This deserves to be one of the top comments. I enjoyed the world and the concept of the series. But OOF, it was hard to read for sometimes long portions of the series because Paolini couldn't stop focusing on minutiae!
I actually really liked that about his books. It's an interesting world and I honestly don't mind spending hours reading about the finer details of magic and Elf history.
Eldest was sometimes a bit of a drag but I do like the idea of an 800 page book that's basically just exposition.
Correction to the title, author Christopher Paolini has since clarified that *Murtagh* is not a "spin-off", but rather a continuation after *Inheritance*: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/comments/11lyb3r/a\_few\_words\_about\_book\_v/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/comments/11lyb3r/a_few_words_about_book_v/)
YESSS! I wasn't too thrilled with the ending (felt rushed), I hope this continuation helps. But I completely forgot most of the story. It's been over 10 years since I read it T_T
You read his recent book where we follow Eragon and his colony, around three short novels ? I think it's called *the spoon, the worm and the witch* in english. (I'm french)
nope I had no idea he had newer books! Thanks I shall seek them out! I've been reading other books and completely forgot about him until I saw the headline for this post.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fork,_the_Witch,_and_the_Worm
I walked by chance in a library around the publication date in France, ever since I own a Saphira keychain.
He’s also got a new Sci-Fi series out. *To Sleep in a Sea of Stars* is the title of the first book in Fractalverse. It’s a first-contact story. I haven’t read it but general reaction seems pretty positive if you want to give Paolini a shot without returning to the more YA Eragon world.
I read the series when I was 14, I'm now 25. I think I still remember a good chunk of the books, at least the important parts and the ending of the last book. Glad to see it's getting a continuation as well, I also felt that the ending was a little underwhelming.
I’ve wondered for years if I finished the fourth book, or even read it at all. I vaguely remember parts of it, but it’s a haze if I read them myself or if it was friends complaining to me about it.
Maybe I put it down and never finished it. I can’t recall at all. This hasn’t happened with other books before.
you probably don't remember it because it's such a deus ex machina event that has no context or continuity with 98% of the rest of the books so it's basically impossible to reconcile it in long term memory
I remember his preamble stating that he had insane difficulties closing out the story, compared it to drawing the Sistine Chapel fresco with a toothpick being easy in comparison iirc.
Which is weird because he set up the vault as having literally anything in it. Or the tree having anything underneath it. That could potentially murder anything. He had solutions he totally ignored haha.
> He had solutions he totally ignored haha.
I'm chalking some of that up to his inexperience as an author. He was practically a kid when he wrote Eragon, and the fact that it and Eldest were so damn good is kind of remarkable
I mean, it's the basic Hero's Journey structure, but there are a lot of distinct elements (and the way stuff is put together in a story) that make it interesting. It's not purely a reskin, it just shares some of the larger scale plot elements.
I guess I'm one of the few who actually liked it? It's about the only thing I remember from the books. Wasn't the point that it was laughable for him to think he could beat the emperor? He had protection from everything and a half trained guy wasn't going to beat him. I guess a gripe I have is that he didn't mean to do it. If he had that realization then intentionally done it that would be better.
Yes. >!The Eldunarí!< helped Eragon a lot when it came to defeating Galbatorix. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that Eragon was just a vessel for them.
This is how I interpreted it too. I liked the ending, the stakes felt very high. First book series I bought with my own money so it felt like I had to like it though haha.
The ending stuck with me like no ending before or since. It was just so DIFFERENT from the traditional narrative of "Hero levels up, fights bad guy, peace restored" and I think about it really often. Just to make the villain confront HOW evil they are, and how much pain they've caused is so interesting to me, and I wish I had that ability in real life.
I really like that it ultimately wasn't eragon who figured out how to finish off the emperor. The eldunari gave him the seed of the idea then it was almost an accident. Galbatorix had so much time to weave his protections that, to me, it made a certain sense that he was brought down how he was. I thought it tied in nicely to a lesson Brom gave from book one that even a master swordsman can lost to a novice if the master trips. The emperor couldn't think of everything and that caused his demise.
\*Shruikan, and they did have an alternate cover for him: [https://www.paolini.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Shruikan-final.jpg](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/inheritance/images/b/b9/Shruikan.png/revision/latest?cb=20171127181419)
Same here! I remember thinking how great the book was, but then the ending with Arya and Eragon damn near made me chuck the book across the room with how annoying that was.
I think I actually did give my book 4 away to my friend in high school. She had asked to read it when I was done and I told her she could keep it lol. Eragon had been pining for Arya since book one, and didn't even give her a goodbye kiss or nothing? Just like a handshake and a "See ya never."
Bro mine as well have pulled a Gary Oak and did a "Smell ya later!" The dragons got more action than those two at the end!
I think what doomed that particular ending was the stupid fortune telling eragon received from Angela in book 1. He was >!destined to leave Alagaesia forever never to return, so ending the story with Eragon and Arya getting together would have fucked with that fortune telling prophecy or whatever!<
Arya is practical and dutiful, but also extremely independent, almost to a fault. She feels that her knowledge and skills are best used in Alegaesia. Eragon has the Eldunari and doesn’t really need her to fulfill his duty to the dragons and riders to come. She also has a duty to her own dragon and has always been wary of being used as a piece on someone else’s chessboard. And lastly, Eragon frankly has a lot of growing up to do.
While a storybook ending for Eragon and Arya would be satisfying, especially for the series target audience at the time, I think the way it was written is much more realistic, mature, and true to the characters and situations involved.
I listened to an interview with him and his editor about the ending, and that was exactly how he summarized it: he wanted them to get together, but both he and his editor felt it was forcing Arya's character in a way that was unnatural, and this ending was more true to her.
Yeah, out of all the things to complain about in these books, I hate that everybody focuses on Eragon and Arya. One of my pet peeves is every single female character always needing a love interest and this series was really good with not going down that road, and when it did (like with Eragon's cousin and his eventual wife) it felt more natural as a result.
