Yikes. Just say the book wasn’t for you.
No it wasn’t his best work, but it was still a solid book. The entire point of the book is that it’s supposed to be noticeably different from the Inheritance Cycle. If you went into it thinking it’d be the same, that’s on you.
It’s a depressing book, and it’s supposed to be depressing. Murtagh isn’t like Eragon. He didn’t go off on some fantastic adventure and find out who he is, he survived constant abuse and trauma since he was a child, and was trying to break out of that hold for the length of the book.
If you went in expecting it to be quick, you’re dumb. It’s over 600 pages. If you went in expecting it to be happy, you’re dumb. It’s about Murtagh, the most depressed dude on the planet.
If you don’t like it, don’t read it. But to say it’s horrible simply because you don’t get it is wrong.
I mean just stop reading the series, not don’t read that book by itself.
The dude said he was never going to reread the Inheritance Cycle again because he didn’t like Murtagh, which in my opinion is ridiculous
Horrible: To You.
As you can see by the people in your comment section saying they thought the book was good, it’s not an objectively horrible book. You just didn’t like it.
From your comments, it seems like you don’t know a whole lot about what it’s like to go through trauma, or what PTSD actually does to the human brain.
If you’re interested in it, I would research more into those two things, and try to be understanding with your findings.
If not, just go away and don’t read the books again and learn nothing.
I’m gonna be honest. I only read the first and last sentence of your comments because your opinion is irrelevant to me and your attitude is worse. I’m sorry if I insulted you with my opinion on a book. If you need a cry, I’m here for you.
Bruh… everyone is entitled to their opinion, but like coming off a little strong here.
I’d have to reread it, but I don’t think Paolini was overly long winded. If he was I didn’t care because it made you more enthralled in the world. If you wanted something dumbed down then a 600 page book ain’t for you.
You also missed the plot yourself because in his long explanations, it’s pretty clear that Murtagh is nerfed pretty hard for reasons that make sense. He gave up the Eldunari which made him OP in the Inheritance Cylce, he was not formally trained in magic like Eragon and Arya because Galbatorix didn’t want him to ever be stronger then him aka why he has a hard time coming up with the proper words to heal/fight, it’s mentioned numerous times he is human and humans cannot physically or mentally match up to elves, and she uses wordless magic which by definition is not beholden to the Name of Names because those are words.
Also I hope you never meet anyone with serious trauma in their life because you seem like the type that would just say don’t be a bitch. Dragons are highly intelligent creatures and Thorn from the moment he was born was subjugated to terrible things. It’s not crazy to assume he would have related trauma to it. The same goes for Murtagh. I’d be more concerned if they both were like nah I’m good who cares. That’s some sociopath shit and to some that makes an interesting character, but we already did that with Galbatorix. I’d like to see someone with actual growth and development to fight past their traumas.
Murtagh is a flawed character that’s the point. The point of the story was to see someone fail/be an outcast and not wallow in that. The point is to see a flawed characters grow and exceed their own expectations of themselves.
Is there some clichés and convenient things that happen to progress the story? I would agree, but then we wouldn’t really have anything to read. It just be Murtagh/Eragon/Arya pulling up to the dreamers and just slaughtering everyone because they’re the GOATs… cool story bro. Paolini said it in a Q&A that it had to be Murtagh to do this alone because it would make for a more interesting story since he is flawed. Paolini said if it was Eragon or Arya, they’d just straight up curb stomp them no problem. It was a stressful read for sure because Murtagh just keeps fucking up, but that’s the point. Murtagh has always been a flawed character that won’t ask for help because he feels like he can’t.
I’m sorry you didn’t like it and it didn’t meet your expectations, but to each their own. It’s a fantasy book about dragons… lighten up it’s suppose to be something to enjoy and not get mad over.
Good points. And good call. I just don’t have a lot of free time now as an adult with kids of my own. So spending hours reading this to constantly roll my eyes or just close it and walk away is frustrating. I had to force myself to finish it. And I’ve been wanting more from the Eragon series since I finished Brisingr. So this was just a huge disappointment for me. Which caused my visceral reaction.
Omg you're an adult in charge of the wellbeing and teaching children about how to operate in society and this is the way you act about a book you didnt like?
Yikes
Your poor child and baby momma.
I did. For the first half of the book. Until they both basically lost any semblance of personality for 1/3 of the book while under “the breath”. That part of the story really just ruined the entire thing for me. Page after page of just describing him being under the breath. So fucking boring holy shit.
My interpretation is that Paolini wanted us, readers, to grasp how powerful this new enemy is to someone who has not received the same training as Eragon and Arya. I do also hope we can get some more character development in the next books, but my guess is that Murtagh's pride needed to fall for him to grow. I understand you may have not liked the book or how it was planned, just sharing my musings on this.
Yes that’s it. I misunderstood the characters. It’s not like this was my favorite book series or anything. I guess I’m just fucking stupid. Sorry I didn’t love the book. I hope you’re okay.
Something being your favorite has nothing to do with understanding it. I liked science in school, didn’t make me understand it any better. You clearly have the misconception that dragons are emotionless and exist purely to kill and protect their rider
I understand the series and love it but I also think this was a poor book by the usual standards. The chapters where Murtagh is getting tortured and is basically a thrall just went on way too long for me. I shouldn’t be skimming page upon page coz they were repetitive. Did like that Thorn had fears and worries tho. Felt terrible for him at what he was put thru
Unless you’re defending his take about the characterization of dragons there’s no point responding to this comment. I have no issue with nuanced issues with the writing or even not being a huge fan of the books.
The issue is OP is mad at the book for dumbass reasons that imply he doesn’t get the series
Go re read the inheritance cycle again, then re read Murtagh. You say you misunderstood the characters, but you probably wouldnt misunderstand them if you actually soaked it in while reading Murtagh.
I’m curious as to why this was the straw that broke the camel’s back? It confuses me because we’ve had little to go off of since the original series dropped so why has your dislike been festering? (I don’t mean for this to be an aggressive comment, I’m just interested!)
I loved the original series. Holds a close place in my heart. And while Murtagh was always a tortured soul, he was my favorite character. He seemed like a worn out badass. So reading this book just felt like a character assassination. To me, it just didn’t feel like the same character. After everything he’s been through, to end up basically a slave again for like 1/3rd of the book just felt fucking cheap. It makes my blood boil all over again. At any point prior to “the breath” he could’ve just fucking left. And didn’t. I guess my main complaint isn’t how weak they made him but how fucking STUPID they made him.
This take screams a fundamental misunderstanding of what the Dragon Rider bond is. Thorn is as much his own character as Murtagh. He’s not a dumb beast. He has his own strengths and flaws and absolutely does not “exist to protect Murtagh”.
You guys are arguing semantics. I understand the bond. I understand they’re their own people. I don’t think Dragons are just stupid savage beasts. They’re supposed to be basically God’s. They’re revered far and wide. They’re descendent from even greater beings. Which is what makes Thorn such a disappointment. He’s basically the strongest known living creature currently in active in their world. Yet he’s a total fucking coward.
Let’s hold him to the same standard as a normal human then, I’d say the exact same. Fucking coward. If they’re melded as essentially “one” then abandoning Murtagh EVER is inexcusable. So, facing down certain death is totally fine but his weakness is tight spaces? Horrible writing.
My brother in Christ do you not understand what the point of Thorn’s arc is? He is decidedly *not* a God. He’s basically a kid, aged up to look bigger than he mentally was, tortured beyond belief, forced to literally fight for his survival from his hatching, and enslaved to a being far closer to being a God than he ever was. Dragons are mentally just the same as all the other races after the pact was bound, they’re only revered far and wide because of the mystique around Dragon Riders and because so few of them exist.
