Inheritance or the Vault of Souls [Hardcover]

Christopher Paolini (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 8, 2011 | Age Range: 12 and up | Lexile Measure: 1010L (What's this?)

Not so very long ago, Eragon—Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider—was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the much-anticipated, astonishing conclusion to the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.

Sneak Peek at Chapter Titles from Inheritance
Mooneater
To Feed a God
Black-Shrike-Thorn-Cave
A Crown of Ice and Snow
A Cradle Song
Dancing with Swords
A Sea of Nettles
No Honor, No Glory, Only Blisters in Unfortunate Places
The Hall of the Soothsayer
Burrow Grubs

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you're not already a Paolini fan, now is the time to rush out and buy the three previous books, as this is the final instalment of the epic story which began with Eragon." Book Time 20111117 "Inheritance is the final book of the wildly popular "Inheritance Cycle" by wunderkind Christopher Paolini. In this thrilling conclusion, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, take the fate of their world into their own hands. The evil king, Galbatorix, must be defeated and justice returned to the realm, but can the young dragonrider handle the pressure? That remains to be seen." The Christian Science Monitor 20110808 "Featuring spectacular artwork by John Jude Palencar, this book brings the bestselling Inheritance cycle to a breathtaking conclusion." Middlesbrough Evening Gazette 20111104 "It is an extremely compelling and well written book, set in the magical land of Alagaesia, and is one of the best fantasy books I have read. Christopher Paolini is a great author who has been able to conjure up a fantastical yet believable world. This is just as brilliant as all the other books in the series and ends spectacularly, but not in the way I expected..." Guardian 20111201 "The Dragon has landed! Paolini's conclusion to his popular saga for young adults has been eagerly anticipated and at 880 pages, it's a whopper! Can Eragon the Dragon Rider restore peace to Alagaesia?" -- Kate Lazenby Western Morning News 20111112

Book Description

The much-anticipated, thrilling conclusion of the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 860 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (November 8, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375856110
• ISBN-13: 978-0375856112
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 2.2 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,750 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Dragons

More About the Author

Christopher Paolini was born on November 17, 1983 in Southern California. He has lived most of his life in Paradise Valley, Montana with his parents and younger sister, Angela. As a child, he often wrote short stories and poems, made frequent trips to the library, and read widely. The idea of Eragon began as the daydreams of a teen. Christopher's love for the magic of stories led him to craft a novel that he would enjoy reading. The project began as a hobby, a personal challenge; he never intended it to be published. All the characters in Eragon are from Christopher's imagination except Angela the herbalist, who is loosely based on his sister. Christopher was fifteen when he wrote the first draft of Eragon. He took a second year to revise the book and then gave it to his parents to read. The family decided to self-publish the book and spent a third year preparing the manuscript for publication: copyediting, proofreading, designing a cover, typesetting the manuscript, and creating marketing materials. During this time Christopher drew the map for Eragon, as well as the dragon eye for the book cover (that now appears inside the Knopf hardcover edition). The manuscript was sent to press and the first books arrived in November 2001. The Paolini family spent the next year promoting the book at libraries, bookstores, and schools in 2002 and early 2003. In summer 2002, author Carl Hiaasen, whose stepson read a copy of the self-published book while on vacation in Montana, brought Eragon to the attention of his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, which is part of Random House. Knopf published Eragon in August 2003. Eldest, which continues the adventures of Eragon and the dragon Saphira was published in August 2005, and in December 2006, Fox 2000 released their movie adaptation of Eragon in theaters around the world.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#34 in Books > Teens

#34 in Books > Teens

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

625 of 668 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Inheritance- For Those Who Haven't Read The Book November 9, 2011

By CBRASDAS

Format:Hardcover

Important: I recommend that all potential buyers only read reviews that clearly state there are no spoilers in the review title (or the title clearly intends the review for said audience). There are one too many reviews that give away critical information within the first couple of lines.

It is difficult to review a book such as this; a person's liking of the book is obviously subjective (as you'll notice with any novel). I am surprised that the current highest-rated review contains many spoilers, and one can only assume that most of those reading the reviews have already read the book -- or perhaps they are too lethargic to actually read the book for themselves.

As it is, I would do my best to give an honest review, without spoilers, for those who have not read the book.

Firstly, I must admit that I did enjoy the book, though it did have many flaws. Perhaps I am alone in this, but Paolini's writing skills seem to have lessened since the second novel; in Inheritance, many smaller plots and potential side-stories remain unexplained or simply not pursued. A few extremely engaging characters seem to have underlying motives and/or secret histories that also remain woefully unexplained. Furthermore, the chapters seem somewhat rushed, and one cannot help but feel that the story does not flow as smooth as previously -- it feels somewhat distorted. And yet, perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the story was its ending (I would not elaborate, for fear of giving something away).

