On July 25th, Variety broke the news that an Eragon TV series was in development at Disney+ much to the joy of many #SaveEragon fans out there. In the 2000s and early 2010s, as studios scrambled to get their own Harry Potter-like franchise, Fox Studios released the infamously hated Eragon movie, before trying again with the (also panned) Percy Jackson series. Even the author has made some less than approving comments about the failed adaptation (another thing in common with Rick Riordan).
Despite a pretty stellar cast (okay the lead was not great, but Ed Speleers has gotten a lot better since!), the adaptation was hated by critics and readers alike. The failure lost the studio roughly $150 million dollars at the box office. I vividly remember disliking it at twelve-years-old. However, a pandemic rewatch with my partner (who had never seen it and only knew it in the context of my snide remarks) proved it to be much worse than I could ever imagine. Because of the recent good news, many readers are looking to revisit, restart, or even venture for the first time into the land of Alagaësia.
Where to start
Though Fox only released one movie, author Christopher Paolini wrote four books in the series and, in 2018, released a collection of short stories known as Tales from Alagaësia. The most clear-cut way to read the novels in order is to start with Eragon, then read Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance. Also, be thankful they are all out because it was supposed to be a trilogy. Those reading the series as it came out (me) realized in the author’s note of book three that Paolini decided to elongate the series by one book. This is how it went from “trilogy” to now “The Inheritance Cycle.” If you’re buying the books second hand ignore mentions of a trilogy.
Regarding The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm: Tales from Alagaësia, the best way to read this is to pick it up after reading the main four novels in the cycle. However, if you’ve already read the cycle and are very curious, you can jump right in because this takes place roughly one year after the events of the final novel. Spilt into three sections, each section features short stories around main characters outside of Eragon, Saphira, and Arya.
Bonus non-narrative books
If you want more lore breakdowns (because the novels, webpages, interviews, and replies on social media aren’t enough), there’s more! Paolini co-developed Eragon’s Guide to Alagaësia in 2009. This novel was done by the same people who did the Dragonology, Egyptology, Piratelogy, etc. series. The major difference is that because the material comes from one fictional universe, and Paolini has always been pretty engaged, lots of his notes and scans made it into the book. You can pick up this novel after reading Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr. However, it’s probably best if you finish Inheritance, too, if you can even get a hold of a copy.
(featured image: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers)
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