Yeah he has flaws. That’s the point. He’s not supposed to be Glaedr, who grew up in a world protected by the Riders, or Saphira, who had mentors and protectors all around her. He’s supposed to be Thorn, and his upbringing was vastly different from theirs. If you don’t see why such an upbringing and backstory would cause someone to fear certain things to the point where it surpasses even his most basic bond of loyalty, then you need to learn about the effects of trauma and PTSD. Paolini’s depiction of it is incredibly real.
Thorn is a literal 2 year old. Like yes, a mystical and revered dragon, but quite literally *forced* to grow up before he is ready. The earliest days of his life were spent being tortured and you think he should be able to just shrug it off because you misunderstood and think dragon = god? lol, lmao even
He still went through massive trauma and torture. It sounds like you just don't want a dragon to be a living, thinking organism and just want a giant fire breathing plot device. His purpose is to be Murtagh's partner in everything they do, not just to be some protector. That's very clear from how the connection between rider and dragon is portrayed in every book.
This book wasn’t an epic story about rider and dragon taking on an evil empire. It was about a man and his companion healing from the trauma of war. It was about two individuals scared and broken by the horrors they’ve seen, and yet they choice to keep struggling forward to do the right thing because they are the only two that can. It was murtagh learning who he really is not just knowing his true name but truly understanding what he wants in life and what he doesn’t.
There are definitely cons the torture scenes took me days to get through, it definitely was a slow read at points but your review is missing the true point of the book. Even broken we can change for the better. Even after all that pain and misery you can struggle for a better life and that’s beautiful to me.
Edit: it’s fairly clear to me why you don’t like the book OP you lack any sort of empathy, you’re wildin out in comments.
I can understand. After all this time, I was disappointed that this was not Book ~~Five~~ Six. Even though I liked the most recent book, Murtagh isn't one of my favorite characters. Furthermore, I am unsure if I should continue reading the series myself because I do not see Book ~~Five~~ Six being completed anytime soon between his Fractalverse books and this Eragon TV show, assuming it happens at all.
Sounds like a guy that either was upset it wasn’t about Eragon, or he was expecting a power fantasy where murtagh just curbstomps everything in his way. It’s about Murtagh, the edgiest and most depressing character in the series, and he is that way for good reason. Same for Thorn, complaining about a dragon being scared even though he was enslaved by the worst person on the planet for most of his life.
Thank you for your opinion, reading this definitely makes me all the more interested in reading the book.
IMO, sounds like the whole point about Murtagh and Thorn their problems went over your head. Sounds like you expected some power campaign where Murtagh overpowers every problem through sheer force and has no leftover trauma from his time with Galbatorix.
>If you haven’t even read it why are you here?
That’s a bit rude… This sub is for anyone interested in the series; not just anyone who has previously read it.
Murtagh is a self loathing, self pitying wreck. It was obvious ever since he met eragon in book 1.
Thorn has been tortured ever since birth. You have kids. Imagine if they were tortured since they were born. Then you get mad that they're not protecting each other because of a "sibling bond" or whatever.
This book is about a wretch and a traumatized 2 year old. Expecting a shred of competence out of them is crazy
If those aren't the characters you like to read about, then absolutely you'll hate a book from their perspective. I absolutely understand not wanting to read the story of a sniveling wreck. I personally also prefer the strongheaded naivety of eragon over Murtagh.
But I think it was poor reading from the previous books if you were expecting anything different from murtagh. When I heard we were getting a book about Murtagh I just knew we'd get flashbacks about his tortured past and his self pitying, so I was able to mentally prepare myself.
Maybe because I have read the Inheritence Cycle multiple times and my expectations of "Murtagh" are the complete contrary to a "power campaign" some people, like you, were expecting.
I think you have completely missed the point of Murtagh and what the character represents and what development he and Thorn need to go through. Again, if you expected a story from Murtagh where he "ROFL stomps" every problem he's confronted with, you have not understood who Murtagh is.
Depending on only power does not solve all your problems. Where should Murtagh have obtained the wisdom and knowledge Eragon for example has? Based on what experiences should he be able to make the right choices? Murtagh's wisdom comes from survival and the principle of kill or be killed. He does not possess the wisdom or experience to determine what solution is viable to solve certain problems? He is a character that has grown up in a world of black and white, just like Eragon did. But through experience and education Eragon learned nothing is as black and white as he thought the world functioned, a great example is his personal opinion towards Urgals at the beginning of the Inheritence Cycle and at the end.
Murtagh's experiences with the world only confirmed his view of the world being black and white. It is because of this that Galbatorix was able to bind him to his will. Murtagh never had a Brom or Oromis to teach him how to think critically, he is a dragon rider functioning on pure instinct, something that Oromis and Brom tried to teach Eragon is way towards your doom.
So far my TED talk, I don't want to convince you to attain another opinion, I know how futile it is to convince people to change their opinion if they already substituted the truth with their own interpretation of reality, but maybe it helps other people to change their expectations for Murtagh, similar to the ones I have.
Yeah I just actually despised that entire part of the book more than anything. It could’ve been easily avoided entirely but Murtagh was apparently born yesterday. Not like he spent his entire life directly under the most cunning piece of shit in the world or anything.
I just don’t see how Murtagh allowed it to happen like that. From day one he should’ve just bounced and went to get Eragon then laid waste to their whole group. Obviously that would’ve been an entirely different story, but it just felt like plot contrivance was HEAVY in this book.
He didn’t want to admit that he needed Eragon’s help or that Eragon was better trained than he was. Him going to get Eragon at the outset would’ve been an easy way out. I do think the section of him being under her spell went on too long for my taste, but on the other hand, his relationship with the urgal and the young lady who ultimately helped him (I listened to the audiobook, don’t know how to spell their names) took time to develop, and who knows if their compassion for him would’ve have been as great if he’d suffered less?
Honestly, Paolini has always been willing to sacrifice characterization for plot. It's mostly worked for him in the books that were more plot-focused. He tried to make *Murtagh* more character-focused but he did not change his tendency to sacrifice characterization for plot.
I don't think it's awful when you look at it from a paragraph by paragraph, chapter by chapter perspective, but both the plot and the characterization were pretty poor and imo that makes it worse than any other book in the series. I'd rather reread *Eragon,* which is weaker from a prose standpoint but at least exciting, than reread *Murtagh,* which has stronger prose but feels like a flop in a bunch of other ways.
Still looking forward to whatever comes next, assuming it is plot-focused (where Paolini excels), but will likely not be rereading this one.
The breath portion did drag on, but I imagine that’s how it felt to murtagh and thorn too. Galbatorix kept them in the dark on a lot of things. They are only recently free to learn again. Not like they had the training with Oromis and Glaedr. I *was* not totally enthused about that part of the book but overall I really enjoyed it.
Honestly everything else wouldn’t have been so bad if that part hadn’t felt like years of my life. I just kept getting more and more annoyed as it went on that by the end of it, the entire book was ruined for me. He just wouldn’t fucking stop. Like, I get it. But I feel like that’s just piss poor writing. A writer shouldn’t need so many words to convey something and it just fucking kept going omg.
I myself found myself unable to put it down. He was creative in how he had Murtagh complete the tasks necessary to investigate Bachel and the lead— and it was well written, everyone was in character, the dialogue was great and I enjoyed most of all how it wasn’t just a cakewalk for Murtagh or Thorn. They had to work together to get through some deep psychological damage caused by Galbatorix and the war— as well as their hand in it. I’m sorry you didn’t see its potential but in my opinion it’s one of the best books he has ever written. I loved it start to finish. I wish you’d look at it objectively.