And yet, even so, I still enjoyed the book immensely; as one who has read the previous books and has become slowly captivated by the story, it would prove quite difficult not to enjoy 849 pages more -- whatever flaws it may contain.... With that being said, I would highly recommend any prospective readers to get the book, and enjoy it in its finality.

Note: I was also just recently informed that Paolini may return to the series. In my negligence, I apparently missed the author's "acknowledgements." He writes, "When I do return to it, I hope to address a few of the mysteries that I left unresolved in this series." So perhaps Paolini's failure to explain these "mysteries" was, in fact, just him waiting for a better time to reveal them. That being said, one cannot help but hope that he writes an entire novel on Angela, who seems to become more interesting by the page throughout Inheritance. Read more ›

457 of 512 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Like a delicate soufflé, rises to an epic climax before collapsing into a tasteless pile of goop November 12, 2011

By Matt S

Format:Hardcover

It is hard to say what I thought of this book. I liked it, yet I detested it. It was epic, yet depressing. If I had to abbreviate this entire review to one sentence, it would be: "It was meh."

ERAGON was (and is) one of my favorite books. It is timeless and fantastic. It follows the classic `hero's journey', yet adds enough twists to remain fresh. It is long, but never boring. And, like Sabriel and Northern Lights, I feel children will still be reading and enjoying it decades from now.

ELDEST was a bit of a disappointment. Over-long, talky, and boring for most of its length. The Battle of Burning Plains was a fitting end, though, and gave me hope that the remainder of the series would be worth the wait.

BRISINGR was everything that Eldest was not. Things happened. Eragon grew stronger, and for the first time it appeared as if Galby might be defeated. There were boring parts, yes (ie, the dwarves choosing their new King). Yet the book as a whole brought everything together and setup the epic finale.

So, you ask, what of INHERITANCE?

Well... It was Meh.

It is sad that an 850 page book can be abbreviated thus. But I don't know how else to put it without rambling. However, I shall try to consolidate my ideas.

The first 740 pages of this book were excellent. I could debate some points, such as the birth of Elain's baby or Roran leading the siege of Aroughs. Neither of those storylines added much of anything. They could have been cut, or perhaps turned into the "exclusive content" at the end of the Deluxe Edition (which is certain to be released). I could also express disappointment at the climax of the book, which had a great setup, but was remarkably anticlimactic. Yet, none of these things bothered me.... This was not my story to tell, and I knew from the start that I would not agree with every word that was written.

In fact, if those things above were all that I could complain about, I would gladly give this book 5 stars and declare it a brilliant work of fantastic fiction.

The problem is with the last 110 pages of the book. Everything from the chapter "Heir to the Empire" and forward sucks. I hate to say that, but it does. If this 110 pages was abbreviated to 40 pages and actually ANSWERED SOME QUESTIONS, this book would get 5 stars.

To explain what I mean, I will go into some (lengthy) spoilers. If you don't want the end of the book ruined, please skip to the end.

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!!!!!!!!!!SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!!!!!!

!

1. Let's talk about grammar. Normally, I am not one to complain about poor grammar and grade a book down for it, but there is one point within this book that bothered me regardless. That point is the plural of Eldunari, which has been definitively established as "Eldunarya". Yet the plural is not used once in this book. Every time the characters speak, regardless of whether they are referring to one Eldunari or one thousand, the singular is used. Every time this happened, I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Come on, Paolini. Don't you remember your own language?" Again, this is not a big thing. And if it were the only thing I could complain about in the whole book, I would shrug it off and give the book 5 stars.

2. The Dauthdaert. This supposedly legendary weapon comes straight from Deus Ex Machina Land and provides a heretofore unrecognized possibility to kill Galby and his evil dragon. This was a touch too ridiculous for me, and was not believable at all. I would have been able to accept it if, for example, it was a rider's sword they found (even an `extra special' riders sword), or if Arya explained that there was one legendary rider who used a spear instead of a sword, or if the idea of Dauthdaerts had been mentioned in any of the previous books... But to just throw it out there and say it is now the only hope to kill Galby... I'm sorry. I'm not buying it. And again, if this was the only problem with this book, I would be willing to overlook it and look at the book as a whole... rather than the sum of its flawed parts.

3. The Belt of Beloth the Wise. This thing was lost on page, what, 285? And after that it is mentioned a couple times, but never found. Seriously, what is with that? I would have understood if they found Galby or Murtagh wearing it at the climax. Or I would have no problem if they went back after the climax and found it buried deep under Helgrind. And I would have no problem if there was a rumor that some mysterious magician had stolen it and it could not be found. But to simply have it disappear, and to have no one care that a super-powerful artifact is on the loose... Seriously, now. What is the purpose of that? It just seems lazy.

