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alt title(s): The Inheritance Trilogy; Eragon; Inheritance Trilogy; The Inheritance Cycle; Inheritance
The Inheritance Cycle, formerly known as the Inheritance Trilogy is a series of High Fantasy novels written by Christopher Paolini. The first book was originally self-published by Paolini and his parents, but has since migrated to Alfred A Knopf on the recommendation of Carl Hiaasen. It so far features the following books:
The novels feature the tale of a farmboy who discovers a Plot Coupon sent to a wise old mentor by a captured princess, and has his uncle who raised him killed by the impenetrably cowled servants of the Evil Empire. The two set off for revenge. The mentor is a former knight, who teaches the farmboy how to use his mystical powers in about five days (not that his magic is much use until he becomes stronger) and gives him a magical sword that belonged to his father before buying the farm. Luckily, the farmboy meets up with a Badass Anti Hero, rescues the princess, who is also a major player in the Rebel army, and joins the rebellion, becoming a key member before going to train with a half-mad old hermit in the forest. After this, he discovers that his father was the Empire's right-hand man and he's been betrayed by his own family...
The first book was adapted into a film in 2006, but there are currently no plans for any movie sequels. Let's hope it stays that way.
This series of books provides examples of:
- Comedy gold.
- He actually mentions this in the afterword. He says he did it because he's "A fan of the doctor."
CP: "And to those who got the line about the lonely god, all I have to say is that The Doctor can be anywhere at any time, even alternate dimensions. Hey! I'm a fan too!
- Maybe it didn't happen, maybe I'm just being picky, but similarities between Blazing Saddles tribute to The Treasure of Sierra Madre "Badges, we do't need no stinking badges" and the villagers in Eldest's "Barges, we don't need no stinkin' Barges!" seems too similar for words. Also, it's completely at odds with the rest of the prose.
- Morn (who is himself a Shout Out/parody).
- Some people and places are named after people he knows, for example, Angela (his sister), and Palancar Valley (named after the artist who does the cover art)
- Shrug Of God: If anything even remotely related to a theory for an upcoming book is mentioned to Paolini's face or asked in an interview, he always responds with, "no comment."
- Small Name Big Ego: Paolini, who strives "for a lyrical beauty somewhere between Tolkien at his best and Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf". At least he used the word "strive."
- Ssssnake Talk: The Ra'zac have a hissing accent.
- So Bad Its Good: Some people consider the series to be this way, except for The Film Of The Book, which is pure old-fashioned Snark Bait.
- So Bad Its Horrible: Some people consider the series to be this.
- Soul Jar: The Eldunari.
- Super Soldier: the soldiers Galbatorix deleted "pain" from.
- Super Speed
- Super Strength: Possessed naturally by elves, Shades, Ra'zac, and Kull. Dragon Riders seem to gain this over time.
- Standard Fantasy Setting: One of the things Fan Haters use to accuse Paolini of being unoriginal.
- Strawman Political: Only two fleshed-out religions are seen in the Cycle, the first of which is almost stupidly evil and vile for no logical reason, and the other of which involves an argument between representatives of the religious Dwarves and atheist Elves, which presents the Dwarf as wasteful and ranting and the Elf as calm and wise.
- The dwarf religion is actually portrayed rather positively in the third book, especially considering that the main character converts to dwarfism and even prays to the dwarf god Guntera at one point. The "argument" between the dwarves and elves actually had fairly little to do with religion; the elf in question (Arya) just thought that the dwarves put too much money into decorating their temples.
- Stronger Sibling: Murtagh is more than capable of kicking Eragon's scrawny behind.
- The Call Knows Where You Live
- The Empire
- Third Person Person: Angela in the film adaptation.
- Tonight Someone Dies: Prior to the release of Brisingr, Christopher Paolini announced that a major character would die at the end of the book. That character was Oromis, the Old Master. Glaedr survives in his Eldunari but is physically dead.
- To The Pain: Eragon's threat to a soldier early in the first book.
- Trilogy Creep: What was once a "Trilogy" is now a "Cycle." Fortunately, the series "continues and concludes" in book four, so it's just a trilogy of four rather than "Ahahahahahaaaa you must all buy my books FOREVER."
- Turned Against Their Masters: Spirits, which can be summoned by sorcerers to accomplish magical feats, will do this at the first opportunity if the sorcerer isn't capable.
- Twist Ending
- Unfortunate Implications
- Unusual Euphemism: Sloan uses a lot when he's insulting Eragon.
- Veganopia: Elven society
- Vanity Publishing
- Villain Decay: Murtagh. When he is first seen in Eldest, he's sympathetic but his actions are well-justified and believable. But by Brisingr, he's decayed into Galbatorix's minion complete with an evil cackle.
- We Are As Mayflies: The Elves.