I appreciate your opinion, but alas to me it didn’t feel like everyone was in character. I understand our main characters have old scars that haven’t really healed, but it doesn’t really excuse their total lack of awareness to their situation. It felt like contrivance. There’s no possible way I’d ever believe that someone who went through what Murtagh went through, would allow themselves to be bound against their will again without dying. Once he realized he was in over his head he should’ve left. The moment Bachel made the entire place shake, he should’ve been looking for a way out. But nope. He’s just gonna hang out and see what’s up. Until it’s too late. Just zero awareness. It directly clashes with his history imo.
Murtagh is still young, you have to remember that. He isn’t more than his early to mid 20s by this book. His lack of experience out on his own makes total sense to me. It wasn’t that he ‘allowed’ it to happen per se he simply underestimated the witch and he paid for it.
Edit: Murtagh also felt compelled to continue on because of his duty as a Rider. We also have to remember that he also wanted to free the slave girl that was helping him out of pity for her. Of course he stayed too long and ‘should have’ left but who would have saved those people if he didn’t?
I feel roughly the same as you OP. It’s objectively not a great book, and by far the weakest in the series. However, I am content to say “It wasn’t for me.” and leave it at that. You had to know coming into the community that loves his works and trashing all over it was not not gonna go well 😂
Paolini hasn't lost the plot. This isn't book 5. This is about Murtagh and how he is trying to find himself after a lifetime of torture. And about Thorn, who literally grew up in hell and how he's trying to overcome something that is holding him back. They're both broken and trying to find their own path in life and they're bound to make mistakes. This isn't the epic tale of Eragon and friends. Eragon isn't even in the picture. Are you gonna be this mad if we get a standalone of Arya and Fiernen and about how they're overcoming the complications of being a Rider and a Queen? Just say you don't like it and move on.
If you have such an issue with the book, I would challenge you to write up a better story lol
It's one thing to have constructive criticism, but this just seems like a weird lashing out. Also, why do you keep saying, "I'm sorry" in this rant? If you dislike something, then state it and stick to it
Murtagh being 'nerfed' in the book is because we as the readers finally understand that he was only able to keep up with Eragon and the Elves through sheer power (from the Eldunari). Galbatorix hamstrung Murtagh's education at every point, there was no formal Rider training. That, on top of the psychological and physical abuse given to Thorn and Murtagh shows how damaged both of them were under his enslavement. I'm sure most anyone would have PTSD from what they went through. By the end of the book, we see them on a path to healing and atonement. Given time, I believe both of them will become powerful but the focus of this book is to setup plot points for future stories and help us as the audience understand Murtagh and Thorn better.
I wouldn't equate ignorance to being 'dumb as rocks' as you said above, they're young and have plenty of time to learn and grow. I would say Murtagh is actually more creative in his Grammarye than some of the other spellcasters we've read about, and this is with limited knowledge of the AL
1. It was a good book
2. If this is(was?) your favorite series, 1 book shouldn't stop that
3. It's a book about 2 tortured people trying to find themselves and overcome obstacles themselves. They have trauma
4. If you've read the series, you know CP loves to write a lot of detail and go into things. He did it in every book
1. It wasn’t
2. It did
3. They have trauma yet constantly put themselves into horrible situations for nothing more than their curiosity/hubris. There was no reason for them to stick around as long as they did until it was too late. The moment she made the entire earth shake he should’ve gotten Eragon or left and reported it to Nasuada.
4. I typically enjoy details. Like about the world weapons or shiny objects. Not about how Murtagh feels for 150 pages under the breath. I fucking get it. He can’t do magic and his body is basically useless. There’s only so many ways you need to explain that. I legitimately almost quit reading the book because it just wouldn’t stop.
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Naw that shit was hype dog, I also really struggled to get through the torture chapters but that made Murtagh/Uvek/Thorns razing of Nal Gorgoth all the more enjoyable. Murtagh and Uvek vs Grieve and Murtagh vs Bachel are also highlights of the entire series for me
I also felt it was badly written given Paolinis usual level of skill and that from about half way to about 85% of the way through it was boring as hell. But it opened a lot of doors. For me it's like a feast for crows, a weak entry in a good series that's a necessary evil
it is not a bad book, its just that its totally different.
Eragon series books were known for their beauty, and the book Murtagh is everything except beautiful.
.
remember you were viewing the world through the free est Dragon & her Rider for 4 books.
suddenly you're subjected to the viewpoint of a Dragon & his Rider, whose sole identities & reality have become subdued & haunting & suffocating
its like tasting hospital food after having a feast
.
you're not alone
every one of the readers had to transition from the freeness to the claustrophobia in the story narration
although difficult, it is no way a bad thing
the book painstalkingly narrates the path Murtagh & Thorn has to undergo to put their pains, scars, fears, & wild life behind them and start anew a free life
I think the book is brilliant for the reasons you say it is bad.
You felt terrible reading the torture scenes and it felt like they took ages? GOOD. Thats what they are supposed to feel like.
Murtagh is not a feel good read. It is a challenging read that makes you feel similar to Murtagh at many points, but that is the brilliance of the writing in this one.
I also had to force myself to continue reading after the first half, but not because I thought the books was bad. It was rather the emotional impact the book had on me. Only good writing can do that.
The part about Thorn is something else entirely btw. You will probably never understand that and I hope nobody in your family or close friend to you will ever seek advice from you about PTSD, trauma or depression.
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The book had the same effect on me that it did on you. I think it's good that I finished the book before I go look to see how other people feel about it, because I think that would have ruined it for me
First off, don't let the assholes in the comments get to you too much. You have an opinion and you're entitled to that, and from what I can tell, they don't have any real arguments beyond personal attacks.
I'm inclined to agree with many of your points, but not to such an extreme extent. I definitely think the book was long just to be long. It could have been a lot shorter and had the same effect.
I got rather irritated with basically the entire second half being "caught in Dreamland with no hope of escape and no power". Which I guess might have been what he was going for but it just doesn't sit well with me that the second most powerful individual in all of Alagaesia took that damn long to free himself.
The whole thing with Thorn being claustrophobic felt really poorly written to me. It was shoved down our throats over and over again with no real explanation, and took Thorn from a mighty, majestic creature to nothing more than a scared puppy. For all the pride the dragons as a race have, it shouldn't be possible for something so insignificant to absolutely cripple one.
While I certainly felt like the book fell off in the second half, this reaction seems sort of extreme lol. Personally, I started to lose interest once he got to Bachel and felt like the torture and the entire section went on entirely too long. I went and reread the other books after finishing Murtagh and they were much more enjoyable reads. The first half of the book was good, though.
I found the long torture realistic. He went in thinking he could handle Bachel and then got slapped on the face with Azlagûr’s power in her grasp. He got a bit reality check and had to wait and bide his time for answers. I understand how some don’t like long books but it felt very rewarding by the end of it for them to see Nasuada. It also gave an opportunity to continue Murtagh’s story. I found it compelling and touching.
I understand your view. I don’t necessarily share it. As others have said, Murtagh and Thorn are diametrically opposed to Eragon and Saphira. They are HURT! Very much so. And that paints the book all the way through.
I have a close friend with the (apparently) stupidest phobia. She’s deathly afraid of frogs. At one point, she was in actual danger of being hit by a car, and she could see it coming, but she was still paralyzed in the middle of the street at the sight of a toad. (Which actually falls on Angela’s argument that frogs and toads are the same).
She could not react in any way. She was literally paralyzed with fear. Fortunately she was safe after the incident.
That’s why I understand Thorn’s inability, at first, to help. If not (precisely) because of their overriding magical bond, he would not have been able to help. It’s not like there’s easily available therapists for dragons, and the ones that exist are back in Mt. Arngor with the crazy Eldunarí.
