Christopher Paolini won readers’ hearts as a teenager when debut novel Eragon hit shelves and became an international bestseller. The titular hero Eragon is a 15-year-old boy who leads a humble life on his uncle’s farm until he finds a blue stone that turns out to be a dragon egg. That discovery leads Eragon into a dangerous and thrilling life of magic and glory.
The sequels in the Inheritance series follow Eragon and his quest to defeat the evil King Galbatorix. However, Paolini and the series are quick to note that the world has room for more than one hero. Roran, Eragon’s cousin and oldest friend, takes up the mantle (and hammer) of a warrior. Arya, the Elven apple of Eragon’s eye, is a master swordsman and powerful magic user.
Murtagh, Eragon’s companion through much of book one, has a more tortured path to tread. Captured and tortured, the once-honorable rogue is forced into the enemy’s ranks.
When we last saw Murtagh in Inheritance, he and his dragon Thorn were seeking space and time to contemplate the new world and their role within it.
For more than a decade, it seemed like that might be where the story ended. However, Paolini announced on March 8 that he plans to return to the world of Alagaësia with Murtagh. The story is set a year after the events of Inheritance in which Murtagh and Thorn must face both the consequences of their actions and a new, terrible threat.
It will also interest readers to know that Paolini intends for Murtagh to open the door to more stories in Alagaësia going forward.
Murtagh will not be available until November 7 (though you can pre-order now), but a few months is nothing compared to the 12 years fans have waited since the last Inheritance installment was published. Check out the official marketing copy for Murtagh below, and get ready to return to the world of Dragon Riders.
Official Book-Cover Copy for Murtagh
“The world is no longer safe for the Dragon Rider Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn. An evil king has been toppled, and they are left to face the consequences of the reluctant role they played in his reign of terror. Now they are hated and alone, exiled to the outskirts of society.
“Throughout the land, hushed voices whisper of brittle ground and a faint scent of brimstone in the air—and Murtagh senses that something wicked lurks in the shadows of Alagaësia. So begins an epic journey into lands both familiar and untraveled, where Murtagh and Thorn must use every weapon in their arsenal, from brains to brawn, to find and outwit a mysterious witch. A witch who is much more than she seems.
“In this gripping novel starring one of the most popular characters from Christopher Paolini’s blockbuster Inheritance Cycle, a Dragon Rider must discover what he stands for in a world that has abandoned him. Murtagh is the perfect book to enter the World of Eragon for the first time . . . or to joyfully return.”
Excerpt from Amazon.