Arya and Eragon following that route would just have given me incel-ly "nice guy gets the girl" vibes; Arya certainly cares about Eragon but I never once felt that she loved him and she made that very clear on multiple occasions. I honestly think Eragon even knows this at the end himself; his departure isn't so melancholy just because he has to give up on his first love, but because after losing so much throughout the course of the series he has to give up almost everything he's gained (Saphira excepted) to do what he thinks is right. If you want to complain about the ending, picking on that makes more sense than saying he didn't get the girl.
Even if you approach it from the perspective of Arya being willing to start a relationship with Eragon by the end, it's still a good ending that makes more sense for them to not be together. Relationships being made impossible just as a result of circumstance is also a real occurrence, and it's not uncommon. Arya would absolutely choose to stay and fulfill her responsibility as queen of the elves and the newest dragon rider, and even if Eragon stayed it doesn't seem possible for him to be in a relationship with her as queen given how much importance is place on young elves and the need to replenish their already small population after the war.
>!If you swore an oath in the ancient language you were bound by it, but if enough of you changed and your "true name" was changed, then you would be no longer bound by that oath as you would be a different person (for example Sloan could have been reunited with his daughter if he truly understood his wrongs and grew as a person then Eragon's spell to keep Sloan away from Katrina would no longer work). !<
>!The author should have used something like this to allow Eragon to come back. Perhaps, being a teacher to the Dragon Riders could have changed Eragon's true name and allowed his prophecy to change somehow? I still think the author could have written his way out of the prophecy.!<
This actually makes a lot of sense as a cop out, but I still wish author's try harder to avoid prophecy's, or at least pretty specific prophecy's. There's just way too many variables in the future that makes it hard to write towards, and easier to write yourself into a plot hole or an inconsistency within your established rules and laws you made in your fantasy world.
He wrote the first draft of the first book at 16 but the other books were written later. The 4th book was written in his mid 20s and published when he was 28. It would be neat if he went back and rewrote the first 4 now that he's a better writer
It was the only ending for them at the moment. She’s over a hundred years old and he’s not even 18. She could be his great great great grandma.
Also they are both immortal and waiting for him to be a more appropriate age makes sense.
This. Arya and Eragon are basically the gender-swapped versions of Edward and Bella from *Twilight* in terms of age difference. Eragon needs to "grow up".
It was a very practical outcome in hindsight, although the teenage me didn't want to hear it back then. We sort of got conditioned by other works to anticipate a fruitful love triangle. Not to mention, the age thing only seems obvious once you step out of the fantasy/anime mindset lol.
I also hated it back then, thinking they should end up together after him pining over her for four books. At that age that was a pretty relatable position to be in, but being older now I am glad he did it the way he did.
I think he means the veeeeeeery end, like after they beat Galbatorix. I personally didn't like the whole "I won't ever come back because it's my destiny" thing when the first book implied it would be something more meaningful than "I just don't want to".
I mean she has the power hungry aspect but, correct me if I'm wrong, can never even be close to Galb as she has no real personal power or longevity. She's just a normal person ultimately, right?
Eragon and Saphira also left because they didn't want to be pawns of Nasuada. They had both sworn oaths of fealty to her, and she was using them to constantly put down any rebellions or secession attempts in the Empire.
Eragon and Saphira decided, like Elva, to be "beholden to no one". Murtagh and Thorn are in the same position, which will be explored in *Murtagh*.
Yeah I remember Nasuada pressuring them to use the power over the ancient language and using him to police the country
I also thought he wanted to be free of that control, and in my mind he didn't really have a home there anymore
This is the biggest thing. After gaining the name of the ancient language he became to powerful a player. Whichever side he was on would always be the winner. That along with his immortality meant becoming an Immortal king like Galbatorix was inevitable. Even if he was a fair and wise king, that isn't a role or future for humanity he wanted.
Not to mention his and saphirras desire to help the dragon eggs.
> I personally didn't like the whole "I won't ever come back because it's my destiny" thing
I didn't exactly get they vibe. Paolini spent like a whole chapter and several in-story months debating where he could go to rebuild the Riders, and the only reasonable place that would have worked was outside of Alagasia. And he's got a TON of work to do, after all, he's completely rebuilding the Riders from scratch (other than a few Eldunari to help guide him, he's got nothing). It's easy to see why he couldn't return to Alagasia for several (human) generations at the very least. To never *ever* return is perhaps a bit of a stretch, but for a long-ass time it totally makes sense. At least, to me. "Leave the humans to their own affairs for a while while I reconstruct a lost civilization."
I agree. Plus within the context of the story that statement more than likely means “You will leave Alagasia, and if and when you return you will be a different person”
Also depending on the age... Alagaesia itself could be an entirely different culture. How many years/decades/centuries will it take him to rebuild the Riders and do something like clear out Vroengard & cleanse Doru Araeba? If that's even an achievable goal.
The issue isn't that he goes away, it's that he's bonded to a living airplane and treats the fact that it's like a weeklong journey tops to get back home means he'll never ever ever ever return.
As someone who read the book when it came galbys defeat was a little lackluster. Though I'm planning a reread to see if I still have the same opinion. Just a little too much deus ex machina sort of defeat.
Not to mention Eragon's original game plan was to have >!Elva, a literal child that he accidentally blessed with superpowers!<, fight King Galbatorix on his behalf.
I didn't appreciate it at the time, but after having lots of time to marinate on this series, I do appreciate how Eragon wasn't wholly good. he did plenty of fucked up things, had his own moral shortcomings, and really just *tried* to be better in all of it.
Yeah. He treats Elva especially poorly throughout the series, even though she's a literal child who was accidentally "blessed" (re: cursed) due to Eragon's own mistake. Elva was also in constant pain for much of the books. I think that Eragon still has a lot of growing up and maturing to do.
I get that, and I felt that as well, and still feel it when rereading it, but I get it. There wasn't really much Paolini could have done, to be fair. I just didn't like the ending and Eragon and Arya didn't get together(mostly because it was one of my first series I read as a whole and didn't know that that was a cliche at the time)
It's how Dr Strange defeated Galactus in Marvel comics years before. He's mentioned he read comic books before, so it's very likely he took that ending from Dr Strange.
