I feel like Rowling sets up so much more in the first chapter than Chris does in his prologue. Two totally different approaches.

Eragon is 15 when we first meet him, Harry is 11. Well, he is basically 11.

I like the mechanical nature of both worlds. They use old tech and magic. Eragon almost has to without it being steam punk. Rowling seemed to make this choice deliberately. They use candles when they could use electric lights. They use letters and owls when they could use phones. My partner pointed out that this is likely because a wizard would never have had need for technology like a muggle would, so why ever adopt it? Either way, I love that about both series.

I like the idea of a prologue, the way Chris used it. Rowling’s first chapter could have been a prologue in my eyes, since it doesn’t really have Harry in it. It is one of the most different chapter in the whole series, and it is the first one.

Eragon dislikes Sloan Just as Harry dislikes Malfoy. AND they both save that person in later books!

Chris writes with far more uncommon words that I have to (or should, but don’t) look up. Rowling writes in a far more common words.

In both stories the story is “almost ended” before it even starts. In Eragon he tries to barter the egg. If that succeeded we would not have this story. In Harry Potter, Vernon attempts to stop Harry from going to school. Again, should this have succeeded, we have no story.

LOL! Look at this quote from the second chapter of Eragon, “Take your sorcerer’s stone somewhere else.” See? It is funny because I am comparing Eragon to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone! Well, at least that is what it was called in America.

Both Eragon and Harry are rather ignorant in the beginning of these series.

Neither Eragon nor Harry have their parents. The both grow up with their relatives, although they have vastly different relationships with those family members.

Early on in both books, Eragon and Harry no longer have to worry about the family they had at the beginning of the books, Harry because he hates them and leaves for school, and Eragon because he knows Roran can handle himself (and Brom left him a note) and Garrow is dead.

Sometimes I feel like Chris is a teller and Rowling is a shower.

Both Chris and Rowling place extremely important people in the beginnings of these books, people we don’t yet know are important. Brom and Serious. One is the father, and one is the father figure. Neither character or the reader figures this out until much much later. Third book of each series actually.

I feel like throughout the series Chris does a great job at showing us about the political side of war and running cities and states. This is something that Rowling barely scratches the surface of. Chris on the other hand, goes rather far down that path.

It is not quite as prominent as Rowling, but Chris’s character names also fit the characters they are for. Rowling’s are almost puns, whereas Chris’s fit more viscerally and subtly. The fitment of Chris’s names are more in how they look and sound, whereas Rowling’s are closer to a specific word that describes them, like Professor Sprout.

Neither author goes into great detail about their character’s appearances. This should be a big hint that you don’t have to. It is amazing what the mind can create with one sentence of physical description and a bit of context.

Galbatorix is a person. Chris shows us many reasons why he makes the decisions he did, and we may even sympathize with him at some points. His behavior is not evil to him. Voldemort on the other hand, he seems to be the embodiment of evil. There is no humanizing him, he is just pure bad. (My partner read this and told me Voldemort gets humanized a bit in the 6th book when we learn about his past. I have to agree with her, and I also feel like Rowling didn’t humanize as much as Chris, but I don’t think I will know for sure until I reread both series again.) I thought I preferred the way Chris did his villain, and maybe I do, but it dawned on me that it is not necessary. Rowling proved that. Although, Chris has more of a real world / hard thinker / realistic series, whereas Rowling’s is more whimsical and fantastic. Perhaps this is what drove each author to their respective villains. His is grey, hers more black and white.

Chris’s world is more detailed than Rowling’s, especially when it comes to explaining things like magic. Chris has it all worked out and explained for the readers. Rowling…does not. Both ways work. I must say though, I prefer Chris’s method.

Both authors seem to write in scenes. Maybe this is natural, or common sense, I do not know…I am not a professional writer.

The Harry Potter series is written in a way that the readers could grow up with the characters in the book. I love this idea. The Inheritance Cycle doesn’t cover as much time, especially not in even close to such a structured way as Harry Potter was. Eragon does grow quite a bit, but it feels to me more that Chris grew with Eragon rather than the reader.

Chris does not number his chapters. Rowling does. I feel like how chapters are named and labeled is more important than a first thought might indicate.

Interesting…Chapter four of both books is where the main character’s life flips. Harry learns he is a wizard, and Saphira hatches for Eragon.

Both Chris and Rowling use the ignorance of their main character to get us information about this new world we are diving into.

Both Eragon and Harry Potter have a lesser villain who is defeated int he first book. How each author goes about this is completely different though. Eragon’s lesser villain is kind of the main villain of the book and we meet him multiple times. Harry Potter’s lesser villain is not even known about until the end of the book, unless you count Snape, which you could. But Snape is a red herring villain.

Chris doesn’t make many major jumps through time in Eragon. I feel like Rowling did in Harry Potter, but she almost had to since her book of half the length covered an entire school year. That, and she skipped a lot of classes, since that would be boring. Chris doesn’t have to because most of Eragon’s journey has action in it. Not a ton to skip.

The Harry Potter series has a much more solid timeline that the Inheritance Cycle does. The Inheritance Cycle timeline is rather fuzzy, and when you really look into it, actually seems a bit too short given how much happens and how much Eragon changes.

When the Ra’zac come to Carvahall for the egg, Eragon falsely assumes they were the ones who sent the egg or they were working for them. This is somewhat similar to how Harry suspects Snape, a red herring spawned from the mind of the main character.