4. That One Nameless Character, You Know Which. Do you remember that character in Brisingr with massive scars on her wrists, who got a prophecy from Angela and a blessing from Saphira, even though such things are rarely given to anyone? Saphira called her "Wild One" if I recall correctly. Well, after being utterly mysterious for years between books, she appears here in Inheritance--now with two apprentices (children?) in tow. She saves Roran, says a grand total of 4 words, then walks off into the mist. Seriously now. What was the point of that? We are given nothing on this character. No history, no reason for her to exist, not even a name. It would have been better if she had not existed in this book.

5. Tenga. That mysterious magician who appeared in Brisingr for a few pages, and who was Angela's teacher for a while. Well, the mysteries surrounding him are not answered or even mentioned once. Someone says his name, but only in passing. We learn nothing about him.

6. Angela. The most mysterious and intriguing character in the whole series gets even more mysterious as she faces down the priests of Helgrind and singlehandedly defeats them. She proves herself able to fight with her mind... and apparently she's better at it than Eragon or Arya, who are two of the greatest magicians in the world. Urgals, werecats and elves all respect and fear her, yet she admits she cannot face Galby because he is so powerful. Yet she controls weapons and spells that no one else even understands. Seriously, WHO IS SHE? We get a couple hints, and those imply that she is thousands of years old. Is she one of the Grey Folk, or perhaps the Soothsayer? This mystery bothers me A LOT because she is a strong, compelling, mysterious character that is given absolutely no history whatsoever.

7. The Faceless Monks on Vroengard. Eragon sees these guys momentarily, which indicates that humans (elves?) live in the rider's fallen city, which is one of the most hostile environments in the world. Although the setting on Vroengard (and its strange beasts) was excellent, the mysterious presence of these figures was utterly forgotten about within a page and never mentioned or considered ever again. Seriously, what was the point of that?

8. The Menoa Tree. What was her price? Eragon asks, and the tree sort of laughs... and then ignores him. It's ridiculous. Was her price the death of Galby? Or was it nothing? And if it was either of those, why didn't she just say so? When Eragon asks, she could merely say "the price is already paid", or something like that. But no. She says nothing. Another question unanswered.

9. Orrin. He acted like a drunk jerk the whole book, and even tried to kill Roran! And why? Some of the characters said it was "stress" or something like that. Well, if it was a temporary thing, then he should have recovered, and this recovery should have been made obvious to the reader. Honestly, though, I was expecting him to be the source of all the information Glaby was receiving. I was expecting him to reveal that he had been bespelled, or given an offer he couldn't refuse. I could see Galby telling him in a dream, "if the rebellion fails, I will give you half of my kingdom." That might be enough reason for him to take up drinking and act like a stressed out soulless monster. Seriously, this was just random and pointless. Another question unanswered.

10. Murtagh. For a time, he seemed to have closure. He escapes Galby and rides Thorn off into the sunset, but speaks to Eragon and redeems himself first. I was glad that he and Thorn were finally happy and could go on with their lives. Yet, they leave with 110 pages remaining in the book... And never show up again. No one even mentions them. They simply fly away and disappear.

11. Murtagh+Nasuada. For a while, this was my favorite storyline. Nasuada, kidnapped and tortured. Murtagh offering her comfort and trying to save her. The romance and comradeship between these two was true, organic, and did not feel false or contrived at all. I was eager to see how this romance played out, with Nasuada the likely heir to the empire and Murtagh untrusted and likely to be exiled. Murtagh even admits that it was his care for Nasuada that allowed him to break Galby's spell and fight him. So much could have been made of this relationship, but what happens? Nothing. Yep, nothing. Murtagh flies into the sunset and Nasuada never mentions him again. Talk about disappointing! We are given hope for a unique storyline, only to have it forgotten and ignored.

12. Queen Arya. Yeah, Queen Arya. This struck me as incredibly unlikely. Arya had stated (multiple times, IIRC) that she did not want to rule, and would rather ferry dragon eggs back and forth until the end of time. A noble decision, but one which never happens. Why? Well, apparently all the other elves really want her to be queen. Like, really, really, REALLY want her to be Queen. The reasons for their choice are not explored. But they badger her until she agrees. Really? I didn't know elves could be so adamant about giving a position of leadership to one who refuses to take it. Further, I am amazed that Arya accepts and then feels duty-bound to rule to the best of her ability. So, why didn't she just accept the crown temporarily or something? You know, "I'll be queen, but only until our realms are safe once again" or something like that. Further, she could abdicate the throne any time she wants. I mean, no one can MAKE her be Queen, can they?