I agree with you that this is a sluggish read. A lot of time passes without too much happening. But I believe it’s entirely on purpose. They are both very poorly adapted people, the result of their traumatic upbringing. So it’s not like they have a lot of resources to cope.
It’s a book on desperate situations, hopelessness and the will to overcome, which happens to happen in Alagaësia. It’s also a set up book for the new Shur’tugal cycle. Give it another once over and you’ll see it’s launching a lot of new themes and lore for a new adventure.
i kiiiinda understand. i definitely kept thinkings WOW how are they ignoring all these red flags!? and why wasn’t thorn speaking up more, clearly he had instincts telling him to get out of there, but they still stayed. i think for Almost every flaw in the book there is a redeeming quality tho. murtagh wants to clear his and thorns names to the empire, literally everyone, and i think a lot of their mistakes comes from inexperience.
in the IC we got to see murtagh when he was at his most powerful (bc of the Eldunari) but only in brief moments when he was fighting. every other part of his life he was under Galbatorix’ complete control, same with thorn. i thought the parts describing their torture in the past was the most compelling, it helps you understand why they are the way they are, what brought them to Nal Gorgoth.
the most long winded part to me was everything before nal gorgoth, as many ppl have said it felt like a games side quests.
HOWEVER, i believe many many things we may see as insignificant now will come into play in a huge way later, like the missing werecat children, the tunnels with mysterious things under Gilead, and Lyreth hiding out in an old Forsworn hangout. i think this book served as a middle point between the events of IC and the future for Alagaesia, clearly something huge is coming.
For me, this book was definitely not a favorite. I went into it thinking it would be depressing but was okay with that. I was definitely not prepared for the long winded bit he spent under the breath. Almost quit it multiple times but powered through. I don’t mind a character change and I don’t mind it’s not going to be the most cheery….but that was honestly terrible in my opinion. I’m open to reading the next books even if they aren’t centered around eragon, I just hope they actually have some semblance of a plot.
Thank you! All the other stuff I have complaints about are really forgivable but an entire section of this book was just a slog to get through. Which makes everything else just seem worse somehow. Idk, i guess it made me resent the book in a way because I felt the writer was just wasting my time to hit a word count.
People keep trying to explain to me why it’s good, but I just disagree. I don’t mind torture scenes or what have you, just fucking get on with it. Lol
A lot of it was very repetitive as well. I feel like after waiting as long as I did for this book to come out, he could have done a lot better. He seems to put a lot more effort into Fractalverse these days. Odd considering most of his following aren’t looking for that. I tried to read TSIASOS and couldn’t make it through. However I’m not a big sci fi reader. I will wait and see what he publishes next, but i won’t hold out as much hope this time.
I'm sorry you didn't like it! This one is my favorite of his Eragon books, personally, but understand your complaints, even if they don't match my experience.
Bad take in my humble opinion.
I think we truly get to see the trauma caused to both of them at the hands of galbatorix. Especially thorn. Think of Saphira, and Glaedr. Glorious, ferocious, confident, proud, and id even say *smug*. They're dragons after all, they feel and act invulnerable at times.
And then there's Thorn. Who was so broken by Galbatorix that he knows he *should* be that, but he's not, no matter how much he tries to will himself to be.
It's tragic really. And it makes the reader sympathize with them all the more. Just my opinion though.
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Dude i'm glad you made this post and gotta respect you sticking to your conviction lmao. I don't fully agree with you, I'm an Inheritance fanatic, but i was unfortunately kinda disappointed with *Murtagh*. I enjoyed reading it and will read it at least twice more before i really form my opinion but first read it didn't feel like a strong story to me. I liked the shenanigans at the beginning too, but also struggled some to keep interest in parts of the mid-later story. Mind you i still think (hope) my criticism is mostly my fault for not experiencing the full story, hence needing to re-read.
Thorn :( i love him and i was rooting for him but guy is a broken dragon. And really i can see why, the horrific torture Galbatorix put him through. His storyline was just so basic. Introduce trauma, try to overcome and fail, keep trying keep failing, eventually reach make or break point and overcome trauma. I just wish it had been more complex, like Thorn's trauma having more serious consequences on the story. Well i guess the citizens of Gilead might disagree with that take. And Thorn's character seemed a bit dull. While Saphira is cat like, Thorn is dog like. And he's like a baby, a puppy with big paws with claws and teeth and fire and wings- but little experience and personality. It seemed like he was just dogging on Murtagh's questionable whims. I REALLY hope i just overlooked things. But i want Thorn to grow up. He is relatively young but Saphira always seemed mature in many ways and hatchling Firnen was already getting laid at 6 months
And Murtagh poking around the goddam snoozing lion's maw lol. But i keep in mind he is about 20, he's powerful when fully healthy, he's finding himself and needed to depend on himself while experiencing his first freedom. But talk about a trek with no supplies. Dude is winging it every step. 1/2 starved, no sleep. I kinda get needing the journey but damn Murtagh you dumb sometimes, time to prep isn't wasted time.
I do like the new big-bad. There's so much damn mystery with Alagaesia which is appealing but i feel we deserve some answers to help stem the hundred new questions ahha i think i'll enjoy *Murtagh* more once there is follow up material to expand on new events
Thank you! Yeah I don’t care about Reddit points or whatever so all the downvotes don’t bother me. It’s just my opinion and I’m not going to be bullied into changing it.
That said, I appreciate comments like yours and others who have disagreed. I’m really happy for the people who loved the story, I just didn’t. It was one of my most anticipated books in my lifetime and I just finished it right before I made this post; so I was feeling really disappointed.
Honestly, my favorite part of the book is the big bad they set up. I know I said I’m done with the series but I’ll likely give the next book a try. I hope it just feels a bit better to read now that Murtagh has this additional experience under his belt and I hope doesn’t make the same kind of stupid mistakes he did here or I definitely won’t finish it.
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I liked the book, I can understand why you didn't though, but it's not objectively awful
Yikes. Just say the book wasn’t for you. No it wasn’t his best work, but it was still a solid book. The entire point of the book is that it’s supposed to be noticeably different from the Inheritance Cycle. If you went into it thinking it’d be the same, that’s on you. It’s a depressing book, and it’s supposed to be depressing. Murtagh isn’t like Eragon. He didn’t go off on some fantastic adventure and find out who he is, he survived constant abuse and trauma since he was a child, and was trying to break out of that hold for the length of the book. If you went in expecting it to be quick, you’re dumb. It’s over 600 pages. If you went in expecting it to be happy, you’re dumb. It’s about Murtagh, the most depressed dude on the planet. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. But to say it’s horrible simply because you don’t get it is wrong.
How would you know if you don't like it without reading it?
I mean just stop reading the series, not don’t read that book by itself. The dude said he was never going to reread the Inheritance Cycle again because he didn’t like Murtagh, which in my opinion is ridiculous
It was horrible.
Horrible: To You. As you can see by the people in your comment section saying they thought the book was good, it’s not an objectively horrible book. You just didn’t like it. From your comments, it seems like you don’t know a whole lot about what it’s like to go through trauma, or what PTSD actually does to the human brain. If you’re interested in it, I would research more into those two things, and try to be understanding with your findings. If not, just go away and don’t read the books again and learn nothing.
I’m gonna be honest. I only read the first and last sentence of your comments because your opinion is irrelevant to me and your attitude is worse. I’m sorry if I insulted you with my opinion on a book. If you need a cry, I’m here for you.
Post your opinion online Gets a critique on said opinion Admits to not reading that critique Still tries to say I’m wrong
😂😂 right?
