Welcome, friend! Do you read short story collections? It is super fun and engaging to come back to the world of Alagaësia with the short stories right after reading the series. The Fork, the Witch and the Worm: Eragon is the first volume of short stories. Here is what it is about:
The Fork, the Witch and the Worm: Eragon
Christopher Paolini
Goodreads
The Inheritance Cycle # 4.5 | Tales from Alagaësia #1
It’s been a year since Eragon departed Alagaësia in search of the perfect home to train a new generation of Dragon Riders.
Now he is struggling with an endless sea of tasks: constructing a vast dragonhold, wrangling with suppliers, guarding dragon eggs and dealing with belligerent Urgals and haughty elves. Then a vision from the Eldunarí, unexpected visitors and an exciting Urgal legend offer a much-needed distraction and a new perspective.
This volume features three original stories set in Alagaësia, interspersed with scenes from Eragon’s own unfolding adventure. Included is an excerpt from the memoir of the unforgettable witch and fortune-teller Angela the herbalist, penned by Angela Paolini, the inspiration for the character, herself!
Relish the incomparable imagination of Christopher Paolini in this thrilling new collection of stories based in the world of the Inheritance Cycle.
The Fork, the Witch and the Worm: Eragon – Review
Taking place a year after the events of Inheritance, the story opens with Eragon’s struggles with establishing a new place for the Dragon Riders. Eragon has been working away tirelessly ever since they found the new site. Building an academy is no small effort and a whole settlement is needed to create the stronghold of the future. As Ergaon tries to keep standing under the weight of his duties, he is encouraged by Saphira to take a break. Not knowing how, he goes to see the Eldunarí.
I love the dynamic between the wise ancient dragons and Eragon. He may be a Dragon Rider, but is still so young and will remain their student a long time. Eldunarí’s have continued to watch Alagaësia and they offer Eragon a reprieve by showing him events taking place in other places. The first story, The Fork, is from one such event, with Murtagh at its centre. I love the idea of taking a break from everyday life by checking in on a loved one, no matter how.
The Fork is the first time Murtagh’s perspective is introduced in all of this series and I quite liked it. This short story is a glimpse into the events of Murtagh, the book. It definitely doubled my interest in the book. Murtagh means a lot to Eragon and I felt Eragon’s joy at knowing Murtagh is ok. Through his story, I was reminded of the subtle magic in Ergaon’s world: the little ships of grass that travel the world taking energy from the plants under it, floating on the wind.
In the second story, The Witch, Angela, comes to visit Eragon with the witch child, Elva. Angela tells Eragon to read her half finished memoir. Angela’s story is a little hard to follow but the chapters with her and Elva were good. It brings me joy to see these characters grow, even if it’s portrayed through a few quick sentences about time passed and things accomplished. The human element of the story – the fatigue, the grind, the grief of knowing so much but some things still being out of reach like bringing back the dead is well thought out and beautifully written.
The last story, The Worm, is my favorite. It is a legend within a story. Eragon is walking around the settlement when he is invited to sit with the Urgals. They have a bard with them who tells the story of a female Urgal, Ilgra, whose home was destroyed by a dragon, Vêrmund , and how she goes about taking revenge. Throughout the Inheritance Cycle, dragons have been revered, if not worshipped. This story is where the godlike beings interact with the mere mortals. A dragon is reduced to the status of a mere worm because of his deeds. This was the most enjoyable of the three stories in The Fork, the Witch and the Worm and I will definitely be reading it again and again to memorize for a future bedtime story.
There is a little special something that happens after the legend is completed. I am super excited to see what Christopher Paolini does next with these characters and world.
Do you have any favorite short story collections?
This is the first time I am reading a short stories collection set in the world of a Fantasy series I have adored. There have been many chances with other series – Trudie Skies’ The Cruel Gods, Marissa Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles, and many others have accompanying short stories but I have never reached for one of them. I liked reading books in the order in which they happen in the events of the overall story arc and I will definitely be reading more of them when I reread.
On a different book in this series? Check out Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr and Inheritance book reviews.
Be First to Comment