"INHERITANCE" To Be Released November 2011

Well finally - They've just announced that the fourth book in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance cycle, INHERITANCE, is being released sometime in November of 2011. So for those who've been waiting with ever decreasing patience the end is finally in sight. Of course the ideal way of refreshing your memory of what came before would to be pick up a copy of a certain book which happens to share the name of this blog.

Finally - A Review.

Well the title is a little misleading as there have been a couple of reviews - well one anyway - posted at Amazon.com and one at Amazon.ca written by people who have actually read the book, but this is the first one posted at a review site. Written by Tricia Weight and first published at Blogcritics.org you'll also be able to read the review at her very own blog One Brick Shy where she's been publishing since 2004 and at Open Salon!
Anyway - without further ado here is her review in its entirety - needless to say I'm thrilled by it as not only is it very positive, its also intelligent and thoughtful - which makes me look even better.

When I sat down to read What Will Happen in Eragon IV I didn't know what to expect, but there were a few things that I did know...

1) That I was a good candidate to write this review because I just happen to be personally acquainted with the sights, the spectacles and the smells--most definitely the smells, of Dragon*Con. Trust me, a person will never forget their first experience with a five foot, faux-fur costumed wookie who has not bathed or brushed his teeth after sleeping in his car for three days... I know I can't. And I have tried. Anyone who has ever attended Dragon*Con will understand my meaning only too well.

2) I had never read any of the books in the Inheritance cycle.

3) I wasn't about to let the author off the hook because I had not read them. His job, as far as I was concerned, was to carry me through with enough information that this book could stand alone. I expected a book that I could enjoy without feeling lost or like I just walked in on the middle of a conversation.

The book of predictions that Richard Marcus has put together reads like a novel itself. It's an absolutely fantastic and fascinating read. The writing is intelligent and conversational. I love that he never talks down to readers; an expectation that readers can keep up with his intellect and his complex explication of the original three books. I was captivated by the story he was telling, it felt more like I was having an in-depth conversation with an old college friend, rather than reading a book. It reminded me very much of those late night study sessions that unlocked the mysteries of literature for me. I read the most whilst riding the train to work. There were times when I almost missed my stop because I was so engrossed in the story.

What Will Happen in Eragon IV is a book of predictions for the fourth book in the Inheritance cycle, a very popular series created and written by Christopher Paolini. The much awaited fourth and final book has been the topic of discussion on fan sites and forums since the announcement that Brisingr (2008), the third book in what was supposed to be a trilogy, would not be the last.  

Marcus covers the characters and the events that are significant in the first three books: Eragon (2002), Eldest (2005) and Brisingr (2008). For those who own the series he refers to book and page numbers to back up the reasons for his predictions, but those are not really necessary to enjoy the book because he does such an excellent job of examining and discussing the characters and events that have occurred in the previous books.

The simple fact is that What Will Happen in Eragon IV is an incredibly good read in its own right. In 211 pages Richard Marcus is able to cover the background story and characters well enough that I feel completely confident that I can purchase the fourth book, when it is finally released, and know exactly what's happening. The fourth book is, as of yet, untitled. The next title is also one of the predictions made by Marcus, you can only understand the significance of the title by reading his predictions. He makes you realize that much of what is to come hinges on the meaning behind the next chosen title. His prescience on the title is brilliant. This book of predictions has whet my appetite for that fourth book. I've now read the predictions that Richard Marcus has made and I am as eager to see what will happen as anyone who has read the entire trilogy. 

The questions left unanswered at the end of Brisingr are numerous, but Marcus takes them on with an omniscient authority. Who will live? Who will die? What does the future hold for the characters, both good and evil, after the final battle with Galbatorix? Who might change from trusted ally to traitorous enemy in the face of Galbatorix' strength and cunning? Who will become the ruler of Alagaesia? As with most of his predictions, Marcus goes through a list of possibilities, then explains his reasoning as he removes each from the list, until only the most sensible possibilities remain. He then narrows it down further and explains why his choice is the most probable outcome, citing previous events, conversations and interactions between the characters to back up his predictions. 

The most important questions by far are How will Eragon defeat the dark lord, Galbatorix? And who will become the third dragon rider? These questions can only be answered by looking at the maze of questions and riddles scattered throughout the first three books. Marcus is a perfect guide in leading the reader through the web that Paolini has created. Searching out those hints and clues that have been left like bread crumbs, most of which a less intuitive and creative thinking researcher might have missed.   

