Inheritance cycle
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The Inheritance Cycle (previously known as the Inheritance Trilogy) is a series of high-fantasy novels by homeschooled author Christopher Paolini. The first book in the series, Eragon, was originally self-published by Paolini International LLC, the Paolini family's publishing business; later it was picked up by Knopf, and went on to become a New York Times bestseller, as did its sequel, Eldest. The third book in the series, Brisingr, is forthcoming. Fox 2000, a division of 20th Century Fox, purchased film rights to the first three books, and a film version of Eragon, directed by Stefen Fangmeier, was released on December 15, 2006.
Inheritance is set in the fictional world of Alagaësia, which closely resembles Viking-era Scandinavia. The series follows the exploits of Eragon, a teenage orphan who becomes the first of a new order of Dragon Riders. Eragon and his dragon Saphira spearhead the attempt to defeat Galbatorix, the evil king of Alagaësia, who hunted down and killed the previous generation of Dragon Riders with help from his traitor Rider allies, the Forsworn.
Inheritance has garnered much attention due to the fact that Paolini was only fifteen when he began writing the first book, Eragon. Inheritance has also drawn a great deal of criticism from those who feel the nature of the books is derivative of other well known works of fantasy and science fiction, such as The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.
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[edit] Background
Christopher Paolini began writing Eragon after graduating from high school at the age of fifteen. Originally intended to be a screenplay, the work instead evolved into a full-fledged novel of nearly five hundred pages. It was originally published by his parents' publishing company, Paolini International LLC, in 2002. Paolini traveled to schools, libraries, and bookstores to promote Eragon - in one case, arm-wrestling a potential buyer to get him to read it[1] - but the novel's popularity did not take off until it was discovered by author Carl Hiaasen, who recommended it to Knopf.
Paolini signed a three-book deal with Knopf, and Eldest, the second book in the series, appeared in 2005. Besides the conventional formats, with cover art by John Jude Palencar, Eragon and Eldest have also been released in audiobook and ebook formats. Brisingr is scheduled for release September 20th or 21st of 2008.
[edit] Premise
Eragon, a 15-year-old farm boy, finds a dragon egg while out hunting in the Spine. When the dragon hatches for him, he takes on the responsibilities of the Dragon Riders and sets out on a quest to avenge his uncle's death and, eventually, to bring defeat to the evil tyrant who rules Alagaësia.
[edit] Books
[edit] Eragon
The first edition of Eragon was self-published by Christopher Paolini's family, and was released in 2002. The second edition, published by Knopf, appeared in 2003. The paperback edition was released in 2005.
[edit] Eldest
Eldest was released as a hardcover edition in August 2005. A Limited Edition, featuring extras such as a brief history of Alagaësia, a double-sided poster featuring Brom's ring & Glaedr (Who was featured on Eldest's Japanese volume 2 cover), and a sneak peek of Brisingr. was released in September 2006. A paperback edition was also released in the same month.
[edit] Brisingr
New York, NY (January 16, 2008)—Following the #1 bestselling novels Eragon and Eldest, the third book in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance cycle will be titled BRISINGR, it was announced by Nancy Hinkel, Publishing Director of Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. BRISINGR (BRIS-ing-gr), an Old Norse word for fire, will be familiar to fans of the cycle as the first word in the ancient language that Eragon hears. The jacket for BRISINGR has been illustrated by the renowned John Jude Palencar, illustrator of both the Eragon and Eldest covers.
“BRISINGR is one of the first words I thought of for this title, and it’s always felt right to me,” said Christopher Paolini. “As the first ancient-language word that Eragon learns, it has held particular significance for his legacy as a Dragon Rider. In this new book, it will be revealed to be even more meaningful than even Eragon could have known.”
It is due for September 20, 2008.
[edit] Book IV
No information about this book is avaiable for now, except for the fact that it will be the last book in the series and anything not answered in Book 3 will likely be answered in this book.
Fan version of Book 4 cover
[edit] Important characters
- Eragon: the main protagonist; a Dragon Rider
- Roran: Eragon's cousin
- Saphira: Eragon's dragon and best friend
- Brom: storyteller of Carvahall and former Dragon Rider; Eragon's mentor,currently deceased
- Murtagh: the son of Morzan, who was a Forsworn (betrayer of the Dragon Riders); becomes good friends with Eragon and travels with him to the Varden's hideout. Later becomes the first Dragon Rider (With Thorn as his dragon) under Galabatorix's rule since the Forsworn.