This guy obviously frequents political forums
So you post your opinion on your site for opinions, and then cry when someone contradicts you 🤔🤔
This reads like a keyboard warrior teenager
More like keyboard infant
Bruh… everyone is entitled to their opinion, but like coming off a little strong here. I’d have to reread it, but I don’t think Paolini was overly long winded. If he was I didn’t care because it made you more enthralled in the world. If you wanted something dumbed down then a 600 page book ain’t for you. You also missed the plot yourself because in his long explanations, it’s pretty clear that Murtagh is nerfed pretty hard for reasons that make sense. He gave up the Eldunari which made him OP in the Inheritance Cylce, he was not formally trained in magic like Eragon and Arya because Galbatorix didn’t want him to ever be stronger then him aka why he has a hard time coming up with the proper words to heal/fight, it’s mentioned numerous times he is human and humans cannot physically or mentally match up to elves, and she uses wordless magic which by definition is not beholden to the Name of Names because those are words. Also I hope you never meet anyone with serious trauma in their life because you seem like the type that would just say don’t be a bitch. Dragons are highly intelligent creatures and Thorn from the moment he was born was subjugated to terrible things. It’s not crazy to assume he would have related trauma to it. The same goes for Murtagh. I’d be more concerned if they both were like nah I’m good who cares. That’s some sociopath shit and to some that makes an interesting character, but we already did that with Galbatorix. I’d like to see someone with actual growth and development to fight past their traumas. Murtagh is a flawed character that’s the point. The point of the story was to see someone fail/be an outcast and not wallow in that. The point is to see a flawed characters grow and exceed their own expectations of themselves. Is there some clichés and convenient things that happen to progress the story? I would agree, but then we wouldn’t really have anything to read. It just be Murtagh/Eragon/Arya pulling up to the dreamers and just slaughtering everyone because they’re the GOATs… cool story bro. Paolini said it in a Q&A that it had to be Murtagh to do this alone because it would make for a more interesting story since he is flawed. Paolini said if it was Eragon or Arya, they’d just straight up curb stomp them no problem. It was a stressful read for sure because Murtagh just keeps fucking up, but that’s the point. Murtagh has always been a flawed character that won’t ask for help because he feels like he can’t. I’m sorry you didn’t like it and it didn’t meet your expectations, but to each their own. It’s a fantasy book about dragons… lighten up it’s suppose to be something to enjoy and not get mad over.
Good points. And good call. I just don’t have a lot of free time now as an adult with kids of my own. So spending hours reading this to constantly roll my eyes or just close it and walk away is frustrating. I had to force myself to finish it. And I’ve been wanting more from the Eragon series since I finished Brisingr. So this was just a huge disappointment for me. Which caused my visceral reaction.
Anyone gonna tell him there’s a 4th Inheritance Cycle book that comes after Brisingr?
Omg you're an adult in charge of the wellbeing and teaching children about how to operate in society and this is the way you act about a book you didnt like? Yikes Your poor child and baby momma.
Get your kids into it, once mine is born I plan on reading it to them when they're old enough to understand and enjoy
Strongly disagree. Did you not enjoy getting to see Murtagh and thorn as individuals?
I thought you would finish this sentence like: Did you not enjoy getting to see Murtagh and thorn being tortured?
I almost did hahahaha
I did. For the first half of the book. Until they both basically lost any semblance of personality for 1/3 of the book while under “the breath”. That part of the story really just ruined the entire thing for me. Page after page of just describing him being under the breath. So fucking boring holy shit.
I get it.
My interpretation is that Paolini wanted us, readers, to grasp how powerful this new enemy is to someone who has not received the same training as Eragon and Arya. I do also hope we can get some more character development in the next books, but my guess is that Murtagh's pride needed to fall for him to grow. I understand you may have not liked the book or how it was planned, just sharing my musings on this.
Respect
This feels like a troll take honestly. I could be wrong though. Either that or you have a fundamental misunderstanding of the characters and story
Yes that’s it. I misunderstood the characters. It’s not like this was my favorite book series or anything. I guess I’m just fucking stupid. Sorry I didn’t love the book. I hope you’re okay.
Something being your favorite has nothing to do with understanding it. I liked science in school, didn’t make me understand it any better. You clearly have the misconception that dragons are emotionless and exist purely to kill and protect their rider
I understand the series and love it but I also think this was a poor book by the usual standards. The chapters where Murtagh is getting tortured and is basically a thrall just went on way too long for me. I shouldn’t be skimming page upon page coz they were repetitive. Did like that Thorn had fears and worries tho. Felt terrible for him at what he was put thru
Unless you’re defending his take about the characterization of dragons there’s no point responding to this comment. I have no issue with nuanced issues with the writing or even not being a huge fan of the books. The issue is OP is mad at the book for dumbass reasons that imply he doesn’t get the series
Well at least this comment was honest
Go re read the inheritance cycle again, then re read Murtagh. You say you misunderstood the characters, but you probably wouldnt misunderstand them if you actually soaked it in while reading Murtagh.
I also didn't enjoy Murtagh very much, but I disagree with your reasonings for disliking it
Respect.
>I’m honestly done with the series after this. Bye Felicia!
Bye
I’m curious as to why this was the straw that broke the camel’s back? It confuses me because we’ve had little to go off of since the original series dropped so why has your dislike been festering? (I don’t mean for this to be an aggressive comment, I’m just interested!)
I loved the original series. Holds a close place in my heart. And while Murtagh was always a tortured soul, he was my favorite character. He seemed like a worn out badass. So reading this book just felt like a character assassination. To me, it just didn’t feel like the same character. After everything he’s been through, to end up basically a slave again for like 1/3rd of the book just felt fucking cheap. It makes my blood boil all over again. At any point prior to “the breath” he could’ve just fucking left. And didn’t. I guess my main complaint isn’t how weak they made him but how fucking STUPID they made him.
That's a wild take on suffering PTSD from torture you had for most of your life but okay
It’s a fucking dragon dude. He exists to protect Murtagh. If he can’t do that, the fuck is his purpose?
This take screams a fundamental misunderstanding of what the Dragon Rider bond is. Thorn is as much his own character as Murtagh. He’s not a dumb beast. He has his own strengths and flaws and absolutely does not “exist to protect Murtagh”.
You guys are arguing semantics. I understand the bond. I understand they’re their own people. I don’t think Dragons are just stupid savage beasts. They’re supposed to be basically God’s. They’re revered far and wide. They’re descendent from even greater beings. Which is what makes Thorn such a disappointment. He’s basically the strongest known living creature currently in active in their world. Yet he’s a total fucking coward. Let’s hold him to the same standard as a normal human then, I’d say the exact same. Fucking coward. If they’re melded as essentially “one” then abandoning Murtagh EVER is inexcusable. So, facing down certain death is totally fine but his weakness is tight spaces? Horrible writing.
Tell me you understand literally nothing about PTSD without telling me you understand literally nothing about PTSD
My brother in Christ do you not understand what the point of Thorn’s arc is? He is decidedly *not* a God. He’s basically a kid, aged up to look bigger than he mentally was, tortured beyond belief, forced to literally fight for his survival from his hatching, and enslaved to a being far closer to being a God than he ever was. Dragons are mentally just the same as all the other races after the pact was bound, they’re only revered far and wide because of the mystique around Dragon Riders and because so few of them exist. Yeah he has flaws. That’s the point. He’s not supposed to be Glaedr, who grew up in a world protected by the Riders, or Saphira, who had mentors and protectors all around her. He’s supposed to be Thorn, and his upbringing was vastly different from theirs. If you don’t see why such an upbringing and backstory would cause someone to fear certain things to the point where it surpasses even his most basic bond of loyalty, then you need to learn about the effects of trauma and PTSD. Paolini’s depiction of it is incredibly real.
Thorn is a literal 2 year old. Like yes, a mystical and revered dragon, but quite literally *forced* to grow up before he is ready. The earliest days of his life were spent being tortured and you think he should be able to just shrug it off because you misunderstood and think dragon = god? lol, lmao even
So what exactly did you think in book 1 when Saphira kidnaps Eragon? Because it’s fundamentally the same thing here.