- We Have Reserves: Galbatorix uses the urgals mainly as arrow-fodder.
- Who Wants To Live Forever: A source of Wangst for Eragon.
- What Measure Is A Mook: The heroes can be very hypocritical about this, which also often leads to Moral Dissonance.
- What The Hell Hero?: Four examples: Firstly, Murtagh heavily criticizes Eragon's (and the Varden's) moral stance and allegiance at the end of Eldest, going so far as to say that Galbatorix isn't bad enough to earn what Eragon's doing to the Empire. Secondly, Sloan gives Eragon a massive tongue lashing in Brisingr when he encounters him, complete with lots of fantasy swear words. Thirdly, after Eragon attempts to heal Elva of her curse, he only succeeds in making it painless, leaving Elva still empowered but no longer shackled down with a desire to help others, turning her into an Anti Hero. Shortly after, he decides that she isn't mature enough to handle such power and tries to take it from her, whereupon she puts him down about his Knight Templar tendencies and points out that he is behaving little better than Galbatorix would. And fourthly, a soldier in Feinster complains about Eragon "taking glory for himself" by disrupting the peace and slaughtering even those who have been forced to serve the Empire. Many people consider such moments a Crowning Moment Of Awesome.
- The Woobie: Murtagh - face it, his life is just one long series of people kicking him in the balls. Also Sloan, who, although admittedly killing someone, goes through hell to protect his daughter, and is punished even by the hero for it.
- Perhaps more so than either of those two is Thorn, who is forcefully made into an adult, although his mind remains that of an infant's, and is brainwashed to fight and is treated as a villain.
- And then there's Elva.
- Word Of God: Christopher Paolini answers a lot of questions about the Cycle, mostly in interviews. Just look at all the examples on this page alone!
- Words Can Break My Bones: The Ancient Language, being the language used for magic, is perfectly capable of killing you. If mishandled, it can also kill its unwary user.
- Xanatos Gambit: Galbatorix's magnificent plan at the end of Eragon. He recruits his longtime enemies, the urgals, and offers them free land if they attack the Beor Mountains and stamp out the dwarves and the Varden. This was a particularly ingenious move, because if the urgals are victorious, that means that two of Galbatorix's principal enemies have been taken off the map, and the urgals will be too weakened to challenge Galbatorix or fight back if he wants to get rid of them later, all without a single imperial warrior having to die. If the urgals lose, then Galbatorix has effectively gotten rid of a race he hated anyway (they killed his original dragon in his backstory) before they have a chance to cause trouble for him. The Varden and dwarves manage to stave off the urgals, leaving both sides significantly weakened but alive, Durza, who was controlling the Urgals, gets killed, causing the much smaller forces of urgals still alive turn against Galbatorix shortly afterwards.
- Ye Goode Olde Days: Everybody is always rambling about how awesome the days before Galbatorix were . . . even though those days took place over a century ago. (By the way, remember the 70s?) Kinda justified with Brom (who really, really doesn't like Galbatorix) spreading tales around the town, and many of the people of Palancar Valley being descended from a royal court which existed before ol' Galby.
- People can have long memories. The elite of the Roman Republic was obsessed with how great things were during its early days, and the republic was around for hundreds of years.
- Youngest Child Wins: Eragon is the younger of two siblings, and he ends up raised by his uncle in relative safety, gets to become a Dragon Rider, raises to the highest ranks in the Varden, is respected and praised to the heights of heaven by kings and queens and dragons alike. Meanwhile, his elder brother Murtagh is raised in Uru'baen, is horribly abused by his father, receives a gigantic scar that goes all the way from his shoulder down his back to his hip at the age of three, loses his mother(and his abusive father) shortly after and grows up an orphan, loses his mentor and friend at age 18, and is shortly thereafter condemned to wonder the Empire as an outlaw, hated and hunted by both the Empire and the Varden. However, the trope is subverted when Murtagh is forced to join the Empire. One of Galbatorix's dragon eggs hatches for him, and he takes his father's place as the Empire's champion. After gaining new powers from his master, he resolves to use his position to "strike back at the world that had shown him little kindness" and his first act with his new abilites is to wipe the floor with Eragon and his dragon at the climax of Eldest.
- You Fail Geography Forever: A common complaint levelled against the map of Alagaësia and its unusual geographic features such as rivers that double back on themselves, and a desert that sits in the middle of a map of an otherwise temperate European style environmental zone.
- Your Approval Fills Me With Shame: Elva, being the emotional manipulator that she is, purposefully uses this tactic against Eragon, telling him that Galbatorix would approve of his actions. This leaves him badly shaken and questioning his morals. Why he didn't come to this revelation right after what he did to Sloan is anyone's guess...
- Your Mileage May Vary
- Zero Percent Approval Rating: Galbatorix again.
Now that I think about it, how about I kick Murtagh in the groin again?
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