[Suzerain of Sheol]

Scylla, you just (maybe unintentionally :p) raised an issue that's pretty central to the whole Paolinni discussion, for me. You described the work as "Tolkiene-sque" which, on the surface, it appears to be, but that's the extent of it, the veneer. And I get the feeling that all of Paolinni's "inspirations" were carried over in a similar fashion -- i.e. just the surface of what makes them what they are, the spectacle, leaving behind the deep thematic elements and such that actually make them good stories.

I believe read a quote from him stating that he'd studied Old Norse to write Eragon? I... have a feeling that his understanding of Old Norse didn't (and doesn't) quite compared to Tolkien's, and I think that's emblematic of his entire modus operandi.