#BookReview :: The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm: Eragon (Tales from Alagaësia #1) by Christopher Paolini

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Okay, don’t hate me… but I have not read The Inheritance Cycle series. I know! How can a fantasy aficionado not have read it? I have no explanation other than that it just hasn’t happened yet. I do plan to pick it up someday though. So, when I heard that this book can be read without having read the series, I decided to give it a go to get a taste of the world that The Inheritance Cycle is set in and also to get an idea of what to expect from the series when I start it.

The book is divided into three parts – The Fork, the Witch and the Worm.

The fork is the story of Murtagh and Essie, set in a small town. Eragon is now away from Alagaesia to find a new home for the dragon riders, but he misses his life and the action. So, the Eldunarí shows him Murtagh’s life and ‘adventures’ that serve as a lesson to not only little Essie but also for Eragon. The witch is the story of Angela and Elva. It is written by Angela Paolini, who apparently was the inspiration behind the character of the same name in Inheritance Cylce. For me this was a really interesting one as the story read like a memoir. I do not know how Christopher Paolini has sketched Angela’s character, but I did love reading Angela Paolini’s sketch of the character she inspired into life. The worm was also a very interesting read. It is the story of Ilgra, an Urgal and her long fight against worm of a dragon. 

All the three stories bring forth a lesson to be learnt by Eragon and maybe even by the readers. I absolutely loved Eragon, Murtagh and Angela. I may just pick up this sooner because of the character of Angela alone. She is a firecracker of a character and I hope she is the same in the series. I also loved the glimpses of the world setting I got through this book. It was indeed interesting and I found the Urgal species to be something I would like to know more about.

For those who are already fans of The Inheritance Cycle, this should be an interesting addition to the stories you already know. For those of you who are wondering whether or not to read the original series, give this book a chance before your make up your mind.

Review Copy received from Penguin Random House