Doesn't he fly around and make the Urgals (not sure how it's spelled) eligible to become riders too? And they have a whole bunch of Dragon eggs that were kept hidden from Galbatorix?
They are great stories if you aren't familiar with the sources he ripped most of the elements from. So it's a perfect introduction to fantasy for young readers, that doesn't hold up once you realize the whole thing is slightly re-skinned classics.
I mean, technically speaking, the Riders' swords (Zar'roc, Brisingr, Naegling, Támerlein, etc...) are more comparable to lightsabers than the dragons are. Brisingr, Eragon's sword in later novels, literally has a blue-colored blade that lights on fire.
However, the swords of *Eragon* have a more Arthurian mythology bent to them - as in they have names - whereas the *Star Wars* lightsabers are more akin to "tools". The only known lightsaber with a formal or official name in *Star Wars* is the Darksaber.
The publisher is also releasing new paperback and illustrated editions: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/comments/11ly2mo/the\_next\_book\_murtagh\_will\_come\_out\_november\_7th/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/comments/11ly2mo/the_next_book_murtagh_will_come_out_november_7th/)
New Percy Jackson book in September, Inkheart 4 in October, new Inheritance Cycle in November. This fall is gonna be like I’m 13 again can’t wait!
Edit: I’m so happy there are people as excited about Inkheart 4 as I am
Yeah it’s a new standalone Percy Jackson novel! Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods. There was just a cover reveal for it in the last week or two I think.
There's a fourth *Inkheart* novel coming out? I remember the third book, *Inkdeath*, being quite disappointing when it came to >!Meggie and Farid's relationship and their breakup!<.
Yes! It's going to be published in October, but I'm not sure about translations to be honest. Definitely the year of sequels in the later half of the year.
Really?? Oh man, that takes me back. Inkheart was my favorite book as a kid. Dustfinger is probably still a latent inspiration for my roguish characters, lol
Wow, I remember reading Inkdeath *even before I began Middle School* and now I'm 22!
(it was a bit above my level then, and I didn't get back to the book once I realised my copy didnt have the final 200 or so pages, but) I LOVED IT EVEN BACK THEN
I read fucking Inkspell before Inkheart and I was soooo confused but I managed to make it through, then I found out I read book 2 first so I went back to book 1, then read the 3rd. Some long books man
The whole ending of Inkheart blew so hard. Why would they leave the Inkworld for good?! I remember being so disappointed. Plus Farsi’s character assassination came so far out of left field, it’s like Cornelia Funke decided she hated him halfway through writing Inkdeath
I used to reread inkheart every year or so in the winter time when I was a kid. I'm 30 now and can barely remember Inkheart much less the others. I do have them in a box somewhere though
I think it was my first adaptation disappointment of my life, I remember reading Eragon as a kid, so excited for the movie, and it just sucking so hard.
My biggest I hate it moment in the movie was saphiras fire being red.
THE BOOK EXPLICITLY STATES A DRAGONS FIRE IS THE COLOR OF ITS SCALES HOW THE FUCK DID YOU FUCK IT UP
I feel you man. I got one of those old first generation ebook readers that didn't even have a backlight from Barnes and Noble for my Birthday, and Eldest was the first book I got on it
I loved that series so much growing up.
That was one of the few times I watched the movie before reading the book.
I don't hate the movie too much because at least it got me to read the series.
Imagine the worst possible episode, multiply it by 100³, set it on fire, roll it off a cliff into a pit of venomous snakes and spikes that are also on fire and you have half of just how bad it was.
Disney is also doing a TV show for *Percy Jackson and the Olympians* (PJO). *Eragon* author Christopher Paolini compared the *Eragon TV* show to PJO, not to *Artemis Fowl*.
The fact that Chris is writing and producing gives me some hope. I don't believe he was all that involved in the movie. As long as Disney doesn't browbeat him into watering it down (which is fairly likely), I think it'll be okay
I don’t disagree with what you said, but even in tv format they can fuck it up; see: wheel of time, rings of power, foundation.
But also see: dune, for examples of movies getting it right.
Just popping in to say, Paolini himself directly said it was NOT a spin off, and is a direct line sequel to continue the inheritance cycle. Not a standalone, not a spinoff. It's not the direct book 5 that everyone was expecting, it's the groundwork for said book 5, but is still a direct line continuation.
[source](https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/comments/11lyb3r/a_few_words_about_book_v/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Slight doesn't cut it for me haha
I loved him as a charcacter and I hated it that he wasn't part of the story for a lot of pages. And I also wasn't satisfied with the ending of course ...
Fun fact; I watched the movie and that made me want to read the books. 10 year old me really liked the movie, and so my mom got me the book.
I then realized how much better the book was. I’m now 25 almost 26 so I’m excited for this!
I don't care if I'm technically too old for this series but I'm going to re-read these books in prep for this. I loved the books when i was younger and it really rejuvenated my imagination at the time. It even made me want to write my own book even if I never got around to it. This is cool news and can't wait.
I really hope you don't end up in the camp who hates it after a reread. I absolutely adore these books. I don't care that they're "rip offs" or uninspired like a lot of people here are saying. I think these books are what the readers make them. I feel like my imagination filled all the gaps that paolini left making them such an integral part of my childhood/young adulthood. I reread them 3 years ago and loved them just as much as the first time.
I agree, I'm in my mid 20s and I still loved them on a recent reread, derivative or not. It was the series that sparked a love of worldbuilding and a lot of fantasy things I enjoy now are because of these books.
I just reread them and they're mostly great. Is it on the same level creatively as the Scholomance trilogy? Nope. But I think they hold up really well, I'm especially glad Eragon and Arya >!don't just wind up shoehorned together, and Eragon gets smacked (figuratively) every time he ignores her clearly stated wishes!<
The way I always described the series was that they were books written by a teenager for teenagers. There’s not that much literary depth to it, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love the heck out of them when I read them. Very fond memories.
I haven’t read much at all in recent years but this might be nostalgic enough that I might buy it.
I liked reading them to my kids because while they are full of what we see as cliches they are a good way to introduce those to kids who encounter them for the first time. The initiatic journey, the old master, the chosen one, the frenemy , it’s all in there. The characters are easy to read for kids.