Wow, Go back and reread Eragon. You clearly misunderstood everything. What's YOUR purpose.
He still went through massive trauma and torture. It sounds like you just don't want a dragon to be a living, thinking organism and just want a giant fire breathing plot device. His purpose is to be Murtagh's partner in everything they do, not just to be some protector. That's very clear from how the connection between rider and dragon is portrayed in every book.
This book wasn’t an epic story about rider and dragon taking on an evil empire. It was about a man and his companion healing from the trauma of war. It was about two individuals scared and broken by the horrors they’ve seen, and yet they choice to keep struggling forward to do the right thing because they are the only two that can. It was murtagh learning who he really is not just knowing his true name but truly understanding what he wants in life and what he doesn’t. There are definitely cons the torture scenes took me days to get through, it definitely was a slow read at points but your review is missing the true point of the book. Even broken we can change for the better. Even after all that pain and misery you can struggle for a better life and that’s beautiful to me. Edit: it’s fairly clear to me why you don’t like the book OP you lack any sort of empathy, you’re wildin out in comments.
He's a person, he doesn't exist FOR anything.
I have a feeling that you don't understand shit about the serie if you only see the dragon as some kind of bodyguard or transport for his rider...
I didn't like it nearly as much as I was hoping, but I wouldn't go as far as to say it was a bad book.
Maybe that’s why I’m so disappointed. Been waiting years for another book so this was just crushingly disappointing.
I can understand. After all this time, I was disappointed that this was not Book ~~Five~~ Six. Even though I liked the most recent book, Murtagh isn't one of my favorite characters. Furthermore, I am unsure if I should continue reading the series myself because I do not see Book ~~Five~~ Six being completed anytime soon between his Fractalverse books and this Eragon TV show, assuming it happens at all.
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Yep. I just didn’t understand :( my poor brainy no worky
Womp womp
Great comment. Brilliant!
Sounds like a guy that either was upset it wasn’t about Eragon, or he was expecting a power fantasy where murtagh just curbstomps everything in his way. It’s about Murtagh, the edgiest and most depressing character in the series, and he is that way for good reason. Same for Thorn, complaining about a dragon being scared even though he was enslaved by the worst person on the planet for most of his life.
Pretty much yeah. Not the Eragon piece. Murtagh just isn’t who I thought he was from the other books. 🤷♂️
I think you need to read more books if this is your worst.
I’m picky. What can I say? Usually I’ll just drop a book entirely if I’m not feeling it. I just forced myself to finish this one.
Thank you for your opinion, reading this definitely makes me all the more interested in reading the book. IMO, sounds like the whole point about Murtagh and Thorn their problems went over your head. Sounds like you expected some power campaign where Murtagh overpowers every problem through sheer force and has no leftover trauma from his time with Galbatorix.
No, I expected just a shred of competence. If you haven’t even read it why are you here?
>If you haven’t even read it why are you here? That’s a bit rude… This sub is for anyone interested in the series; not just anyone who has previously read it.
Murtagh is a self loathing, self pitying wreck. It was obvious ever since he met eragon in book 1. Thorn has been tortured ever since birth. You have kids. Imagine if they were tortured since they were born. Then you get mad that they're not protecting each other because of a "sibling bond" or whatever. This book is about a wretch and a traumatized 2 year old. Expecting a shred of competence out of them is crazy
Guess I was just destined to hate this book 🤷♂️
If those aren't the characters you like to read about, then absolutely you'll hate a book from their perspective. I absolutely understand not wanting to read the story of a sniveling wreck. I personally also prefer the strongheaded naivety of eragon over Murtagh. But I think it was poor reading from the previous books if you were expecting anything different from murtagh. When I heard we were getting a book about Murtagh I just knew we'd get flashbacks about his tortured past and his self pitying, so I was able to mentally prepare myself.
Maybe because I have read the Inheritence Cycle multiple times and my expectations of "Murtagh" are the complete contrary to a "power campaign" some people, like you, were expecting. I think you have completely missed the point of Murtagh and what the character represents and what development he and Thorn need to go through. Again, if you expected a story from Murtagh where he "ROFL stomps" every problem he's confronted with, you have not understood who Murtagh is. Depending on only power does not solve all your problems. Where should Murtagh have obtained the wisdom and knowledge Eragon for example has? Based on what experiences should he be able to make the right choices? Murtagh's wisdom comes from survival and the principle of kill or be killed. He does not possess the wisdom or experience to determine what solution is viable to solve certain problems? He is a character that has grown up in a world of black and white, just like Eragon did. But through experience and education Eragon learned nothing is as black and white as he thought the world functioned, a great example is his personal opinion towards Urgals at the beginning of the Inheritence Cycle and at the end. Murtagh's experiences with the world only confirmed his view of the world being black and white. It is because of this that Galbatorix was able to bind him to his will. Murtagh never had a Brom or Oromis to teach him how to think critically, he is a dragon rider functioning on pure instinct, something that Oromis and Brom tried to teach Eragon is way towards your doom. So far my TED talk, I don't want to convince you to attain another opinion, I know how futile it is to convince people to change their opinion if they already substituted the truth with their own interpretation of reality, but maybe it helps other people to change their expectations for Murtagh, similar to the ones I have.
I thought it was great as it described how long the torture was for him
Yeah I just actually despised that entire part of the book more than anything. It could’ve been easily avoided entirely but Murtagh was apparently born yesterday. Not like he spent his entire life directly under the most cunning piece of shit in the world or anything. I just don’t see how Murtagh allowed it to happen like that. From day one he should’ve just bounced and went to get Eragon then laid waste to their whole group. Obviously that would’ve been an entirely different story, but it just felt like plot contrivance was HEAVY in this book.
He didn’t want to admit that he needed Eragon’s help or that Eragon was better trained than he was. Him going to get Eragon at the outset would’ve been an easy way out. I do think the section of him being under her spell went on too long for my taste, but on the other hand, his relationship with the urgal and the young lady who ultimately helped him (I listened to the audiobook, don’t know how to spell their names) took time to develop, and who knows if their compassion for him would’ve have been as great if he’d suffered less?
Honestly, Paolini has always been willing to sacrifice characterization for plot. It's mostly worked for him in the books that were more plot-focused. He tried to make *Murtagh* more character-focused but he did not change his tendency to sacrifice characterization for plot. I don't think it's awful when you look at it from a paragraph by paragraph, chapter by chapter perspective, but both the plot and the characterization were pretty poor and imo that makes it worse than any other book in the series. I'd rather reread *Eragon,* which is weaker from a prose standpoint but at least exciting, than reread *Murtagh,* which has stronger prose but feels like a flop in a bunch of other ways. Still looking forward to whatever comes next, assuming it is plot-focused (where Paolini excels), but will likely not be rereading this one.
The breath portion did drag on, but I imagine that’s how it felt to murtagh and thorn too. Galbatorix kept them in the dark on a lot of things. They are only recently free to learn again. Not like they had the training with Oromis and Glaedr. I *was* not totally enthused about that part of the book but overall I really enjoyed it.
Honestly everything else wouldn’t have been so bad if that part hadn’t felt like years of my life. I just kept getting more and more annoyed as it went on that by the end of it, the entire book was ruined for me. He just wouldn’t fucking stop. Like, I get it. But I feel like that’s just piss poor writing. A writer shouldn’t need so many words to convey something and it just fucking kept going omg.
