Christopher Paolini writing new Eragon book: Murtagh

Over a decade after he concluded Eragon Shadeslayer’s epic saga, Christopher Paolini is returning to the world of Alagaësia for another novel. However, this time it won’t focus on Eragon; instead, we’ll follow Murtagh, another famous Dragon Rider.

Murtagh hits shelves on November 7. Currently, specific details on the story are kept under wraps, but we know that Murtagh takes place one year after the Inheritence Cycle trilogy. His story was pretty open-ended, and readers have long wondered how his life played out in the years following the fall of Galbotorix. Here’s the official longline:

"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."

Plot aside, Paolini has also drew and painted eight new pieces of art for the novel; this includes maps and other illustrations. Check out the cover:

“‘Murtagh’ is the novel I’ve been waiting to write for over 13 years,” Paolini said in a statement. “It’s a deep dive into the life of our titular character and his dragon, Thorn. Here you’ll find mystery, magic, and revelations as Murtagh attempts to answer some of the deepest questions in the land, as well as those of his own life.”

Where Murtagh and Thorn are involved, there’s bound to be chaos. Of course, in Eragons story, Murtagh started off as a friend to Eragon before being enslaved by Galbotorix and forced to fight for the Empire. “I’ve had a ridiculous amount of (sometimes devilish) fun writing MURTAGH, and I can’t wait for readers to experience it for themselves,” Paolini concluded. “Welcome back to Alagaësia!”

A gorgeous new version of Eragon is being reprinted!

For the 20th anniversary of Eragon, Alfred A. Knopf House has announced that a new illustrated edition of the novel will be released on November 7, the same day that Murtagh hits bookstores. The illustrations are by Sidharth Chaturvedi. Check out some sample pages; they look absolutely stunning!

It sure is great to see new stories coming out of Alagaësia. Long may it continue! Plus, there is still a Disney+ adaptation of the origianl series on the way.

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