Welcome friend! The whole reason I reread Inheritance Cycle was for this book. Murtagh has the feel of a standalone novel though truly it is a set up for something big to come and I love that! I had never imagined exploring post-war Alagaësia with Murtagh and Thorn and this journey was singularly heartwarming and heartbreaking. Here is what this book is about:
Murtagh
Christopher Paolini
Goodreads
The Inheritance Cycle # 5
Master storyteller and internationally bestselling author Christopher Paolini returns to the World of Eragon in this stunning epic fantasy set a year after the events of the Inheritance Cycle. Join Dragon Rider—and fan favorite—Murtagh and his dragon as they confront a perilous new enemy!
The world is no longer safe for the Dragon Rider Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn. An evil king has been toppled, and they are left to face the consequences of the reluctant role they played in his reign of terror. Now they are hated and alone, exiled to the outskirts of society.
Throughout the land, hushed voices whisper of brittle ground and a faint scent of brimstone in the air—and Murtagh senses that something wicked lurks in the shadows of Alagaësia. So begins an epic journey into lands both familiar and untraveled, where Murtagh and Thorn must use every weapon in their arsenal, from brains to brawn, to find and outwit a mysterious witch. A witch who is much more than she seems.
In this gripping novel starring one of the most popular characters from Christopher Paolini’s blockbuster Inheritance Cycle, a Dragon Rider must discover what he stands for in a world that has abandoned him. Murtagh is the perfect book to enter the World of Eragon for the first time . . . or to joyfully return.
Content notes include torture, confinement, injury, death, hunting, claustrophobia.
Murtagh – Review
In the beginning, Murtagh and Thorn are wanderers. Once Galbatorix was defeated, Murtagh and Thorn left. They wanted to disconnect from the atrocities that they had committed, even if committed against their will, and give Nasuada a chance to rebuild the Empire without their presence. Knowing the nature of magic and Galbatorix, they started to look for magical anomalies and weed out threats that Nasuada might not have been aware of.
In The Fork, the Witch and the Worm, while visiting Ceunon, they encountered a merchant who could not be harmed by magic. They learned of a witch named Bachel and decided to seek her out. Murtagh is the story of them finding and confronting that witch.
Connection to Inheritance Cycle
While I was rereading Inheritance, I identified bits and pieces of lore that I was interested to know more about, including the Hall of the Soothsayer and Galbatorix’s efforts to hide the Ra’zac eggs. I saw them as potentials for more events in the world. Murtagh proved me right as it focuses on the Soothsayer.
Turns out Bachel, the witch, is a Soothsayer and her lair is located above a similar structure as where Galbatorix had imprisoned and tortured Nasuada. Here is the excerpt from Inheritance:
By happenstance, they discovered that the vapors rising out of the crack in the stone increased the chances that those who slept near it might catch a glimpse, if however confused, of future events. So, over two and a half thousand years ago, the elves built this room atop the fissure and an oracle came to live here for many hundreds of years, even after the elves abandoned the rest of Ilirea.She sat where you now lie, and she whiled away the centuries dreaming of all that has been and all that might be. […] She had no name other than the title Soothsayer, and certain stories lead me to believe she was neither elf nor dwarf but something else entirely. Be that as it may, during her residency, this chamber came to be called, as you might expect, the Hall of the Soothsayer, and so it still is today – only now you are the soothsayer, Nausada.
Galbatorix on pg 421, Inheritance
Looking back at this excerpt, I love that this piece of legend, of the vapors, the dreamers and the Soothsayer were already part of the world, lobe before they were fleshed out in Murtagh.
Exploration of Alagaësia
Alagaësia after the war is a place enriched with species. Through the course of the story, Murtagh encountered werecats (who are now abundant in the cities), enchanted fishes (remnants of Durza, whose terror one would know well if they read Inheritance Cycle), magical artifacts, Urgals, dwarves and a cult. Murtagh and Thorn travel to isolated parts of Alagaësia and discover new dangers there. They had been warned by the dragon Umaroth before they left to avoid that place but they persist regardless and end up underestimating the danger they have walked into.