13. Arya+Eragon. The epic romance is reduced to a bunch of epic angsting and, ultimately, nothing. I did not find this as disappointing as some, as I predicted from the start that they would never get together. But still, that does not make it better. Arya should have, without question, joined Eragon in his trip to the East and she should have helped him in re-establishing the riders. They could have been King and Queen of the new riders. I never expected them to get in bed together, but for Arya to just ABANDON him like that is ridiculous. Why did she leave him? Does she want to remain Queen of the elves? I find that hard to believe.

14. Firnen. Firnen was, without a doubt, the most pointless character in the whole book. His face may be on the cover, but he served no purpose whatsoever. First off, he should have hatched BEFORE the climax. It doesn't matter if he was as big as a puppy when Galby died, at least he could have served some purpose. As it is, he added absolutely nothing to the story because he only appeared after the story was over. Secondly, he was the greatest source of contention among fans before the book was published. Now, I'm not saying that the fans should decide how a book is written, but doesn't it make sense that the fan favorite should get a little more screen time than Firnen gets here? After years of guessing and theorizing, he appears with fifty pages left and has, what, one line of dialogue? Disappointing beyond words can say. (Even Snowfire, the horse, advanced the story more than Firnen.)

15. Firnen+Saphira. Ugh. This was the one storyline that I found, in the end, insulting. Saphira finds a male dragon that is not under Galby's control, and the first thing she can think of is boinking him. Nevermind that he is six months old. Nevermind that neither Arya nor Eragon gave their blessing. Nevermind that she met him less than two minutes ago. From then on, Saphira is barely even a part of the story as she and Firnen are far to busy having a bunch of (offscreen) dragon sex. So not only does Firnen barely exist, but he serves no greater purpose to the story than a barnyard stud. Now, I have no problem with Saphira finding a mate and raising a clutch of eggs, but this was absolutely the worst way to do it. She could have raised the eggs they found in the Vault of Souls. Besides, it is well established that she is vain, right? So why would she take the first eligible bachelor she sees? She should have made him work for it. Made him prove his strength and worthiness. As it is, I would have preferred she get knocked up with Glaedr. At least she knew him.

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!!!!!!!!!!END SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!

!

In the end, this book was simply too full of unanswered questions. Really. Go look at the titles of each of the 15 points above. Most of them could have been solved after the climax, or with a short paragraph somewhere within the story. Some could have been resolved with a single sentence. But we are given no resolution. No answers. Yes, Galby is defeated. Yes, peace now reigns. But the questions that REALLY MATTER are unanswered.

So where does that leave us?

I feel, when it is all over, that Inheritance was the conclusion to one storyline, but the beginning of another. It would not surprise me to hear in the next couple months of the upcoming EMPIRE: the first book of the Next Inheritance Trilogy. That is fine with me. I have no business telling Paolini what he can or cannot write. (Look at McCaffrey's Pern. 25 books over the past 50 years.) I fully support more books set in Alegaesia.

However, I feel that in setting up whatever comes next, Paolini has forgotten to give us any closure in THIS book. There are too many riddles remaining. Too many questions unanswered. Read more ›

251 of 290 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Bitter taste (Safe to read, no spoilers) November 11, 2011

By romojap

Format:Kindle Edition

At first glance, giving a book such as this a single star may seem a bit harsh. After all, there were plenty of well-written scenes, and it was obvious through the book that Paolini's style has developed. However, the description for the stars are: I hate it, I don't like it, It's OK, I like it, and I love it. Yes, I loved this series, even until the last 100 pages of this last book. But make no mistake... I hated the latter part of this book, and that is what will shape my opinion of the entire book, and even series as a whole. Much like a delicious meal at a 5-star restaurant, you will walk away saying you hated the entire meal if your last course, a chocolate cake, tastes like rotten eggs.

Throughout the series, Paolini creates numerous storylines and stays true to them. By the time the third book ended, there was a vast array of ideas to keep track of, and they played beautifully off each other, like the inner lines of a symphony. Some of the storylines, we all knew how they would end, even midway through the first book. And that was fine; the joy was in reading how these things should come to pass. Other storylines, we expected some kind of twist, and Paolini sometimes delivered. But then, with 100 pages to go, he destroys the vast majority of these storylines. Mysteries which have teased us since the first book are left cloaked in ambiguity. The culminations of various romances (whether fulfilled or unfulfilled) are skimmed over as an afterthought.

I can only come up with one theory: Paolini took longer than expected to write this book, and he ran into publishing deadlines. Pressed for time, he was forced to rush what should have been a grand finale.

A scene comes to mind where the series' protagonist, Eragon, is training.... After each failure, his teacher gives him advice, then orders Eragon to try again. "Again." "Again." I feel that the same teacher, upon reading this book, would look Paolini in the eye and flatly say...

"Again." Read more ›