Richard Marcus has made the case for each of his predictions in a very considered and well researched way. I found myself many times appreciating his thoroughness and feeling slightly amazed at his in-depth knowledge of the previous books, as well as his inherent understanding of the author of those books. He has been able to adduce the patterns, the associations of the characters, their past behaviors and come to well-reasoned conclusions. He has brought to light the groundwork the author has laid for the fourth book. I'm looking forward to seeing just how many of his predictions are correct.   

Well there you go - thanks once again to Tricia Weight - "The Geek Girl" - for taking the time to read and review my book so carefully. An author really feels appreciated when that happens.

The Illustrations That Didn't Get In The Book

When you write a book things don't always work out as you planned, it's no ones fault, that's just the way the business works. When I was commissioned to write What Will Happen In Eragon IV I had the great idea of asking my wife if she would be interested in doing some illustrations for it. When I approached the publisher with the idea they said have her come up with some sketches and send them to us.

Unfortunately, the way things worked out, the illustrations ended up not being used. I think it came down to the marketing people or something. However I still really like the drawings Eriana came up with and I thought you might like to see them. What I find very interesting is if you check out the new book that Paolin has put out -Eragon's Guide To Alagaesia quite a few of the drawings in it bear are quite similar in style to what my wife came up with.

Now unfortunately we don't have a scanner so all you're seeing are photographs taken of her black and white sketches, but I think they give you a good idea of their quality. The first one, (above left) is what we had thought would make a good chapter heading, while the chap off to the right there is her version of Solembaum the werecat.

This dude below us and to the right is of course the white raven who Eragon meets when he visits the Elves to begin his training as a Dragon Rider and off to the right is her image of a dragon and her rider. While you won't see these pictures in the book I figured it might be nice for you to check them out now and get some idea as to how we visualized Paolini's world.

Book Signing Photos

Here are some photos from the book signing that went down on November 14th - a friend of mine took them and they're not too bad.

On the left you can see me studiously signing - note furrowed brow a sure sign of an artist at work - or somebody with no idea what to write - you pick. On the right I'm pointing out the obvious to somebody - yes this is a book.

Help!

Look up at the top of this blog - what do you see? The cover of the book right - now looking at it can you see anyway in which anybody could mistake this for the actual fourth book in the series? Be honest, I know I'm biased and maybe there's something I'm missing that gives people the mistaken impression that Christopher Paolini wrote it - even though his name isn't listed as author.

While people actually have made that mistake, and to compound their own stupidity they have posted reviews of the book at Amazon.com giving it a poor rating based not on the book's quality, but on the fact they made a mistake. If you have read the book could you please post a review based on its content and its content. I don't really care if you don't think that highly of it, as long as you have actually read it and are prepared to judge it on its merits, not on the fact that you can't read.

I'm sorry if that sounds harsh but I don't like the fact that stupid people are dictating the worth of my writing. Right now if you happen to glance at the book you'll see that it has a rating of one out of a possible five based on that review. I've asked Amazon to remove both reviews, and so far they've only removed one - I would appreciate it if anybody out there could do something to compensate for the one that's left by posting a real review.

Thanks

Richard Marcus

Book Signing - November 14th

Well the really nice people at Publishers Group Canada have come up with the following poster for my book signing at Indigo Books in Kingston on Saturday November 14th 2009 from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Pretty Cool Huh

Updates and Changes

Well it seems like I jumped the gun on quite a few things in my last post. It turns out the book wasn't quite as ready to be released as I thought, and its only just this week showed up on the shelves of book stores in Canada. I don't know about the States, but I can only assume that if its made it out on to the book shelves here it will be available to readers in the US as well. For those of you in the overseas market I can't be sure when and if it will be on your shelves, but I do know that you can order it through Amazon sites the world over. Now is probably a good time for Europeans to buy it as well as the American dollar is really in the toilet so you shouldn't have to pay too much for it.

The other date that I had wrong was the date of the book signing - that should have been November 14th 2009 at the Indigo Books in Kingston Ontario, 259 Princess Street, from 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm for those keeping track of this sort of thing. They now have forty copies of the book in stock so unless we get a huge run on it prior to the signing or during that should be plenty for everyone. If by some miracle we sell out, I'll figure out a way of having rain checks for those who are there on the day but don't get a signed copy. Maybe have you leave your name and address and then when your copies come in I'll have Indigo set them aside for me to sign for you.

Anyway that's it, and now that you have a chance to get your hands on the book let me hear what you have to say about my predictions. I see that two people have already taken part in the poll were running as to who will become the third dragon rider - anybody else going to take a guess?

See you later