- Arya: an elf, the guardian of Saphira's egg; is saved by Eragon from the clutches of the Galbatorix and Durza
- Galbatorix: evil king of Alagaësia
- Durza: a Shade in the service of Galbatorix,deceased
- Orik:adopted nephew of dwarf king Hrothgar,and is also a friend of Eragon
[edit] Critical reaction
Inheritance became a commercial success, with the first two books topping several different bestselling charts.[2] Eldest was a 2006 Quill Award winner[3], as a well as a winner of the 2006 Book Sense Book of the Year award.
However, Inheritance has also been accused of plagarism. Many names come from Lord of the Rings, for example. The plot has also been compared to Star Wars.
A boy of foggy origins lives with his uncle in a remote, backwater region of a vast empire headed by an evil Emperor and his right-hand man, who was once prominent in an ancient order of guardians with mystical powers. An object of vital importance to the rebellion against the Empire is transported from a princess under attack to the remote region of the Empire, where an old man lives who once belonged to the ancient order of guardians, and was part of the rebellion. The farmboy comes across the object through sheer luck. The boy seeks out the old man to learn about the ancient order, but eventually has to return to his uncle’s farm. The boy finds that it has been destroyed by fire by the Empire’s agents, and his uncle killed. The boy sets off with the old hermit, who gives him a weapon unique to the ancient order of guardians, a weapon that is also, coincidentally, the boy’s father’s.
As they travel, they train. The old hermit has the boy focus more on swordsmanship, but also teaches him a little bit about the ways of the mystical order of guardians. The boy meets up with a rogue who is full of surprises, but turns out to be fiercely loyal, for all his proclaimed selfishness. The boy also begins having visions of a beautiful woman imprisoned and in need of help–the same princess who sent him the object of importance.
The boy decides that he needs to rescue her, even though he doesn’t know her; further, he thinks of her only as beautiful. The old hermit dies as a sacrifice so that the boy can escape from danger; the damsel is rescued, and they must set off to the rebellion. The Empire tracks them, and shortly after reaching the rebellion, they are attacked. A massive battle happens, one whose outcome will either save the rebellion or destroy them completely.
The boy proves his worth with heroics during the battle, but his crowning achievement is his destruction of one of the Empire’s most prized weapons. The boy is aided in this by one of his friends, who arrives at precisely the right moment. The boy is lauded a hero.
The boy has a hallucination of a powerful master who can teach him more of the ancient order. The boy travels to the powerful master to learn the ways of the ancient order’s mystical power. While there, he grows very powerful. While he is away, the Rebellion regroups in a new area. Just when the boy is on a roll with his training, and has grown very powerful, he has a vision of his friends in great danger. He decides he must go to help them. His master warns him not to go. The boy promises that he will return. He leaves.
He finds his friends just in time and is able to distract the enemy so that his friends will remain safe. He engages in one-on-one combat with a foe who is revealed to be family–he finds out that his father was the right-hand man of the Emperor–his father was the one who betrayed the ancient order and helped kill them. The boy is shocked and ultimately defeated, but not killed. He loses his weapon and finds out that someone dear to him has been taken by a minor villain, and promises to find this person.
[edit] Movies
A feature film version of Eragon was released on December 15th, 2006. It met with mostly negative reviews, and garnered a mediocre 16% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes [4]. The adaptation took many liberties with the book's storyline; see differences between book and movie.
No plans for a film version of Eldest have been announced, though rumors and speculation exists[5].
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Eragon, 2nd edition, 2003. Christopher Paolini.
- Eldest, 1st edition, 2005. Christopher Paolini.
- Shurtugal.com - Christopher Paolini
[edit] Notes
- ↑ MacDonald, Jay. "Fantastic Voyage." Book Page September 2005: 5.
- ↑ http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375826696
- ↑ http://www.thequills.org/2006.html
- ↑ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/eragon/
- ↑ http://brisingr.info/eldest/will-eldest-the-movie-be-made/
[edit] External links
- Alagaesia.com, the official site
