Hey guys. Christopher finally had his first post-release interview with Shurtugal.com’s Mike McCauley, and, while there is more to come, the first installment was pretty enlightening.

As most of you have read, I was a little less critical about the book as a whole than many on the site, but even I was very irked with a lot of loose ends in the book (and the series as a whole), especially with the ending scene and the romance (or lack-there-of) between Eragon and Arya. Well, as I’ve said, I believed that the ending was originally intended to be much different then what was released. It turns out I was right.

Christopher Paolini: The ending evolved as I wrote the story. Originally, Eragon and Arya were to leave together, Roran was going to become king, and Queen Islanzad well, at first I was going to kill her, then I decided to let her live, and then I decided that if Arya was to stay, Islanzad had to die after all.

Mike Macauley: What caused the major shift in thinking?

Christopher Paolini: Basically, I realized that the characters werent the people I thought they were back when I was fifteen, and that if I forced Eragon and Arya together (and it would be forcing them) I would end up breaking Aryas character. I wrote a big chunk of Inheritance thinking that she and Eragon would be together. However the scenes between them, scenes where they were rather openly flirting, just did not work. Essentially, I was writing Arya the way that Eragon *wanted* her to be, not the way that she actually was. So, I cut back on the flirting. When I did that, I realized that it made no sense for Arya to suddenly turn on a dime at the end and leap into Eragons arms. If she did, it would seem as if she was only doing it for the sake of the dragons, not for Eragon, and Eragon himself would have noticed this. It would have left a very bitter taste in peoples mouths, I think.

This was exactly what I thought had happened, though I’m not exactly thrilled about it. I kind of hoped that maybe Chris had some other good reason for ending the story how he did that would make me less annoyed, but that could not be the case.

So, Chris changed the fates of Eragon, Arya, Islanzadi and Roran. Roran’s change is fine with me. All of the hinting/foreshadowing of the future king being from Palancar Valley doesn’t make sense anymore, but I think the new ending works well with Roran. And Islanzadi could have gone either way, though I leaned toward her dying anyway based on foreshadowing. What does NOT sit well with me is Eragon and Arya’s ending.

First of all, Chris admits to writing a “big chunk” of the book with the intention of Eragon and Arya being together only to change his mind toward the end, apparently because he couldn’t write Arya “flirting.” Before I say anything else, I just wanted to add that his intentions for them clearly showed in the book and the fact that they didn’t get together seemed all the more cheap because those scenes were clearly hinting toward their future together. Since Chris decided that wasn’t going to happen– whatever arguments one can present for or against that– I think we can all agree that he clearly needed to go back to those early pages and rewrite them from a clean slate. They were not “cut back” on nearly enough. And maybe omitting them entirely would have set a better mood for their relationship in the end. But that is on him and his editor.

Now, as for the “flirting” thing, if he means that how it sounds, that is the most immature thing I’ve ever heard from his mouth. Can any of you picture Arya “openly flirting” with anybody? I can’t either. But the reason for that isn’t because it’s unimaginable for Arya to show romantic affection towards someone. It’s because Arya is an experienced, wise, and, most importantly, introverted character. Is it going to feel right for ANY introverted character to flirt openly with someone? Of course not! But that doesn’t mean those people cannot openly show affection in other ways!

Then there is the quote, “suddenly turn on a dime at the end and leap into Eragons arms.” Okay. She wouldn’t be suddenly turning on a dime whether she was openly flirting with him before or not. It has been clear since AT LEAST early in Brisingr that she has feelings for him. Accepting him finally is not a sharp turn at all. Also… “leap into Eragons arms?” Is he serious? Was that really how Chris saw their relationship starting? Does Chris think he’s writing Twilight or something? Of course the thought of Arya leaping into his arms– or some other public, clich, romantic display– is absurd. I fear the problem the whole time was Christopher’s apparent antiquated idea of what romance is. Flirting and leaping into the man’s arms are definitely not what anyone expected of Arya, but there are more mature ways to show love and be with another person.

Also, whether there was justification for Arya to become Queen in Chris’s mind or not, there was NOT sufficient justification in the book for the readers. That is a fact. But I was hoping to get some insight from Chris on the subject, to which he said:

Christopher Paolini: Arya is/was so devoted to the service of her people, she had the yaw glyph tattooed on her shoulder. Remember, the yaw symbolizes selfless service. She left Du Weldenvarden in the first place because of her differences with her mother and her need to serve. Well, now Galbatorix is dead, as is her mother, and it seems entirely reasonable to me that Arya would have no trouble returning to Ellesmra now.