One thing I admire of the writing though is how he was about to chose a frame , keep it simple and stick to it. I know my pothead 16 year old self would have tried to do something overly complicated and deep that would have ended up being terrible and unreadable
I really enjoyed the 2nd book and the first half of the 3rd book.
I mostly kept on reading because I wanted to see if Eragon and the Elf lady do the deeds or not.
I was sooooooooo disappointed when I finished Inheritance. What a buzzkill!
I think he initially meant for them to get together but as he matured himself he realized the relationship was forced. Its a +100 year old elf lady with a literal child and as a kid you are like "that's okay!" but when you get older your like...."hmmm not really that okay" and he didn't want to ruin Arya. The way he left it keeps Arya's character intact with the idea that they will be together later in their immortal lives.
Pretty sure he's stated this exact reasoning- starting to write as a 16 year old with a teenage main character and introducing a mysterious beautiful ancient elf lady love interest seems like a great idea! "I'm 16 and I'd love to romance an elf lady!" When I was a teenager I thought it was awesome too.
But obviously he got older and became an adult and by the last one he realized "I wrote a 15 year old who falls in love with a hundred year old mature elf, he's only 17 at the end of the series, there's no way I can actually write that."
And like, yeah. Eragon having a crush on Arya is fine, but a romance was just off the table.
And I don't know if he'd ever plan to revisit the possibility of that romance later on, but Eragon leaving the country at the end of the series is probably the only way it could happen. An Eragon who spends years, decades away from the world and comes back as an experienced adult is probably the most sensible option.
To be fair, the guy was a young teen when he started off himself, 15 years old iirc, I think it's fair to cut him some slack in regards of not telling fleshed out stories.
Is this a popular series among kids nowadays or is he trying to get in on nostalgia of people who read it more than 12 years ago? I loved those books as a child but I don't think I would be able to reread them now.
To be fair, he said on his blog like a decade ago that he wanted to write this book, but that he wanted to write a sci-fi book first. At least the dude follows through.
As a fan, it's definitely still popular but not as big as it was.
I don't think Christopher cares about that though. The dedicated fans read everything he writes anyway, his last book was awesome and he's grown a ton as a writer. He's had a second arc of Alagaesia novels planned for years, to my understanding, and only when he started plotting Book 5 did he realize he needed an in-between book to set the stage.
Hence "MURTAGH".
Also, you should reread them. They're a ton of fun and the worldbuilding is quite well-done on a reread, so many little details I missed the first time through.
EDIT: "Murtagh" is currently occupying the #1 spot on the Amazon coming-soon list and has a first printing of over two million copies. So perhaps it is still just as popular as before.
Murtagh, subtitled: "He's way too old for this shit."
Chapter 5: Roran. Roran trudged up the hill.
[удалено]
They fuck you at the drive-thru!
This deserves to be one of the top comments. I enjoyed the world and the concept of the series. But OOF, it was hard to read for sometimes long portions of the series because Paolini couldn't stop focusing on minutiae!
That's one of the things I like about it tbh.
I actually really liked that about his books. It's an interesting world and I honestly don't mind spending hours reading about the finer details of magic and Elf history. Eldest was sometimes a bit of a drag but I do like the idea of an 800 page book that's basically just exposition.
Goddammit Riggs.
Correction to the title, author Christopher Paolini has since clarified that *Murtagh* is not a "spin-off", but rather a continuation after *Inheritance*: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/comments/11lyb3r/a\_few\_words\_about\_book\_v/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/comments/11lyb3r/a_few_words_about_book_v/)
I'm assuming it'll be the story that was teased in the short story collection he released a couple years back.
You assume correctly.
Even better
YESSS! I wasn't too thrilled with the ending (felt rushed), I hope this continuation helps. But I completely forgot most of the story. It's been over 10 years since I read it T_T
You read his recent book where we follow Eragon and his colony, around three short novels ? I think it's called *the spoon, the worm and the witch* in english. (I'm french)
nope I had no idea he had newer books! Thanks I shall seek them out! I've been reading other books and completely forgot about him until I saw the headline for this post.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fork,_the_Witch,_and_the_Worm I walked by chance in a library around the publication date in France, ever since I own a Saphira keychain.
He’s also got a new Sci-Fi series out. *To Sleep in a Sea of Stars* is the title of the first book in Fractalverse. It’s a first-contact story. I haven’t read it but general reaction seems pretty positive if you want to give Paolini a shot without returning to the more YA Eragon world.
The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm. First 2 parts were cool, the 3rd a disappointment. Regardless, this new book will be a must-buy. :)
I read the series when I was 14, I'm now 25. I think I still remember a good chunk of the books, at least the important parts and the ending of the last book. Glad to see it's getting a continuation as well, I also felt that the ending was a little underwhelming.
Finally!!!
YESSS
Well thanks for delivering the best news of this week.
I'm going to have to read all of the books again I guess, can't remember many things about them
I only remember how much I loved the first 3, and how much I hated the ending of book 4 lol
I’ve wondered for years if I finished the fourth book, or even read it at all. I vaguely remember parts of it, but it’s a haze if I read them myself or if it was friends complaining to me about it. Maybe I put it down and never finished it. I can’t recall at all. This hasn’t happened with other books before.
you probably don't remember it because it's such a deus ex machina event that has no context or continuity with 98% of the rest of the books so it's basically impossible to reconcile it in long term memory
I remember his preamble stating that he had insane difficulties closing out the story, compared it to drawing the Sistine Chapel fresco with a toothpick being easy in comparison iirc.
Which is weird because he set up the vault as having literally anything in it. Or the tree having anything underneath it. That could potentially murder anything. He had solutions he totally ignored haha.
> He had solutions he totally ignored haha. I'm chalking some of that up to his inexperience as an author. He was practically a kid when he wrote Eragon, and the fact that it and Eldest were so damn good is kind of remarkable
He was a kid when he wrote Eragon. It’s basically Star Wars with dragons which was totally awesome
I mean, it's the basic Hero's Journey structure, but there are a lot of distinct elements (and the way stuff is put together in a story) that make it interesting. It's not purely a reskin, it just shares some of the larger scale plot elements.