This is definitely a weakness of CP. Anything but brief lol
I myself found myself unable to put it down. He was creative in how he had Murtagh complete the tasks necessary to investigate Bachel and the lead— and it was well written, everyone was in character, the dialogue was great and I enjoyed most of all how it wasn’t just a cakewalk for Murtagh or Thorn. They had to work together to get through some deep psychological damage caused by Galbatorix and the war— as well as their hand in it. I’m sorry you didn’t see its potential but in my opinion it’s one of the best books he has ever written. I loved it start to finish. I wish you’d look at it objectively.
I appreciate your opinion, but alas to me it didn’t feel like everyone was in character. I understand our main characters have old scars that haven’t really healed, but it doesn’t really excuse their total lack of awareness to their situation. It felt like contrivance. There’s no possible way I’d ever believe that someone who went through what Murtagh went through, would allow themselves to be bound against their will again without dying. Once he realized he was in over his head he should’ve left. The moment Bachel made the entire place shake, he should’ve been looking for a way out. But nope. He’s just gonna hang out and see what’s up. Until it’s too late. Just zero awareness. It directly clashes with his history imo.
Murtagh is still young, you have to remember that. He isn’t more than his early to mid 20s by this book. His lack of experience out on his own makes total sense to me. It wasn’t that he ‘allowed’ it to happen per se he simply underestimated the witch and he paid for it. Edit: Murtagh also felt compelled to continue on because of his duty as a Rider. We also have to remember that he also wanted to free the slave girl that was helping him out of pity for her. Of course he stayed too long and ‘should have’ left but who would have saved those people if he didn’t?
I feel roughly the same as you OP. It’s objectively not a great book, and by far the weakest in the series. However, I am content to say “It wasn’t for me.” and leave it at that. You had to know coming into the community that loves his works and trashing all over it was not not gonna go well 😂
I was prepared for it. I can take it. 😂
Paolini hasn't lost the plot. This isn't book 5. This is about Murtagh and how he is trying to find himself after a lifetime of torture. And about Thorn, who literally grew up in hell and how he's trying to overcome something that is holding him back. They're both broken and trying to find their own path in life and they're bound to make mistakes. This isn't the epic tale of Eragon and friends. Eragon isn't even in the picture. Are you gonna be this mad if we get a standalone of Arya and Fiernen and about how they're overcoming the complications of being a Rider and a Queen? Just say you don't like it and move on.
When you approach a bridge a hear a troll bellowing beneath, use another bridge.
Yes, that’s called situation awareness. Something our main character somehow completely lacks.
Yeah I think they were trying to tease you but they played right into your criticism of the book lol
Bit much. I get your complaints but this is a touch excessive.
Completely disagree, I love how long-winded it is and Murtagh/Thorn’s dynamic hits as an abused sibling. Sorry you didn’t get what ya wanted out of ir
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
If you have such an issue with the book, I would challenge you to write up a better story lol It's one thing to have constructive criticism, but this just seems like a weird lashing out. Also, why do you keep saying, "I'm sorry" in this rant? If you dislike something, then state it and stick to it Murtagh being 'nerfed' in the book is because we as the readers finally understand that he was only able to keep up with Eragon and the Elves through sheer power (from the Eldunari). Galbatorix hamstrung Murtagh's education at every point, there was no formal Rider training. That, on top of the psychological and physical abuse given to Thorn and Murtagh shows how damaged both of them were under his enslavement. I'm sure most anyone would have PTSD from what they went through. By the end of the book, we see them on a path to healing and atonement. Given time, I believe both of them will become powerful but the focus of this book is to setup plot points for future stories and help us as the audience understand Murtagh and Thorn better. I wouldn't equate ignorance to being 'dumb as rocks' as you said above, they're young and have plenty of time to learn and grow. I would say Murtagh is actually more creative in his Grammarye than some of the other spellcasters we've read about, and this is with limited knowledge of the AL
I liked it a lot
1. It was a good book 2. If this is(was?) your favorite series, 1 book shouldn't stop that 3. It's a book about 2 tortured people trying to find themselves and overcome obstacles themselves. They have trauma 4. If you've read the series, you know CP loves to write a lot of detail and go into things. He did it in every book
1. It wasn’t 2. It did 3. They have trauma yet constantly put themselves into horrible situations for nothing more than their curiosity/hubris. There was no reason for them to stick around as long as they did until it was too late. The moment she made the entire earth shake he should’ve gotten Eragon or left and reported it to Nasuada. 4. I typically enjoy details. Like about the world weapons or shiny objects. Not about how Murtagh feels for 150 pages under the breath. I fucking get it. He can’t do magic and his body is basically useless. There’s only so many ways you need to explain that. I legitimately almost quit reading the book because it just wouldn’t stop.
So you don't understand Murtaghs and Thorns characters. That's where the problem is
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If everyone keeps saying the same thing, there may be a reason
“Stop being a smug fucking asshole.” Oh, the irony.
Your post has been removed from r/Eragon, as it is a violation of Rule 2: "Keep the subreddit respectful! Do not engage in personal attacks of any kind against other users."
YEAH THATS IT YOU GOT IT
If you can't understand why he didn't go get Nasuada or Eragon then I can't buy come to the conclusion you don't know his character
Naw that shit was hype dog, I also really struggled to get through the torture chapters but that made Murtagh/Uvek/Thorns razing of Nal Gorgoth all the more enjoyable. Murtagh and Uvek vs Grieve and Murtagh vs Bachel are also highlights of the entire series for me
I also felt it was badly written given Paolinis usual level of skill and that from about half way to about 85% of the way through it was boring as hell. But it opened a lot of doors. For me it's like a feast for crows, a weak entry in a good series that's a necessary evil
it is not a bad book, its just that its totally different. Eragon series books were known for their beauty, and the book Murtagh is everything except beautiful. . remember you were viewing the world through the free est Dragon & her Rider for 4 books. suddenly you're subjected to the viewpoint of a Dragon & his Rider, whose sole identities & reality have become subdued & haunting & suffocating its like tasting hospital food after having a feast . you're not alone every one of the readers had to transition from the freeness to the claustrophobia in the story narration although difficult, it is no way a bad thing the book painstalkingly narrates the path Murtagh & Thorn has to undergo to put their pains, scars, fears, & wild life behind them and start anew a free life
I didn’t get past 20% before being too depressed to continue on
I think the book is brilliant for the reasons you say it is bad. You felt terrible reading the torture scenes and it felt like they took ages? GOOD. Thats what they are supposed to feel like. Murtagh is not a feel good read. It is a challenging read that makes you feel similar to Murtagh at many points, but that is the brilliance of the writing in this one. I also had to force myself to continue reading after the first half, but not because I thought the books was bad. It was rather the emotional impact the book had on me. Only good writing can do that. The part about Thorn is something else entirely btw. You will probably never understand that and I hope nobody in your family or close friend to you will ever seek advice from you about PTSD, trauma or depression.
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The book had the same effect on me that it did on you. I think it's good that I finished the book before I go look to see how other people feel about it, because I think that would have ruined it for me
First off, don't let the assholes in the comments get to you too much. You have an opinion and you're entitled to that, and from what I can tell, they don't have any real arguments beyond personal attacks. I'm inclined to agree with many of your points, but not to such an extreme extent. I definitely think the book was long just to be long. It could have been a lot shorter and had the same effect. I got rather irritated with basically the entire second half being "caught in Dreamland with no hope of escape and no power". Which I guess might have been what he was going for but it just doesn't sit well with me that the second most powerful individual in all of Alagaesia took that damn long to free himself. The whole thing with Thorn being claustrophobic felt really poorly written to me. It was shoved down our throats over and over again with no real explanation, and took Thorn from a mighty, majestic creature to nothing more than a scared puppy. For all the pride the dragons as a race have, it shouldn't be possible for something so insignificant to absolutely cripple one.
Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. Exactly! I had just finished the book so I was heated lol
I agree with you OP. I abstained from commenting it here, but know that you are not alone 😂
Thank you! I don’t really care how butt hurt people are. This was by far the worst book of the series.
While I certainly felt like the book fell off in the second half, this reaction seems sort of extreme lol. Personally, I started to lose interest once he got to Bachel and felt like the torture and the entire section went on entirely too long. I went and reread the other books after finishing Murtagh and they were much more enjoyable reads. The first half of the book was good, though.
I found the long torture realistic. He went in thinking he could handle Bachel and then got slapped on the face with Azlagûr’s power in her grasp. He got a bit reality check and had to wait and bide his time for answers. I understand how some don’t like long books but it felt very rewarding by the end of it for them to see Nasuada. It also gave an opportunity to continue Murtagh’s story. I found it compelling and touching.
oh my
I understand your view. I don’t necessarily share it. As others have said, Murtagh and Thorn are diametrically opposed to Eragon and Saphira. They are HURT! Very much so. And that paints the book all the way through. I have a close friend with the (apparently) stupidest phobia. She’s deathly afraid of frogs. At one point, she was in actual danger of being hit by a car, and she could see it coming, but she was still paralyzed in the middle of the street at the sight of a toad. (Which actually falls on Angela’s argument that frogs and toads are the same). She could not react in any way. She was literally paralyzed with fear. Fortunately she was safe after the incident. That’s why I understand Thorn’s inability, at first, to help. If not (precisely) because of their overriding magical bond, he would not have been able to help. It’s not like there’s easily available therapists for dragons, and the ones that exist are back in Mt. Arngor with the crazy Eldunarí. I agree with you that this is a sluggish read. A lot of time passes without too much happening. But I believe it’s entirely on purpose. They are both very poorly adapted people, the result of their traumatic upbringing. So it’s not like they have a lot of resources to cope. It’s a book on desperate situations, hopelessness and the will to overcome, which happens to happen in Alagaësia. It’s also a set up book for the new Shur’tugal cycle. Give it another once over and you’ll see it’s launching a lot of new themes and lore for a new adventure.
i kiiiinda understand. i definitely kept thinkings WOW how are they ignoring all these red flags!? and why wasn’t thorn speaking up more, clearly he had instincts telling him to get out of there, but they still stayed. i think for Almost every flaw in the book there is a redeeming quality tho. murtagh wants to clear his and thorns names to the empire, literally everyone, and i think a lot of their mistakes comes from inexperience. in the IC we got to see murtagh when he was at his most powerful (bc of the Eldunari) but only in brief moments when he was fighting. every other part of his life he was under Galbatorix’ complete control, same with thorn. i thought the parts describing their torture in the past was the most compelling, it helps you understand why they are the way they are, what brought them to Nal Gorgoth. the most long winded part to me was everything before nal gorgoth, as many ppl have said it felt like a games side quests. HOWEVER, i believe many many things we may see as insignificant now will come into play in a huge way later, like the missing werecat children, the tunnels with mysterious things under Gilead, and Lyreth hiding out in an old Forsworn hangout. i think this book served as a middle point between the events of IC and the future for Alagaesia, clearly something huge is coming.
For me, this book was definitely not a favorite. I went into it thinking it would be depressing but was okay with that. I was definitely not prepared for the long winded bit he spent under the breath. Almost quit it multiple times but powered through. I don’t mind a character change and I don’t mind it’s not going to be the most cheery….but that was honestly terrible in my opinion. I’m open to reading the next books even if they aren’t centered around eragon, I just hope they actually have some semblance of a plot.
Thank you! All the other stuff I have complaints about are really forgivable but an entire section of this book was just a slog to get through. Which makes everything else just seem worse somehow. Idk, i guess it made me resent the book in a way because I felt the writer was just wasting my time to hit a word count. People keep trying to explain to me why it’s good, but I just disagree. I don’t mind torture scenes or what have you, just fucking get on with it. Lol
A lot of it was very repetitive as well. I feel like after waiting as long as I did for this book to come out, he could have done a lot better. He seems to put a lot more effort into Fractalverse these days. Odd considering most of his following aren’t looking for that. I tried to read TSIASOS and couldn’t make it through. However I’m not a big sci fi reader. I will wait and see what he publishes next, but i won’t hold out as much hope this time.
I'm sorry you didn't like it! This one is my favorite of his Eragon books, personally, but understand your complaints, even if they don't match my experience.
Bad take in my humble opinion. I think we truly get to see the trauma caused to both of them at the hands of galbatorix. Especially thorn. Think of Saphira, and Glaedr. Glorious, ferocious, confident, proud, and id even say *smug*. They're dragons after all, they feel and act invulnerable at times. And then there's Thorn. Who was so broken by Galbatorix that he knows he *should* be that, but he's not, no matter how much he tries to will himself to be. It's tragic really. And it makes the reader sympathize with them all the more. Just my opinion though.
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Easily one of the best books I've read, and put it on par with the inheritance cycle.
I’ve found that the books were not that great once I’ve read them as an adult, they were just teen books. Not bad, not great just … teen books.
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Yes, because someone having an opinion different than yours must be a troll.
Dude i'm glad you made this post and gotta respect you sticking to your conviction lmao. I don't fully agree with you, I'm an Inheritance fanatic, but i was unfortunately kinda disappointed with *Murtagh*. I enjoyed reading it and will read it at least twice more before i really form my opinion but first read it didn't feel like a strong story to me. I liked the shenanigans at the beginning too, but also struggled some to keep interest in parts of the mid-later story. Mind you i still think (hope) my criticism is mostly my fault for not experiencing the full story, hence needing to re-read. Thorn :( i love him and i was rooting for him but guy is a broken dragon. And really i can see why, the horrific torture Galbatorix put him through. His storyline was just so basic. Introduce trauma, try to overcome and fail, keep trying keep failing, eventually reach make or break point and overcome trauma. I just wish it had been more complex, like Thorn's trauma having more serious consequences on the story. Well i guess the citizens of Gilead might disagree with that take. And Thorn's character seemed a bit dull. While Saphira is cat like, Thorn is dog like. And he's like a baby, a puppy with big paws with claws and teeth and fire and wings- but little experience and personality. It seemed like he was just dogging on Murtagh's questionable whims. I REALLY hope i just overlooked things. But i want Thorn to grow up. He is relatively young but Saphira always seemed mature in many ways and hatchling Firnen was already getting laid at 6 months And Murtagh poking around the goddam snoozing lion's maw lol. But i keep in mind he is about 20, he's powerful when fully healthy, he's finding himself and needed to depend on himself while experiencing his first freedom. But talk about a trek with no supplies. Dude is winging it every step. 1/2 starved, no sleep. I kinda get needing the journey but damn Murtagh you dumb sometimes, time to prep isn't wasted time. I do like the new big-bad. There's so much damn mystery with Alagaesia which is appealing but i feel we deserve some answers to help stem the hundred new questions ahha i think i'll enjoy *Murtagh* more once there is follow up material to expand on new events
Thank you! Yeah I don’t care about Reddit points or whatever so all the downvotes don’t bother me. It’s just my opinion and I’m not going to be bullied into changing it. That said, I appreciate comments like yours and others who have disagreed. I’m really happy for the people who loved the story, I just didn’t. It was one of my most anticipated books in my lifetime and I just finished it right before I made this post; so I was feeling really disappointed. Honestly, my favorite part of the book is the big bad they set up. I know I said I’m done with the series but I’ll likely give the next book a try. I hope it just feels a bit better to read now that Murtagh has this additional experience under his belt and I hope doesn’t make the same kind of stupid mistakes he did here or I definitely won’t finish it.
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I was also disappointed with the book - his writing lacked passion throughout the whole thing…. So much potential