Christopher Paolini on Murtagh’s Journey, Returning to the World of Eragon, and More

These days, it feels like fantasy books about dragons and dragon riders are a dime a dozen. (See also: Rebecca Yarros’s massively successful Empyrean series, Samantha Shannon’s critically acclaimed Roots of Chaos books, Rosaria Munda’s charming YA adventure Fireborne, and Naomi Novik’s sprawling Temeraire saga.) But that wasn’t always the case. Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle was positively groundbreaking in this genre space when it first hit shelves back in 2003, a fast-paced coming-of-age tale with plenty of adventure and genuine emotional stakes that essentially went on to reshape reader expectations about what this particular subgenre was meant to be and do. (An went on to influence a generation of books that followed it.) 

Somehow, Eragon is turning twenty this year, an event that’s offering us all the opportunity to realize precisely how old we actually are, and reflect on the many ways the fantasy genre has grown and changed since the arrival of the Inheritance Cycle. But although the original four-book series concluded with 2011’s Inheritance, Paolini is far from finished with the world of Alagaësia.

This month marks the release of two new books from the beloved writer: Eragon: The Illustrated Edition, which takes readers back to where it all began, and Murtagh, a follow-up novel from the perspective of Eragon’s biggest rival as he embarks on a quest for redemption. Murtagh, unsurprisingly, is a much more mature sort of story, and one that will almost certainly stretch the boundaries of what readers expect from this universe. 

 We got the chance to chat with the one and only Christopher Paolini himself about his long-awaited return to the world of the Inheritance Cycle, why he chose to focus this story on Murtagh, the demands of writing two successful series, and more. 

Paste: So, I guess I should start with the obvious — why was now the time for you to return to the Inheritance Cycle universe?

 Christopher Paolini: I’ve always intended to write more books set in the World of Eragon. However, after finishing the Cycle, I needed a break. I’d spent over a decade doing nothing but writing to deadlines, touring, and generally working. That, and I really wanted to write other types of stories.

So, I created the Fractalverse (my science fiction universe), and wrote and published To Sleep in a Sea of Stars and its prequel, Fractal Noise. Unfortunately, To Sleep took way longer to write than I expected, which is why it’s taken me so many years to return to the World of Eragon.

 Also, I won’t lie: the fact that this year is the twentieth-year anniversary of the hardcover publication of Eragon was pretty good motivation as well.

Paste: I’ve read some other interviews you’ve given on this subject, and it doesn’t sound as though Murtagh was necessarily the story that was supposed to come next in this saga. Why did it?

Paolini: When I started looking at the story/book that I originally intended to be Book V, I realized that I would have to do way too much scene-setting and explaining in order to get readers up to speed. Murtagh helps address that issue. 

Also, back in 2018/2019, I published The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm, a collection of short stories set in the World of Eragon. The first story, “The Fork”, revolves around Murtagh. Writing it got me thinking about a larger story involving his character and, well, the rest is history.

Paset: I’m not sure that if asked, I would have ever guessed your next Inheritance Cycle book would be about Murtagh. What inspired you to dig into this particular character as an author (I know he’s very popular with readers and fans, so I doubt anyone is complaining!)

Paolini: In many ways, the Inheritance Cycle is the story of three (somewhat) brothers. Eragon, his cousin Roran, and Eragon’s half-brother, Murtagh. They’re each equally important to the story. However, since the series is primarily from Eragon’s point-of-view, readers never really got to experience Murtagh’s journey, which I think is a shame.

To be clear, though, Murtagh takes place after the Inheritance Cycle. It isn’t a rehash of past events.

 Paste: Tell me a little about how you see Murtagh’s journey in this book. He’s certainly on a much darker road than his half-brother, how was it getting to write a story that has more mature themes?

 Paolini: I found it enormously rewarding to write about a character who is both more mature and more complicated than Eragon was for the majority of the Cycle. Especially now that I’m older myself. Dramatically, Murtagh (and Thorn!) presented all sorts of interesting opportunities, and I did my best to take advantage of them in this book.

 Also, since a lot of my readers have grown up with the series, even as I did, I wanted to give them a book that would satisfy them as much as it will also hopefully satisfy younger readers.

 Paste: One of my favorite things is the relationship between Murtagh and Thorn—-they’re such a, well, sort. of a lonely duo, but it allows the book to kind of delve into that dragon/rider bond in a new way. What sets their relationship apart do you think? 

Paolini: Murtagh and Thorn were joined under the most difficult of circumstances, and that shapes their interactions in a thousand different ways. Their relationship is more, ah, thorny than Eragon and Saphira’s, but they also still love each other and would lay down their lives for one another, should the occasion demand it. 

I found their interactions really interesting to write. Also, it felt important that I didn’t directly replicate Eragon and Saphira’s relationship. Murtagh and Thorn are very different beings, and readers should see that.

Paste: Somehow—and trust me this makes me feel ancient to be asking—we’re at the 20th anniversary of Eragon. How does it feel to know that you’ve got two decades under your belt, writing in this universe and building something so many readers (of all ages now!) have connected with?

 Paolini: Even more than two decades! I started working on Eragon all the way back in 1998, which means I’ve been living with these characters and this world for a quarter of a century.

It’s hard to wrap my brain around. The Inheritance Cycle (and now Murtagh) have been such an enormous part of my life. I have no idea who I would be or what I would be doing without them. My overriding feeling is one of gratitude that people have read the series and continue to do so. Without that support, I never would have been able to write these books. So a big thank you from me to every one of my readers.

Paste: Has it been strange finding ways (and time I imagine!) to write in both the Inheritance Cycle universe and your Fractalverse series? Does it ever feel as though they have unexpected similarities or are they good escapes from one another?

Paolini: Both of those things are true. It can be a bit of whiplash to go from writing about dragons to writing about spaceships, but in the end, all of my stories are about people and the journeys they’re on. The trappings matter less than the feelings.

 Ideally, I’d love to alternate between the Fractalverse and the World of Eragon. I’d be very happy doing that for the rest of my writing career.

Paste: I don’t know if you can even speak to this given everything that’s been happening with the SAG-AFTRA strike, but can you tease anything for us about the upcoming Disney+ Eragon series?

Paolini: Alas, there’s not a whole to say at the moment. We were just getting to a place where we could get the show off the ground when the strike happened. 

As a result, the show was put on hold, certain personnel moved on, and now we’re having to restart things almost from scratch. Still, I’m hopeful, and I can’t wait to bring a faithful, exciting, and high-quality adaptation to audiences everywhere.

 Paste: What’s next for the Inheritance Cycle? I think Murtagh is obviously going to leave readers hoping for more.

 Paolini: That’s the hope! As for what’s next . . . I have a huge number of stories planned in this world. I just have to write them. And of course, I still need to find time for the Fractalverse. 

In the immediate future, I have to focus on my upcoming book tour. (I can’t wait to meet readers all across the world.) After that, I’ll take a deep breath and then figure out what book I want to tackle next.

Paste: And my favorite question, always: what are you reading right now? Do you even have time these days to read for pleasure? 

 Paolini: I just read the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, which was fun. And before that, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir and Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.

Murtagh is available now.

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Lacy Baugher Milas is the Books Editor at Paste Magazine, but loves nerding out about all sorts of pop culture. You can find her on Twitter @LacyMB