Inheritance
Series: Inheritance Cycle, #4
Author: Christopher Paolini
Genre: Fantasy
Book Description:
It began with Eragon… It ends with Inheritance.
Not so very long ago, Eragon — Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider — was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.
Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chance.
The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?
This is the spellbinding conclusion to Christopher Paolini’s worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.
Review:
There were some things I really liked in Inheritance, and some I really disliked, but for the most part, the book simply drags out, with battle after battle being fought, and political squabbling of little interest among the Varden and their allies. To make matters worse, some of it is much more gruesome than necessary. Disgusting details are added or explored, simply to drag out the pages. Mixed with it are dark actions and thoughts from some of the characters, but in many cases – not all – it amounted to little exploration or development of the characters.
Nonetheless, there were a few things I really enjoyed about it, that may make the series worthwhile.
To avoid spoilers I won’t share who, and it doesn’t matter very much, but one of the characters is captured by Galbatorix and tortured. I really liked how the author handled that. That situation is contrasted with the fact Galbatorix almost certainly could have taken over the person’s mind and forced them to do what he wanted – swear allegiance to him. That sort of mind-control isn’t a trope I particularly enjoy. However, it was used here to explore the notion that torture/attempted coercion is not the same as not having a choice, and I thought that was very well-done. In particular, Galbatorix uses torture because a choice made by a person in control of their mind – in other words, free – is more binding than one that isn’t really a choice at all.
The other thing that really makes this book stand out is what an ancient dragon shares with Eragon, to help him defeat Galbatorix: the dreams of starlings are equal to the concerns of kings. Without going into spoilers, what allows Eragon to win is a compassion, and desire for understanding, inspired by this vision. It clashes with the majority of the book, with the reality of the war the Varden wage on the Empire, and the choices many of the characters make, but it was still a very insightful, powerful moment.
However, the ending is, in my opinion, ruined. Some parts of it feel forced in order to fit a trope or prophecy, even though it doesn’t fit the story and the established world-building at all. Other parts just made me cringe. I wouldn’t mind if they lead into a new series, exploring the ways in which the victors may have made the world worse, with some of the “good guys” as the new bad guys, but that does not seem likely. If it happens, I will read it though!
PS. I have to say Murtagh and Thorn are probably my favorite characters. There are others I would have liked to like, but they are some of the only ones that don’t seem like their personalities have been turned into a puddy in order to carry the plot.
Enthralled By Love 