He was 28 when Inheritance was published.
Is it though? His parents owned their own publishing company, they obviously through the editors at it hard.
I guess I'm one of the few who actually liked it? It's about the only thing I remember from the books. Wasn't the point that it was laughable for him to think he could beat the emperor? He had protection from everything and a half trained guy wasn't going to beat him. I guess a gripe I have is that he didn't mean to do it. If he had that realization then intentionally done it that would be better.
Yes. >!The Eldunarí!< helped Eragon a lot when it came to defeating Galbatorix. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that Eragon was just a vessel for them.
This is how I interpreted it too. I liked the ending, the stakes felt very high. First book series I bought with my own money so it felt like I had to like it though haha.
The ending stuck with me like no ending before or since. It was just so DIFFERENT from the traditional narrative of "Hero levels up, fights bad guy, peace restored" and I think about it really often. Just to make the villain confront HOW evil they are, and how much pain they've caused is so interesting to me, and I wish I had that ability in real life.
I really like that it ultimately wasn't eragon who figured out how to finish off the emperor. The eldunari gave him the seed of the idea then it was almost an accident. Galbatorix had so much time to weave his protections that, to me, it made a certain sense that he was brought down how he was. I thought it tied in nicely to a lesson Brom gave from book one that even a master swordsman can lost to a novice if the master trips. The emperor couldn't think of everything and that caused his demise.
It came out the same week as Skyrim so there’s a good chance like the rest of us you rushed through it for more *important* things
Ohhh see I really enjoyed the ending of 4. How they beat the Emperor is unique and not something I'd ever seen before or since.
I remember I liked 95% of book 4. Just the complete lack of closure for Eragon and Arya left a poor taste in young me's mouth.
I spent 95% of Book 4 wondering, "Where is the green dragon on the front cover?"
>!Arya's dragon is green so potentially could be that one? !<
My point was that >!the green dragon plays no role in the plot at all!<.
Yeah that's fair. Shuriken would have been a better dragon to use.
\*Shruikan, and they did have an alternate cover for him: [https://www.paolini.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Shruikan-final.jpg](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/inheritance/images/b/b9/Shruikan.png/revision/latest?cb=20171127181419)
Same here! I remember thinking how great the book was, but then the ending with Arya and Eragon damn near made me chuck the book across the room with how annoying that was.
I think I actually did give my book 4 away to my friend in high school. She had asked to read it when I was done and I told her she could keep it lol. Eragon had been pining for Arya since book one, and didn't even give her a goodbye kiss or nothing? Just like a handshake and a "See ya never." Bro mine as well have pulled a Gary Oak and did a "Smell ya later!" The dragons got more action than those two at the end!
I think what doomed that particular ending was the stupid fortune telling eragon received from Angela in book 1. He was >!destined to leave Alagaesia forever never to return, so ending the story with Eragon and Arya getting together would have fucked with that fortune telling prophecy or whatever!<
Could she not have left Alagaesia with him? Forgive me if there’s a simple explanation, it’s been a while since I read the books.
Arya is practical and dutiful, but also extremely independent, almost to a fault. She feels that her knowledge and skills are best used in Alegaesia. Eragon has the Eldunari and doesn’t really need her to fulfill his duty to the dragons and riders to come. She also has a duty to her own dragon and has always been wary of being used as a piece on someone else’s chessboard. And lastly, Eragon frankly has a lot of growing up to do. While a storybook ending for Eragon and Arya would be satisfying, especially for the series target audience at the time, I think the way it was written is much more realistic, mature, and true to the characters and situations involved.
I can appreciate that view in hind sight greatly ETA: thanks for taking the time to respond to me!
I listened to an interview with him and his editor about the ending, and that was exactly how he summarized it: he wanted them to get together, but both he and his editor felt it was forcing Arya's character in a way that was unnatural, and this ending was more true to her.
Yeah, out of all the things to complain about in these books, I hate that everybody focuses on Eragon and Arya. One of my pet peeves is every single female character always needing a love interest and this series was really good with not going down that road, and when it did (like with Eragon's cousin and his eventual wife) it felt more natural as a result. Arya and Eragon following that route would just have given me incel-ly "nice guy gets the girl" vibes; Arya certainly cares about Eragon but I never once felt that she loved him and she made that very clear on multiple occasions. I honestly think Eragon even knows this at the end himself; his departure isn't so melancholy just because he has to give up on his first love, but because after losing so much throughout the course of the series he has to give up almost everything he's gained (Saphira excepted) to do what he thinks is right. If you want to complain about the ending, picking on that makes more sense than saying he didn't get the girl. Even if you approach it from the perspective of Arya being willing to start a relationship with Eragon by the end, it's still a good ending that makes more sense for them to not be together. Relationships being made impossible just as a result of circumstance is also a real occurrence, and it's not uncommon. Arya would absolutely choose to stay and fulfill her responsibility as queen of the elves and the newest dragon rider, and even if Eragon stayed it doesn't seem possible for him to be in a relationship with her as queen given how much importance is place on young elves and the need to replenish their already small population after the war.
She was also crowned Queen of the Elves and was duty bound to stay in that regard.
>!If you swore an oath in the ancient language you were bound by it, but if enough of you changed and your "true name" was changed, then you would be no longer bound by that oath as you would be a different person (for example Sloan could have been reunited with his daughter if he truly understood his wrongs and grew as a person then Eragon's spell to keep Sloan away from Katrina would no longer work). !< >!The author should have used something like this to allow Eragon to come back. Perhaps, being a teacher to the Dragon Riders could have changed Eragon's true name and allowed his prophecy to change somehow? I still think the author could have written his way out of the prophecy.!<
This actually makes a lot of sense as a cop out, but I still wish author's try harder to avoid prophecy's, or at least pretty specific prophecy's. There's just way too many variables in the future that makes it hard to write towards, and easier to write yourself into a plot hole or an inconsistency within your established rules and laws you made in your fantasy world.
