I liked it; it was good
I read Christopher Paolini’s series The Inheritance Cycle back when I was in elementary school. I enjoyed it a lot, and plan to read all four books again, so when I saw that there was a series of short stories to go along with them, I bought it immediately.
Read: May 25 – May 26, 2024
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Middle-grade, Teen
Book contains: fight scene; scars; bullying; monster
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Eragon, Saphira, and the dragon riders have settled beyond the map of Alagaësia in a snowy mountain, where Eragon struggles with the politics of their new home. As they wait for the first hatching of their dormant dragon eggs, stories are told and visitors are welcomed.
I wasn’t sure what sort of structure I was expecting, perhaps a collection of short stories, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book followed a single narrative, in which Eragon is dealing with the aftermath of setting out to find a new place for the dragons, with new tales thrown in for his benefit. There is a story about a Fork, a story about a Witch, and a story about a Worm, just as the title promises.
That said, it is told in Third Person Limited perspective, following Eragon for the most part. The story of the worm—the longest tale—is told from the perspective of a new character, as it is an oral legend passed down through the Urgals.
I listened along to these tales on YouTube with the channel ReadM8. He has created a playlist for this book. He was an excellent reader, though he missed a word or a sentence here and there.
We return to familiar characters from The Inheritance Cycle, such as Eragon and Saphira, but also Murtagh, Elva, and the past dragons’ consciousnesses. A few new characters show up in the stories and around the mountain—characters whom you really get a sense of their personalities, even in a few short pages.
Though Saphira isn’t much of a character, she and Eragon keep their strong familial bond. Friendships and alliances come in as the narrative requires, but Paolini does well in establishing the relationships he writes about.
This series is written for children aged 11 and up, and it’s definitely a story that can be enjoyed by all ages up there. The writing is elegant—not as casual as some, but not as formal or complex as others.
At no point did this book feel rushed or too slow. The pacing ebbed and flowed naturally as the narrative called for it, and I am pleased to say I didn’t prefer one story over another. They were all excellent tales to follow, and each left a mark on what this book was trying to accomplish.
If you were a fan of The Inheritance Cycle, I highly recommend this book! You have to have read those books first, though, or it won’t make much sense when you read this one.
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Dragon Rider Book 1: Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
How to Train Your Dragon Book 1: How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
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