I don’t know about all of you, but that did not look to me to be justification for her to become Queen. I have no problem with her returning to Ellesmera, but becoming Queen is a considerably larger decision. Again, if you ask me, Chris soured on the idea of the ending he had in his head and decided she needed to stay, so he needed some reason to make her stay, no matter how weak that reason. I feel a little bit let down that he still cannot justify it to me. The same goes for Eragon’s reasoning for leaving Alagaesia.

All that being said, there were a few things from the interview that were interesting and positive. We got a bit of answer about Brom’s final words (basically he never could fit them in — better than being forgotten, I guess), a “No Comment,” in regards to Murtagh and Thorn’s ambiguous future, and assurance that the mysterious women were indeed intended to be the protagonists of a future installment. The news of plans for the future (including promise of revisiting old characters and loose-ends) did give me some happiness, though I would have been more excited with a good ending to Inheritance. Still. I am looking somewhat forward to the future of the series. Hopefully Chris matures his writing and doesn’t over-think his plot too much in his next one.

Well, anyway, that’s my take on it. What do you all think?

Link to full interview: click here

Hey everyone. I know a lot of you have been wondering where the hell Ive been and why I havent chime in the last week. Actually I just finished the book last night. You wouldnt believe the distractions Ive had that interrupted my reading. Only on the first day for about 6 hours did I have any substantial time to read in one sitting without being to tired to focus long. But, anyway, Im done now, and I know everybody wants some review of the book. So, I will give my review and any who wish to do the same may do so below or on the Forum thread that IrishGal was nice enough to set up in my absence.

Let me start out by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed the large majority of the book. It was an engaging read for me, and had some amazing action and steady character development, with a few exceptions. However it was not perfect, had a number of plot holes, unanswered questions, and insufficiently answered questions and a bit of a rushed feel toward the end. If we get into the particulars and the details, you will find flaws, but I still think that, overall, the story was pretty epic and action-pack as well as moving at times.

Now, I know a lot of you are hating on the book. Ive read a lot of the comments on the forum thread complaining about one thing or another, a question unanswered, unfulfilled expectations, etc. But I ask all of you to sit back and remember the whole plot in a general context and tell me that it wasnt a pretty good story.

My biggest problems with the book on a general level were the way that MANY of the loose ends were saved post-climax (making it unnecessarily long), the way that the previously established methods of fighting with magic on the battlefield and the ability to absorb energy from life around you (or from un guarded soldiers themselves) were pretty much abandoned without apparent reason, and the enormous time spent on the explicit details of battle and war plans in place of exploring relationships, tying loose ends properly and pacing the book to get you to the important details in a timely manner. Also, never once was Eldunarya used. Chris has said explicitly that this is the plural form of eldunari, yet he repeatedly used eldunari for both singular and plural usage, which urked me a lot. There was no reason for that.

However, I did love the cleverness Roran displayed repeatedly, the development of Elvas sense of duty, Angelas continued sense of mystery and humor (She was never meant to be more than a mystery guys. Get over trying to figure her out), Nasuadas ever-present strength and leadership ability, Murtaghs growth and eventual redemption through his love for Nasuada, Aryas ever more apparent, subtle, elf-like displays of affection for Eragon, and Eragons maturity and growth into a man, Rider and true leader. Above all else, though, Galbatorixs menace and silver tongue were pretty damn well-written, and even I as a reader found myself questioning his supposed evilness, having been presented with a perfectly reasonable picture of Alagaesia and somehow being manipulated into marginalizing his horrible deeds until they were pointed out again by Nasuada or Eragon. He was the perfect villain.

That being said, I want to remark on a few things. For spaces sake I will get into the particulars in the comments below.

Notice: I am not the owner or administrator of this site, but I believe I speak for Patrick when I say this.

Some of you are getting your copies of Inheritance early… several days (almost a week) early in some cases. But the vast majority of us, myself included, will not be getting the book until November 8th. In the mean time, many of us are discussing and chatting about the book to tide ourselves over until we get our copies. So, IF you got your book early or will get it early, (lucky!) be courteous to those of us who have have to wait and come here to ease the anticipation.

DO NOT SPOIL ANYTHING IN THE BOOKS!

Under any circumstances.

I mean nothing. No plots, no romances, no reveals, no posting on theories declaring them “right,” “wrong,” or “close,” nothing. Not even general opinions. As hard as it is for you to resist talking about it for a few days, imagine how hard it is for the rest of is to not know and to have to avoid people who do. Just hold off!

On November 8th, after the wide release (sorry for those who have to wait for translations), and no sooner, everyone can join in together on the site and discuss the book. But, please wait until that day. Thanks guys!

