The books have beautiful cover art, and the maps are really pretty.
But my are they dreadfully written, I mean, the plot is stolen straight from Star Wars point to point, in both Eragon (A New Hope) and Eldest (Empire Strikes Back)- and that doesn't even touch upon the mechanics of his writing.....the inconsistancies (a VEGETARIAN elf wearing leather? That one practically made me scream.), the terrible descriptive passages, highly questionable word choices, miserable characterization (and when he does come up with a good character, he wastes it), the fact that Eragon is nausiatingly PERFECT and can do no wrong, etc (and if he does it's glossed over). That being said.....I somehow ended up reading both and was rather entertained.

And I'll probably buy the third, even though I know I really shouldn't, what can I say, I'm a completest, and I've got the first two.

Paolini is dangerously close to plagerism though. But I do get why people like them. They work as shut-your-brain-down reading, and that can sometimes be good.
But I absolutely refuse to see the movie, ever.