Following the wake of an enormous, international success with his first book, Eragon, fantasy author Christopher Paolini has struggled to maintain the hype for the remaining three books of his series.
Having written the first draft of Eragon at the tender age of 15, Paolini’s genius seems irreproachable, although many fans had already abandoned the series by the time his second book, Eldest, was released in 2005.
As for the series’ third installment released in 2008, Brisingr, I had abstained from reading it after a friend told me that he had stopped reading it halfway through. When I had asked him why, he replied, “It just seemed like filler leading up to the last book. I’m planning to read the synopsis when Inheritance finally comes out.”
Three years later and now more than halfway through Brisingr myself, I can safely say that Paolini continues to shine as an accomplished storyteller and his loyal fans will surely be desperate to read his new book once it reaches bookstores this upcoming Tuesday.
For those unfamiliar with the series, Eragon follows the story of a humble farm boy from Carvahall, a rural part of Paolini’s fictional world called Alagaësia, who happens to stumble across a dragon egg while hunting in some nearby mountains.
The discovery reels him into an adventure that takes him across the world as he raises and learns to ride the dragon, who he names Saphira, suffers the death of his uncle and foster father Garrow by grotesque minions of the tyrannical King Galbatorix, and escapes with the village storyteller, Brom, on a quest to find and join the elusive rebel army – the Varden.
The succeeding books, Eldest and Brisingr, are no less exciting. They continue as Eragon and Saphira fight alongside the Varden against King Galbatorix’s army, discover the disturbing true identity of Eragon’s family, are adopted by the dwarves, learn magic from the elves and avenge Garrow’s death.
However, the burden of responsibility encumbers Eragon as the Varden increasingly look toward him as their liberator from the cruel reign of King Galbatorix. One can only imagine how heavy that burden will become by the end of Inheritance when the fate of Alagaësia will ultimately be decided.
Paolini will launch his 18-city nationwide tour to promote the new book in New York City. The tour will include two stops in Washington and one in Vancouver. He will make his first stop to Bainbridge Island at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28 at Bainbridge High School. At 7 p.m. on the following day, Paolini will also stop in Redmond at the Redmond Library. Just before finals week on Wednesday, Dec. 7, Paolini will stop in Vancouver at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School Gymnasium.
It’s likely that Paolini will be signing copies of Inheritance at each of his stops, so if you happen to be a fan of the series, this tour marks your last chance to get one of his books signed.
Although the series is often marketed as “young adult fantasy,” Paolini’s Inheritance cycle has already proven itself as one of the most riveting series in the fantasy genre since J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
If you need something to distract yourself from your studies or if you’ve never read one of the books, it’s never too late to pick up Eragon and introduce yourself to the fascinating world of Alagaësia.
For more information about Christopher Paolini or the Inheritance series, visit alagaesia.com.
