Eragon by Christopher Paolini.
I have to admit, I’d never even heard of it until the previews for the movie came out.

What do I think?  It’s derivative.  I mean that in the best possible way.  Do you like stories of good vs evil?  Do you like stories with dragons and elves and dwarves?  Do you like Tolkien, DeLint,  Kay, Brooks?  Then you should find nothing wrong with this story.  You’ve heard it before.  There are no suprises here…at least I expect none…but it’s good enough to keep you up at night.