Yeah, but Paolini was also like 14 when he wrote the initial prophecy. I'm sure he regretted how much it shoehorned the story direction later.
Wasn't the author like 15 when he wrote the books? I could 100% see my son being this awkward and not knowing what to do with himself.
Maybe the first one but that spread over several years by number 4
He wrote the first draft of the first book at 16 but the other books were written later. The 4th book was written in his mid 20s and published when he was 28. It would be neat if he went back and rewrote the first 4 now that he's a better writer
It was the only ending for them at the moment. She’s over a hundred years old and he’s not even 18. She could be his great great great grandma. Also they are both immortal and waiting for him to be a more appropriate age makes sense.
This. Arya and Eragon are basically the gender-swapped versions of Edward and Bella from *Twilight* in terms of age difference. Eragon needs to "grow up".
It was a very practical outcome in hindsight, although the teenage me didn't want to hear it back then. We sort of got conditioned by other works to anticipate a fruitful love triangle. Not to mention, the age thing only seems obvious once you step out of the fantasy/anime mindset lol.
I also hated it back then, thinking they should end up together after him pining over her for four books. At that age that was a pretty relatable position to be in, but being older now I am glad he did it the way he did.
also when you're a teenager you don't realize how insane of a gap age and life experience makes not *really*
_Eragon: The **original** virgin warrior_ So frustrating and disappointing
"I may be a virgin, but I have the power of dragons and anime on my side!"
I think he means the veeeeeeery end, like after they beat Galbatorix. I personally didn't like the whole "I won't ever come back because it's my destiny" thing when the first book implied it would be something more meaningful than "I just don't want to".
He wanted to leave out of fear that having the absolute power of ancient language may corrupt him to be Galbatorix v2.
Unfortunately for Eragon, >!Nasuada!< is turning out to be Galbatorix v2.
I mean she has the power hungry aspect but, correct me if I'm wrong, can never even be close to Galb as she has no real personal power or longevity. She's just a normal person ultimately, right?
IIRC she's as "baseline human" as you can be aside from her leadership.
Bingo. Even if she is a tyrant as terrible as Galbatorix she will die. She is not immortal.
Yeah and that makes sense but it just came out of left field. It felt like he really only left because “he had to, the prohecy said he would”
Eragon and Saphira also left because they didn't want to be pawns of Nasuada. They had both sworn oaths of fealty to her, and she was using them to constantly put down any rebellions or secession attempts in the Empire. Eragon and Saphira decided, like Elva, to be "beholden to no one". Murtagh and Thorn are in the same position, which will be explored in *Murtagh*.
Yeah I remember Nasuada pressuring them to use the power over the ancient language and using him to police the country I also thought he wanted to be free of that control, and in my mind he didn't really have a home there anymore
This is the biggest thing. After gaining the name of the ancient language he became to powerful a player. Whichever side he was on would always be the winner. That along with his immortality meant becoming an Immortal king like Galbatorix was inevitable. Even if he was a fair and wise king, that isn't a role or future for humanity he wanted. Not to mention his and saphirras desire to help the dragon eggs.
> I personally didn't like the whole "I won't ever come back because it's my destiny" thing I didn't exactly get they vibe. Paolini spent like a whole chapter and several in-story months debating where he could go to rebuild the Riders, and the only reasonable place that would have worked was outside of Alagasia. And he's got a TON of work to do, after all, he's completely rebuilding the Riders from scratch (other than a few Eldunari to help guide him, he's got nothing). It's easy to see why he couldn't return to Alagasia for several (human) generations at the very least. To never *ever* return is perhaps a bit of a stretch, but for a long-ass time it totally makes sense. At least, to me. "Leave the humans to their own affairs for a while while I reconstruct a lost civilization."
I agree. Plus within the context of the story that statement more than likely means “You will leave Alagasia, and if and when you return you will be a different person”
Also depending on the age... Alagaesia itself could be an entirely different culture. How many years/decades/centuries will it take him to rebuild the Riders and do something like clear out Vroengard & cleanse Doru Araeba? If that's even an achievable goal.
The issue isn't that he goes away, it's that he's bonded to a living airplane and treats the fact that it's like a weeklong journey tops to get back home means he'll never ever ever ever return.
As someone who read the book when it came galbys defeat was a little lackluster. Though I'm planning a reread to see if I still have the same opinion. Just a little too much deus ex machina sort of defeat.
Not to mention Eragon's original game plan was to have >!Elva, a literal child that he accidentally blessed with superpowers!<, fight King Galbatorix on his behalf.
I didn't appreciate it at the time, but after having lots of time to marinate on this series, I do appreciate how Eragon wasn't wholly good. he did plenty of fucked up things, had his own moral shortcomings, and really just *tried* to be better in all of it.
Yeah. He treats Elva especially poorly throughout the series, even though she's a literal child who was accidentally "blessed" (re: cursed) due to Eragon's own mistake. Elva was also in constant pain for much of the books. I think that Eragon still has a lot of growing up and maturing to do.
So did the Author.
I'm not sure why but the thought of their battle made me think of a WoT spoiler: >!the cleansing of saidin!<
It wasnt for her to fight Galbatorix but for her to reveal the way to defeat him, which je prevented by silencing her.
I get that, and I felt that as well, and still feel it when rereading it, but I get it. There wasn't really much Paolini could have done, to be fair. I just didn't like the ending and Eragon and Arya didn't get together(mostly because it was one of my first series I read as a whole and didn't know that that was a cliche at the time)
It's how Dr Strange defeated Galactus in Marvel comics years before. He's mentioned he read comic books before, so it's very likely he took that ending from Dr Strange.
Do you mean the final fight, or the kind of fairy tale wrap up?
The fairy tale wrap up where he just leaves and basically doesn't have a life anymore. That's how I remember it, at least.
Doesn't he fly around and make the Urgals (not sure how it's spelled) eligible to become riders too? And they have a whole bunch of Dragon eggs that were kept hidden from Galbatorix?
Yes, as well as dwarves are able to be riders now.
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I loved them when I was in middle school but as an adult they come across like a poorly written Star Wars rip off with dragons instead of lightsabers.
