Hello everyone!
Back with another book review and this one, I was SUPER excited for.
I mean, granted, a lot of readers critique and complain over Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, but it's one of the series that I fell in love with when I was younger and re-read now on a regular enough basis. I actually re-read Eldest a little while back.
The only thing that's changed, for me, is that I see several things from a different perspective now that I did when I first read the books.
The tribulations of reaching adulthood, I suppose?
In any event, aside from my nit-picking of why nobody lets Eragon do anything on his own if he's SO powerful, when Paolini announced there would be a compilation of short stories to sink our teeth into, I WAS SO STOKED.
Because there was also a promise of catching up with Eragon and his babysitting job of dragon egg-guardian, and THAT WAS EVERYTHING.
So without further ado, let's dive right into The Fork, the Witch and the Worm, shall we?
At the bottom of this page, you'll find a link to the blog post I made a while back about the Inheritance Cycle itself where I reviewed all the books together. I might do them separately at some point, if I feel up for it, which I might with all this new material going around!
Also, I'm still kind of bummed that the Eragon movie tanked as badly as it did, but then again the script writers wrote themselves into a corner with that one ... maybe a TV show would work better.
ANYWAY.
The Fork, the Witch and the Worm is divided into three short stories interweaving with Eragon's own life and mini adventure, so that we catch up with our favourite Dragon Rider and his dragon Saphira, and that was just magical.
Eragon is working hard to finish building the new dragonhold big enough to house even the largest of dragons, keeping a watchful eye on the eggs, and of course making sure that the Dwarves, Elves, humans and Urgals don't massacre each under when he turns his back on them.
He does have helpers with him, after all, but they're all still very ... strong-willed? Strong-willed.
Also, Eragon is drowning in administration, paperwork, and just trying to get things done.
So Saphira evicts him from their quarters and sends him to do something else, at which point he ends up with the Eldunari (the hearts-of-hearts from all the dragons), who take pity on him and say they're still watching over Alagësia, and show him a vision, which is our first story, The Fork.
This one tells the tale of a young girl who had to do something mean to her friend to try and fit in with a clique in her town, Mean Girls style, and she tells the experience to a bearded sranger sitting in her father's tavern, who seems to be the only one willing to listen. He introductes himself as Tornac, at which point I give an undignified squeal then shut myself up to keep on reading.
The merchants he's waiting for arrive and reveal him to be Murtagh, and then attempt to kill him. That doesn't work so well for them because Murtagh kicks ass with only a fork reinforced by some spell, but he DOES learn that there might be mor Ra'zac eggs around (nasty flying things, those), and that there's a witch out there who apparently knows how to protect against The Word.
The Word being the control over the magical language, natch.
Eragon is thrilled and overjoyed to see Murtagh is still alive and well, and we also catch a glimpse of the connection Murtagh and Thorn share, and UGH I WANT MORE FROM THEM SO MUCH.
They were the perfect characters for a redemption arc, and I'm still hoping they get their own book someday.
Saphira does, as well, going so far to say that she wouldn't mind if the duo joined her and Eragon.
Now more rested, Eragon can apply himself to what he needs to do, and just in time for Angela the Herbalist to arrive with Elva, the witch child Eragon cursed while trying to bless. She says spending time with others and the Eldunari will help Elva to be less ... well, she's just annoying, honestly.
And Angela also gives Eragon a manuscript she's writing, but I can't even explain what's in this chapter of The Witch.
It's best if you read it yourself, because it includes portal openings, other dimensions, and some sort of inter-dimensional library.
The last story, The Worm, is an Urgal legend that the Urgals tell Eragon one night after a cave-in at the dragonhold which kills several Dwarves, and the legend is of a large dragon who came to terrorise an Urgal village. One of the female Urgals wanted to defeat it, but it seemed impossible and she failed once, then went on to become a shaman and magician, and might have defeated the Worm if not for the Ra'zac who decided to come eat the village, too.
Then the Worm came down to defend his territory, surviving a watery assault the Urgal shaman had constructed, and defeated the Ra'zac together with the shaman.
He returned to the mountani and the shaman, who had dedicated her life to defeating the Worm, then chose to go back to the village and reintegrate into it, thinking of taking a mate and having children now that her life's work was moot point.
It's a lovely legend and some more insight into the Urgals, but we're interrupted by the Elves rushing up to Eragon with some awesome, amazing news:
a dragon egg has hatched!
Can we have more of Alagësia NOW?
xx
*image not mine
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