Paolini gives fans what they want in this stand-alone novel set in the world of Eragon
Feature image credit: Penguin Books Australia
Murtagh is the much anticipated spin-off story to follow Christopher Paolini’s famed Inheritance Cycle novels. It follows the character of Murtagh, Eragon’s half-brother, and his dragon, Thorn. Throughout the Inheritance Cycle, Murtagh tends to swing between anti-hero and full-blown antagonist, but this story gives the readers a chance to learn more about Murtagh’s inner self and his motivations, and gives him the opportunity for character growth. It’s a good choice, writing a whole novel from Murtagh’s point of view; he’s easily one of the most mysterious and complex characters from the Inheritance Cycle, so it’s no surprise he’s gotten his own story. We delve much more deeply into the history of Murtagh and Thorn, his dragon, and the growth and character development they both show through the course of the book is nicely paced.
Eragon and Murtagh’s world is very much a love letter to Tolkien, complete with elf and dwarf races and cultures almost directly lifted from Middle Earth, and a typical medieval patriarchal society. The Urgals are stereotypically orc-like, and even the Urgal character we meet more closely in Murtagh is described with language such as “ugly and “brutish.” While Paolini’s writing has improved in some areas when describing characters that are not white males (he has thankfully started describing women as something other than “beautiful,” and Murtagh features a range of well-developed female characters), it is a shame the Urgals are not written with more respect, particularly after the point where Murtagh meets and befriends an Urgal.
I have no fear of a hefty fantasy. However, I struggled through most of this book, mainly because the initial conflict, the reason Murtagh sets off on his quest to find the witch Bachel, feels weak. Murtagh finds an amulet that contains an unknown magic, and because there’s a slight possibility it might be dangerous to the new colony of dragons, Murtagh goes on a highly dangerous quest to find out more about the unknown magic. This reasoning seems flimsy at best, and the mystery is almost too shrouded, not giving the readers enough information to feel any sense of danger or urgency. Without this sense of urgency, it seems a lot to ask readers to wade through over 100,000 words (past halfway) of Paolini’s meandering prose before he starts getting to the point.
That said, once Murtagh finds the witch, the stakes are immediately lifted sky high. The remaining third of the book contains the tension and the internal and external battles that I wish had been more present earlier in the book. We meet a range of interesting characters, discover an unusual hidden culture, and the danger increases tenfold. It becomes exciting and magical.
Murtagh is a stand-alone novel, and supposedly can be read without reading the Inheritance Cycle. This is sort of true. Murtagh is set after the events of the Inheritance Cycle, and while there’s enough backstory jammed into the book to give readers a good idea of context, having an awareness of the other books would definitely add more nuance to certain moments. Also, being set at a later time, Murtagh also gives away significant spoilers to the Inheritance Cycle, and some readers might prefer to start from the beginning.
Fans of Paolini’s style and of the Inheritance Cycle novels will enjoy this more in-depth study of a fascinating character, as will fans of Tolkien and the classic hero’s journey narrative. Just hang in there, because it will get exciting eventually.
Reviewed by Kristin Stefanoff
Distributed by: Penguin Books Australia
Released: November 2023
RRP: $32.99
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