I like that Chris thought through what would happen if someone flew a dragon without a saddle. I feel like these types of details are where Chris excels, and this is why he goes into far more detailed descriptions than Rowling.

Eragon couldn’t do it alone. Harry couldn’t do it alone. Nobody can do it alone. Period. Fight me on it, I dare you.

Voldemort is kind of Hitlery, eh? I guess Galbatorix is too a bit…

Both Eragon and Harry have people close to them die early in the story, Garrow for Eragon and Harry’s parents. Eragon is far older when this happens though and he can feel the pain in a way that Harry can’t.

We learn a lot about the worlds because of Harry and Eragon’s ignorance. This may be a cliche tactic, but it is obviously effective and not looked down on by readers.

I think Eragon and Harry Potter are so good because of how well planned out they are. Everything means something, and every time you reread it you catch more. So much care was put into every sentence.

Chris uses chapters differently than Rowling. He will have a chapter that is super long, and then have one that is one page. Rowling’s are pretty evenly made. Chris uses his well, it just feels like he uses them differently.

Eragon is more info and thought heavy than Harry Potter. Harry Potter is more action and emotion heavy.

Both Eragon and Harry are confined to such a small world, a small existence before their respective nexus events.

Both Eragon and Harry are plunged into a whole new world, new to them but otherwise old, very old.

I have always felt that Chris lost the seasons through this series, or at least this book. This goes hand in hand with me feeling the timeline is hard for me to grasp, like a wiggling fish with scales made of soap bars. Perhaps Alegasia has different things that govern the weather, but right now they walk on gravel and see a plain of brown grass, yet two days prior they were plowing through snow drifts. I know much of the later stuff takes place in the south, but during his trips to Elesmera we never see snow…Perhaps I just don’t understand the geography of Alegasia…I guess I am just saying that for me, despite the reason, this is something that felt like it lost continuity, if that is the right word… I never got that feeling in the Harry Potter series.

If I was forced at gunpoint to choose one of these fine authors to emulate in my book series, I would have to choose Rowling. This should by no means be taken as offense to Chris, there is a reason I am comparing these two authors and it is because they wrote two of my favorite series. I just like how Rowling managed to make nearly every single sentence mean something, push the story forward, foreshadow something else, and teach us something all at once. It is mighty impressive.

Both Chris and Rowling can make a long boring period pass in a paragraph, or sometimes a sentence. Learn form this. You should do this. Do not make boring things drag out.

Both Eragon and Harry Potter have the same theme of death and loss.

Chris uses Brom a lot to “info dump.” I don’t feel like it is really an info dump, because it has real context and need inside the world, but at the same time it is… In Harry Potter, Ron explains a lot about wizarding life, Hermione often explains about magic, Hagrid explains a lot in the first book. Rowling doesn’t quite “info dump” like Chris though. I don’t feel that there is anything wrong with either way, just pointing out my observations.

I feel like Harry Potter is more refined. It is as if 95% of Rowling’s words drive the story, whereas maybe 65% of Chris’s do. This is not to say I don’t enjoy the “non-driving” words, I do in fact love the way Chris writes. This is simply another attempt at describing my observations of the two different writing styles.

What is my writing style?

Chris has a way with words. I like it. It is, as said many times already, very different than Rowling’s.

Both series have little funny bits sprinkled in. I love it.

When Eragon questions Brom about if he has a mark, Brom lies and deflects, similar to how Rowling deflects us away from Quirrell and toward Snape. It makes it a surprise later when we find out, since any smarties who had an idea what might be up could get thrown off by the deflections and lies.

In Harry Potter, almost all of the major players for the whole series are revealed before halfway through the first book. In Eragon, it takes almost the entire book to do this.

Chris keeps showing the duels Eragon does with Brom and later Murtagh and Arya, as well as the gradual improvement. So, we do not have a giant leap in skill, at least with swordplay. These brief scenes make a natural and real arc for us, we see the arc, it is fluid and not jerky. Rowling also does this well with her character arcs.

The magic and mind reading in Eragon is a convenient way to have long distance communication in a world with no technological way to do it. Rowling has this convenience as well with Owls and patronises.

Brom chants an elvish song for Eragon. Harry Potter also has songs… So does The Hobbit… Like, a lot of books do actually… What is up with that?

Both Eragon and Harry Potter have their “magic languages.”

Chris had all his reasons planned out and delivered them in many cases through Brom. This again shows how much Chris “over” thought about every little detail. You can see him answer all of the questions he asked himself, or thought haters or critics would ask. Rowling never goes into quite so much detail.

Chris doesn’t really use a lot of adverbs…does Rowling?

One thing I am noticing while comparing these two books is that it takes me way longer to get through a similarly sized portion (percentage wise) of Eragon compared to Harry Potter. I am not sure if this is just because I did Harry Potter first and didn’t dissect it as thoroughly, because Eragon is twice as long, because Harry Potter is just that much more concise, or for some other reason.

I am not sure where I read the following, but it kinda blew my mind a bit when I read it. The hero cannot do what is required of him on his own, he needs the help of his friends. Both of these series prove this to be true. Why did I not realize this before being told?

I feel like Rowling has more self contained chapters, whereas Chris’s chapters all build to something later on. In Harry Potter they will learn something in class in the beginning of the chapter, then set in motion an event, then use what they learned to solve that event all in one chapter. Chris doesn’t do this. If Eragon learns something, he uses it in the next chapter, or maybe next book.

Chris’s chapter titles give away what will happen in each chapter, at least in part or a clue. Rowling’s do not really. I am curious how obvious it is to a first time reader?