Hey guys. Usually, I write out long arguments or analyses for my articles, but today I just wanted to point you to a useful page. I know a lot of you don’t read the interviews or haven’t read any in a long time. However, in preparation for the release, which some of you are apparently getting 4 days early (I hate you all!), you may all want to read up on some of the more significant hints suggested in interview with Christopher Paolini. Head over to Shurtugal where Mike has compiled an awesome list of such interview hints.

Link to article:http://shurtugal.com/2011/11/02/big-twenty-hop-in-the-interview-time-machine-christophers-biggest-and-best-book-4-interview-reveals/

Hey Guys. Part 2 of Mike McCauley’s latest interview with Christopher Paolini was posted a few days ago, and, as promised, here’s my article on it (sorry for the delay before this post… I’ve been on a Breaking Bad marathon! Great show!). The interview was kinda lean on the interesting material, in my opinion at least, so it won’t be as long as the last one. But I will list some of the things I found interesting and welcome anyone to include any insight they gained from the rest.

Anyway, the first thing that really peaked my interest was a settlement to the mechanics of the aging of the “Immortals” of the Inheritance universe, some of which i have seen debated among fans. The way Christopher explains it is that an immortal or one who becomes an Immortal will age normally until they reach physical maturity (probably around 20 years old). From then on out, there bodies age at animperceptible rate, where only hundreds of years will betray any visible signs of aging, and even then, only subtly. He also says that, given enough time, an Immortal may very well grow old enoughto die of old age.

Similarly, on the topic of the oldest Rider that ever lived, Christopher says that, theoretically, the first Rider to be bonded to his dragon after the Blood-Oath would be the oldest, should he have lived until the Fall. He mentions that Rhunon has been alive since the Blood-Oath, or at least shortly after, and that he “think[s] she’s the oldest character to appear in the series to date.” His hint that she may not be the oldest character after this time made me question two things: 1) Was Eragon I ever bonded to Bid’Daum after the Blood-Oath? I think a special spell would have been included in the Oath to do that. and 2) Could Eragon I have been Chris’s “Theoretical” Rider, and, if so, could he be hinting at thepossibilityof him surviving all this time, being older than Rhunon? It seems unlikely, though, since Chris has said in interview that Galbatorix is the only hidden Rider remaining in Alagaesia.

Christopher suggested that, should the Japanese version of Inheritance be split in half like Brisingr, we would likely get a cover by John Jude Palencar featuring Shruikan. (Awesome!)

Chris talks about his next project, likely a Science Fiction short story or novella.

The question of whether Domia Abr Wyrda would be seen in book 4 is answered with a simple, “no comment.” But, of course, that’s no surprise. We already know it will play a role and an important one at that from the first part of the interview where he thought it would make a good cover for the final book. But, it does make me think that it will be VERY important if he doesn’t even want to admit its presence in the book.

Really peaking my interest, when Mike asks about Vreal’s task described as struggling “to save what he could and keep the remaining dragons from falling to his enemies,” Chris admits that Vreal was trying to save some wild dragons but failed in that task. When asked if any could have flown away to other lands to save themselves, Chris gives a definitive no. Interestingly, though, he says that had any fled, “Galbatorix would have tracked them down and killed or enslaved[!!!!!] them.” using the strength of the eldunari he had control of to do it remotely. I think it may be possible that Galbatorix has had more than eggs since the Fall. He may have had full-grown dragons enslaved in secret. Though, if this is true, none are female, we can be sure, or Galbatorix would already have more eggs and Saphira would not be so precious to him. It’s an interesting idea for sure, and one that never occurred to me before now.

He reveals that Angela’s fortune telling to Selena was, indeed, one of the reasons that she turned against Morzan and hid in Palancar Valley to give birth to Eragon. It makes one wonder what exactly Angela foretold for Selena. I wonder if we will ever be told, exactly. Maybe if Eragon reveals to Angela that Selena was his mother?

We will be getting a lot more murtagh, “buckets” and “giant pools” of him in book 4. Maybe even some chapters from his perspective? *crosses fingers*

And, finally, among the people he lists as having fates changed from the original plan written over 10 years ago, beside Eragon, Roran, Arya and Nasuada, is Islanzadi. Mike and I both were surprised to see her mentioned with some of the other main characters because, as important as she is, she is still a supporting character. But this only confirms, in my mind, that the Elf funeral we heard about in a previous interview will be the Queen and mother of Arya. As morbid as this sounds, I’m looking forward to seeing what her funeral will be like.

