The Inheritance Cycle is my second favourite book series (No brownies for guessing which one is the first) of all time. I was introduced to the series by my sister when I was in the eighth grade (to the best of my knowledge. I finished reading Harry Potter when I reached the former half of the seventh grade. Again, to the best of my knowledge. Yep, I’m an amnesiac)
I have reread the series once. (I say this with certainty). My favourite characters in the series are Arya and Oromis and Saphira. The magic that fascinated me the most was the creation of fairths. I really wish we could do that irl. It would be so much better than Instagram. Also, dragons. DRAGONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm” by Christopher Paolini hit the bookshelves eight years after “Inheritance” was published. Paolini does not intend for this book to extend upon the story he wrapped up in Inheritance. Rather, it’s a collection of short stories which expands upon the backstories of the characters in the series and takes us further into the past of the fantastic world of Alagaësia.
The main story that stitches the three short stories together (frame narrative, for you nerds) is this: Eragon and Saphira have moved to the Mount Arngor (Fell Thindarë in the Ancient Language) situated in the Beor Mountains to work on their vocation of building a safe haven for the purpose of training and nurturing future Dragon Riders. Eragon, though, is burdened by the immensity of this task. Constructing a dragonhold, guarding dragon eggs, dealing with the Urgals, Elves and Dwarves and Humans are problems that have taken over Eragon’s life and snatched away his exuberant youth. I quote from the book:
As ridiculously stressful as fighting the Empire and facing Galbatorix had been – and Eragon never, ever wanted to experience anything similar – it had been exciting too.
The plot which drives the main story is this:
Can Eragon step up to the challenge of being a good administrator, diplomat, guide and a leader?
The three short stories are “The Fork”, “The Witch” and “The Worm”.
“The Fork” is a story about a (what’s that word used to describe a person who is adored and hated at the same time?) character with a dash of a tavern brawl, a wee slip of a flighty teenager and a slice of super-cool magic.
“The Witch” is a story about a mysterious character, named and based after Paolini’s sister, Angela Paolini. And bonus: the story was written by Angela Paolini herself! How cool is that!
“The Worm” is a story which introduces us to the history and culture of Galbatorix’s footsoldiers, the Urgals, and… ANOTHER DRAGON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don’t get your hopes of fixing Saphira’s rishta up so soon, though. It’s an Urgal legend. (Gettit? Urban myth = Urgal legend? I know right, my sense of humour is too evolved for you)
While I waited for my review copy of this book to arrive (thank you Penguin India!), I toyed with the idea of rereading the entire Inheritance Cycle series. Just to get a quick refresher of the entire Alagaësian world. But then, I realised that a cooler idea would be to dive into the new book without rereading a word of the series. Not even a quick Wikipedia summary. Rely only on my memory and whatever throwbacks Paolini chooses to insert into the new story.
And my cooler idea was indeed COOL! The references to the Inheritance Cycle given in TFTW&TW were enough for me to remember the important stuff and also more than enough for me to start reminiscing about my school days; the days when reading those really fat books swathed in jewel-coloured covers was the only thing on my to-do list.
What I liked about this book is that every word of it fits right into Paolini’s writing style, the one that had cast a spell on me almost a decade ago. Reading TFTW&TW felt like returning to Du Weldenvarden after a really long mission to the Hadarac Desert.
Paolini capitalises on his prowess of describing picturesque scenes with stunning clarity and also his skill at concocting new characters and timelines. He’s a wizard.
The short story I liked the most is “the Worm“. I was spellbound from the minute I started reading this short story. I couldn’t put the book down/away once I started it. The nail-biting end of this story, which heralds the end of the main Eragon-and-Saphira story, is brilliant. In this story, a young Urgal witnesses the tragic death of her father at the hands of a fearsome dragon, Vêrmund, and starts pursuing a path to avenging her father’s death. Does she succeed? And at what cost?
All in all, as we near the end of this collection of short stories, one thing is clear: the Elves, the Dwarves, the Urgals, the Dragons (bless their Eldunarí) and the Humans all have one thing in common : strife. This particular commonality is the key to unlocking unity and compassion across them all. Sitting around a campfire with the Urgals or reaching out to the Eldunarí for their help is the sticky web woven by the spider of Similitude.
Okay, I’ll stop being a lame, philosophical snob and get back to being an amateur reviewer.
I recommend it to every lover of the Fantasy genre. Even if you haven’t read the Inheritance Cycle yet / haven’t read it in the recent five years, pick up a copy of this book and get a teaser into the fabulous world created by Christopher Paolini. And if you’re already a fan, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? FOR A DRAGON EGG TO HATCH???? Get your copy already.
~Amateur – Reviewer
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