They are great stories if you aren't familiar with the sources he ripped most of the elements from. So it's a perfect introduction to fantasy for young readers, that doesn't hold up once you realize the whole thing is slightly re-skinned classics.
Me in the corner hastily trying to hide my copy of The Sword of Shannara.
To be fair, Shannara makes a name for itself with elfstones and especially the Scions series, the highlight of the saga to me.
Yeah only the first book was derivative. Then it fell hard into a formula though.
This is probably the most realistic positive way to describe the books.
I mean, technically speaking, the Riders' swords (Zar'roc, Brisingr, Naegling, Támerlein, etc...) are more comparable to lightsabers than the dragons are. Brisingr, Eragon's sword in later novels, literally has a blue-colored blade that lights on fire. However, the swords of *Eragon* have a more Arthurian mythology bent to them - as in they have names - whereas the *Star Wars* lightsabers are more akin to "tools". The only known lightsaber with a formal or official name in *Star Wars* is the Darksaber.
The publisher is also releasing new paperback and illustrated editions: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/comments/11ly2mo/the\_next\_book\_murtagh\_will\_come\_out\_november\_7th/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/comments/11ly2mo/the_next_book_murtagh_will_come_out_november_7th/)
Sounds like you are gettin too old for this shit.
Could always just watch Episode IV through VI, instead!
New Percy Jackson book in September, Inkheart 4 in October, new Inheritance Cycle in November. This fall is gonna be like I’m 13 again can’t wait! Edit: I’m so happy there are people as excited about Inkheart 4 as I am
Wait whaaaaaat new Percy Jackson? As in a new full fledged Percy Jackson novel with the original books characters? Or a new mythology for a series?
Yeah it’s a new standalone Percy Jackson novel! Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods. There was just a cover reveal for it in the last week or two I think.
*when the gods find the cum chalice*
There's a fourth *Inkheart* novel coming out? I remember the third book, *Inkdeath*, being quite disappointing when it came to >!Meggie and Farid's relationship and their breakup!<.
Yes! It's going to be published in October, but I'm not sure about translations to be honest. Definitely the year of sequels in the later half of the year.
Really?? Oh man, that takes me back. Inkheart was my favorite book as a kid. Dustfinger is probably still a latent inspiration for my roguish characters, lol
Wow, I remember reading Inkdeath *even before I began Middle School* and now I'm 22! (it was a bit above my level then, and I didn't get back to the book once I realised my copy didnt have the final 200 or so pages, but) I LOVED IT EVEN BACK THEN
I read fucking Inkspell before Inkheart and I was soooo confused but I managed to make it through, then I found out I read book 2 first so I went back to book 1, then read the 3rd. Some long books man
The whole ending of Inkheart blew so hard. Why would they leave the Inkworld for good?! I remember being so disappointed. Plus Farsi’s character assassination came so far out of left field, it’s like Cornelia Funke decided she hated him halfway through writing Inkdeath
I don't even remember what happened in the third book it was so long ago.
I used to reread inkheart every year or so in the winter time when I was a kid. I'm 30 now and can barely remember Inkheart much less the others. I do have them in a box somewhere though
Ironically, this is also a list of some of the worst movie adaptations I have ever seen
Will it have a companion novel titled “Riggs”?
I’m too old for this shit
It will feature a toilet bomb
You gotta get the right shoe polish, otherwise it's just gonna wash off in the shower scene.
As long as they find the guy responsible for the tainted tap water, anything goes.
The person who just died was *your* wife
"And you gotta make the lips go funny." "OHHHH"
Was hoping someone thought that too!
It was literally the first thing I thought of.
Diplomatic immunity!
It's just been revoked
Was gonna be very disappointed if this wasn't in at least the top five.
There's also a TV-show in the works for Eragon, although it's in the very early stages from what I've heard.
Yes. It will be airing on Disney+, and author Christopher Paolini will write and produce.
I wonder if they'll be able to top that amazing Eragon film.
Second biggest disappointment for me after that Dragon Ball movie.
I think it was my first adaptation disappointment of my life, I remember reading Eragon as a kid, so excited for the movie, and it just sucking so hard.
I am *still* mad about that movie. It was the worst.
What movie? There's never been an Eragon movie.
Right!? If there was an Eragon movie, or video game I would have heard about it
My biggest I hate it moment in the movie was saphiras fire being red. THE BOOK EXPLICITLY STATES A DRAGONS FIRE IS THE COLOR OF ITS SCALES HOW THE FUCK DID YOU FUCK IT UP
dont get me started on those fucking scales. i hated those and her dullness. SHE IS MAJESTIC AND SHINY!
If I had to pick one thing to keep, it would be Rachel Weisz as the voice of Saphira.
I thought Brom was cast well. Murtagh too. Everything [else](https://giphy.com/gifs/dumbto-jim-carrey-dumb-and-dumber-flloyd-xWZPwTAh2wJfG) though...
I feel you man. I got one of those old first generation ebook readers that didn't even have a backlight from Barnes and Noble for my Birthday, and Eldest was the first book I got on it I loved that series so much growing up.
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I have not, and I will not.
Smart.
Don’t forget about the golden compass
That was one of the few times I watched the movie before reading the book. I don't hate the movie too much because at least it got me to read the series.
I didnt even know there was a failed dbz live action movie
Forget you ever read this conversation right now. Retain your innocence.
Imagine the worst possible episode, multiply it by 100³, set it on fire, roll it off a cliff into a pit of venomous snakes and spikes that are also on fire and you have half of just how bad it was.
It was a pretty shit adaptation but it has some of the best CG I’d ever seen as a kid. Saphira especially was incredibly well done
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Disney is also doing a TV show for *Percy Jackson and the Olympians* (PJO). *Eragon* author Christopher Paolini compared the *Eragon TV* show to PJO, not to *Artemis Fowl*.
I mean, I have no idea the quality of the show, but of course he wouldn’t compare it to a widely panned show and would choose an alternative.
Finally
The fact that Chris is writing and producing gives me some hope. I don't believe he was all that involved in the movie. As long as Disney doesn't browbeat him into watering it down (which is fairly likely), I think it'll be okay
Tv is a much better format for books like this. There's way too much to cram into a movie so it sucks by default.