Character Relationships
Though Murtagh is marketed as potentially an entry in the world of Alagaësia, almost as a fresh chapter, I believe that knowing the Inheritance Cycle is important to understand the characters and where they come from. The book does share Murtagh’s past trials and how he and Thorn came to serve Galbatorix but that comes much later.
Murtagh and Thorn’s relationship often reminded me of Eragon and Saphira. These Dragon-Rider pairings are so different and it was fun to contrast them as I read. Thorn chose Murtagh as his rider but for the longest time, they were separated. It’s an understatement to say that Galbatorix was cruel to young Thorn. He used fear to train Thorn and force Murtagh to obey him.
The pain of the hatchling – the pain of such a perfect, innocent creature, a pain that he felt as if each fleck of agony were his own – it was too much. Of his own, he could have endured. But not this.
Murtagh on pg 460, Murtagh
Murtagh bears the mark of his father’s anger and didn’t spend much time with his mother. As a result, he was lonely until Thorn came about and together they were subjugated and used by Galbatorix. They were nothing but instruments in the demise of Glaedr and Oromis and yet, they suffer deeply at the blood on their hands.
On the other hand, Eragon and Saphira bonded without anyone’s interference. They had teachers and advisers who taught them the ways of magic and Murtagh often laments how little Galbatorix taught him of the ancient language. A prominent theme in the previous four books was the realities of war and how it necessitates the death of innocent lives lost. Eragon and Saphira had a long time to think about this and accept this reality. That did not seem to be the case with Murtagh. Murtagh comes face to face with the corpses of soldiers who fought on the Empire’s side at Gilead. New light is shed on many of the battles and important events in the previous books. This is where I feel having knowledge of the past is very important in understanding Murtagh. The consequences of those events can only be best felt after having read them.
Though Murtagh and Thorn are bonded the same way as Eragon and Saphira, their precarious situations do not allow them to share their thoughts as much. I enjoyed the banter between them. I also liked Murtagh’s attempts at poetry and his thirst for knowledge. I loved their rituals of reciting their true names to each other. They have nothing to hide from one another and they matter so much to each other.
Thorn is much like Saphira in his pride in being a dragon but Galbatorix broke him in ways that he finds frustrating to grow out of. He has a fear of small spaces and Murtagh continues to work on his claustrophobia.
The Lessons
Murtagh is a beautiful exploration of a man’s internal struggles against predetermined roles and his quest for self-discovery.
In an attempt to be free, Murtgh and Thorn left to forge their own path. This story is their lesson to ask for help. It comes at the cost of losing their freedom all over again and the journey is sad and disheartening to read, especially the chapters that took place in Nal Gorgoth and Oth Orum. They showcased the intricacies of the dangers lurking in Alagaësia’s unexplored corners.
Murtagh also laments the circumstances and situations he has faced. He does not like the hand fate has dealt him and Thorn. Galbatorix tried to make him into Morzan. Murtagh took Morzan’s sword from Eragon at the battle of the Burning Planes. Murtagh is constantly fighting what others want him to be. I admired his fortitude and perseverance. I cheered for him when he broke through and took the help he needed.
During his captivity, Murtagh meets the Urgal, Uvek. Uvek is a shaman who lived far away from his people. He reminds me of Ilgra from The Worm in The Fork, the Witch and the Worm. He is there for Murtagh when he needs a friend. I liked him and his philosophy.
Murtagh serves as a captivating extension of the Inheritance Cycle. Murtagh’s journey, filled with sorrow and hard choices, offered me a deeper understanding of a character who faced immense suffering throughout the series. If you were captivated by the Inheritance Cycle, this exploration of Murtagh’s post-war endeavors is a must-read, promising more to come in Alagaësia.
On a different book in this series? Check out Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, Inheritance and The Fork, the Witch and the Worm book reviews.
Many thanks to The PenguinReads Team, for a copy of the book for an honest review.
Be First to Comment