Anyway, I actually got more out of that than I thought I would! Let me know what you are all thinking. ONE MORE WEEK TO GO!!!! XD

Full Interview at http://lytherus.com/2011/10/28/exclusiveinterview-with-christopher-paolini-part-2/

by Vadersapp

Hey guys, though it’s to be expected this close to the release date, there’s been a lull in both fan-posts and inheritance news as of late. I was planning on waiting for the release of the second half of Mike McCauley’s interview with Christopher Paolini before posting this, just to pace things out a bit, but many of you are getting restless and have asked for something new. So, I decided to go ahead and post this article now, and, hopefully, the interview article will follow before too long. Hope you like it.

There’s a lot of fan debate about various Inheritance topics, primarily when it comes to what will happen in the final book. There are arguments over everything from Brom’s final words to Shruiken’s fate. It seems it really doesn’t matter what subject you talk about. If it wasn’t explainedthoroughly in the book, there will be disagreements about some detail. I expect this subject to be no different.

Arya’s feelings toward Eragon and their potential romance is one of the least agreed upon subjects in the entire cycle. Here, though, I’d like to discuss what my feelings on the subject are and why. First of all, let’s lay the groundwork. Let’s go back to where the story of their relationship really begins: Angela’s casting of the dragon knucklebones.

From the symbol of “a rose blossom inscribed between the horns of a crescent moon,” Angela predicted that an “epic romance” lay in his future and that it would be “strong enough to outlast empires.” She could not tell if it would end happily, but she could tell that his love would be “of noble birth and heritage,” “powerful, wise, and beautiful beyond compare.” At the time, Eragon was still, in his eyes, a simple farm boy and did not know anyoneof noble birth, let alone one that would fall for him. Yet it was only a few months later that he met the beautiful elf, Arya, who later turns out to be of verynoble birth, being both princess and heir to the throne of the Elf Kingdom.

From the first time Eragon saw Arya, he has been helpless to resist his feelings toward her. He eventually breaks down and reveals said feelings, only to be rejected multiple times. Arya reasons with him that their ages and life experience are too far apart and that they each have duties to perform that are more important than any romance. This repeated rejection by Arya has led many to conclude that she does not have feelings for Eragon and will never be with him. This, however, may not be the case.

In Brisingr, when she finds out that Eragon is left alone in the Empire after killing the Ra’zac and their mounts/parents, Arya immediately runs into the enemy’s territory, without a second thought, in order to ensure his safety. Once she finds him and they begin to travel back to the Varden together, things get even moresuspicious. Soon she is healing his wound for him, which he could have easily done himself, and having long emotional discussions while placing her hand on him. Many people are still hung up on her rejections of Eragon from Eldest and maintain that she has no feelings for him. However, I would argue that she has at least the slightest of romantic feelings for Eragon.

Think about this: if those scenes had taken place without any previous scenes of a rejection, would anybodyargue that she sees him as only a friend/peer? Absolutely not. It would be all too clear that she cares deeply for him, just as he does for her. And, I believe that this is the case, now. But, some of you would ask, why then would she have rejected him?” And, I would say, “Good question.”

Let’s examine her reasons for rejecting him in Eldest (and, by the way, notice she never says that she doesn’t have feelings for him, too): They’re too far apart in age, Arya being a little over 100 years old, while Eragon is now 16. Their life experience is vastly different. And, they have duties to the rebellion that make no room for romances.

As I’ve said many times on this site, the age difference is moot. They’re immortal. What difference does approximately 85 years make in an immortal’s life? None. And, as for life experience, I’d say if there is anything Eragon is gaining in leaps and bounds, it’s life experience. Both of those issues can be solved simply with time. Besides that, Arya herself admitted that the man in her previous relationship, Faolin –who died trying to protect her from Durza– was much older than her, showing that even she realizes that age difference means very little, especially if you care for them.

And as for their duties to the rebellion, well, I’d argue first off that they could maintain a romantic relationship and still fulfill their duties (Eragon is pretty much already doing that from his side of things, haha. Poor guy.). But, even accepting that, that’s not a death sentence to their potential romance. That’s just an obstacle. If and when Galbatorix is defeated, there will be no reason that they cannot be together. And, I think Arya knows that.

The whole thing comes down to a dilemma for Arya. I completely believe that she already has feelings for him. Maybe not quite love, but she does care for him romantically. But, she knows that she has to ensure the future of Alagaesia over the future of her relationship. The problem is, Eragon, despite her best attempts, continues to be infatuated with her. She cares for him, of that I have no doubt, but she doesn’t want to distract him from his goal, either. That’s why she rejected him in the first place. However, as that didn’t work to deter him, and has, in fact, distracted him even more than before, I think she is flirting with the idea of being with him now. She may be thinking that if she is open about her feelings, then maybe he will settle his feelings with her and focus on the task at hand.