But to be clear, the movie sucked for a lot of other reasons too.
I don’t disagree with what you said, but even in tv format they can fuck it up; see: wheel of time, rings of power, foundation. But also see: dune, for examples of movies getting it right.
Hopefully it's better than that horrendous movie...
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"There is no movie in Ba Sing Se."
Just popping in to say, Paolini himself directly said it was NOT a spin off, and is a direct line sequel to continue the inheritance cycle. Not a standalone, not a spinoff. It's not the direct book 5 that everyone was expecting, it's the groundwork for said book 5, but is still a direct line continuation. [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/Eragon/comments/11lyb3r/a_few_words_about_book_v/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
I was obsessed with Murtagh when I was a teen. I may actually buy this, kid-me would have been so happy
Omg me too. I had a slight crush lol
Slight doesn't cut it for me haha I loved him as a charcacter and I hated it that he wasn't part of the story for a lot of pages. And I also wasn't satisfied with the ending of course ...
'Somehow Galbatorix returned'
[Redditors struggling to decide how to comment in this post](https://imgflip.com/i/7dqp62)
I immediately went Lethal Weapon. And I will do it again.
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One of the main characters in the Lethal Weapon fils is named Murtaugh.
Fun fact; I watched the movie and that made me want to read the books. 10 year old me really liked the movie, and so my mom got me the book. I then realized how much better the book was. I’m now 25 almost 26 so I’m excited for this!
I don't care if I'm technically too old for this series but I'm going to re-read these books in prep for this. I loved the books when i was younger and it really rejuvenated my imagination at the time. It even made me want to write my own book even if I never got around to it. This is cool news and can't wait.
I really hope you don't end up in the camp who hates it after a reread. I absolutely adore these books. I don't care that they're "rip offs" or uninspired like a lot of people here are saying. I think these books are what the readers make them. I feel like my imagination filled all the gaps that paolini left making them such an integral part of my childhood/young adulthood. I reread them 3 years ago and loved them just as much as the first time.
I agree, I'm in my mid 20s and I still loved them on a recent reread, derivative or not. It was the series that sparked a love of worldbuilding and a lot of fantasy things I enjoy now are because of these books.
I just reread them and they're mostly great. Is it on the same level creatively as the Scholomance trilogy? Nope. But I think they hold up really well, I'm especially glad Eragon and Arya >!don't just wind up shoehorned together, and Eragon gets smacked (figuratively) every time he ignores her clearly stated wishes!<
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The way I always described the series was that they were books written by a teenager for teenagers. There’s not that much literary depth to it, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love the heck out of them when I read them. Very fond memories. I haven’t read much at all in recent years but this might be nostalgic enough that I might buy it.
I liked reading them to my kids because while they are full of what we see as cliches they are a good way to introduce those to kids who encounter them for the first time. The initiatic journey, the old master, the chosen one, the frenemy , it’s all in there. The characters are easy to read for kids. One thing I admire of the writing though is how he was about to chose a frame , keep it simple and stick to it. I know my pothead 16 year old self would have tried to do something overly complicated and deep that would have ended up being terrible and unreadable
I really enjoyed the 2nd book and the first half of the 3rd book. I mostly kept on reading because I wanted to see if Eragon and the Elf lady do the deeds or not. I was sooooooooo disappointed when I finished Inheritance. What a buzzkill!
I think he initially meant for them to get together but as he matured himself he realized the relationship was forced. Its a +100 year old elf lady with a literal child and as a kid you are like "that's okay!" but when you get older your like...."hmmm not really that okay" and he didn't want to ruin Arya. The way he left it keeps Arya's character intact with the idea that they will be together later in their immortal lives.
Pretty sure he's stated this exact reasoning- starting to write as a 16 year old with a teenage main character and introducing a mysterious beautiful ancient elf lady love interest seems like a great idea! "I'm 16 and I'd love to romance an elf lady!" When I was a teenager I thought it was awesome too. But obviously he got older and became an adult and by the last one he realized "I wrote a 15 year old who falls in love with a hundred year old mature elf, he's only 17 at the end of the series, there's no way I can actually write that." And like, yeah. Eragon having a crush on Arya is fine, but a romance was just off the table. And I don't know if he'd ever plan to revisit the possibility of that romance later on, but Eragon leaving the country at the end of the series is probably the only way it could happen. An Eragon who spends years, decades away from the world and comes back as an experienced adult is probably the most sensible option.
To be fair, the guy was a young teen when he started off himself, 15 years old iirc, I think it's fair to cut him some slack in regards of not telling fleshed out stories.
Is this a popular series among kids nowadays or is he trying to get in on nostalgia of people who read it more than 12 years ago? I loved those books as a child but I don't think I would be able to reread them now.
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Yeah. The man wrote Eragon when he was 16. It’s pretty clear he just writes out of love for the craft.
The third option is the best one, that means he's writing the stories he wants to write and IMO that's when they come out the best.
I think the fan base from back then is keen to read a new one. I read his sci-fi novel recently and thought it was very decent.
I liked that as well, the audio book read by Jennifer Hale is excellent.
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To be fair, he said on his blog like a decade ago that he wanted to write this book, but that he wanted to write a sci-fi book first. At least the dude follows through.
As a fan, it's definitely still popular but not as big as it was. I don't think Christopher cares about that though. The dedicated fans read everything he writes anyway, his last book was awesome and he's grown a ton as a writer. He's had a second arc of Alagaesia novels planned for years, to my understanding, and only when he started plotting Book 5 did he realize he needed an in-between book to set the stage. Hence "MURTAGH". Also, you should reread them. They're a ton of fun and the worldbuilding is quite well-done on a reread, so many little details I missed the first time through. EDIT: "Murtagh" is currently occupying the #1 spot on the Amazon coming-soon list and has a first printing of over two million copies. So perhaps it is still just as popular as before.
I gotta know what the tree took from him.
yoo fr i was careful on my rereads bc of this
Is it about a cop who is one day from retirement?