Eldest

Eldest is the second installment in Christopher Paolini’s young-adult fantasy series, The Inheritance Cycle. The series includes Eragon (2002), Eldest (2005), Brisingr (2008), and Inheritance (2011), as well as a collection of short stories set in the same universe called The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm (2018) and a spin-off novel, Murtagh (2023), which is based on a secondary character. Heavily inspired by the work of J. R. R. Tolkien and other classic epic fantasy authors, The Inheritance Cycle takes place in the fictional empire of Alagaësia, which is inhabited by humans, Elves, Dwarves, Dragons, and other magical creatures typical of the genre. The series follows Eragon, a young farm boy who becomes a Rider when he bonds with a dragon named Saphira, and grows to become a warrior and a hero. As he attempts to defeat the tyrannical King Galbatorix and bring peace to Alagaësia, Eragon’s story follows the conventional structure of the Hero’s Journey. Eldest depicts Eragon’s evolution after the events of the first book as he learns to embrace his new responsibilities and gains confidence in his talents.

In the first novel, Eragon is an orphan who is being raised by his uncle Garrow and his cousin Roran in the village of Carvahall. After finding a strange stone in the mountains of the Spine, Eragon is pursued by the Ra’zac, evil creatures that have been sent by Galbatorix to retrieve the stone. The stone itself is revealed to be a dragon egg, and after it hatches for Eragon, he becomes magically bound to the young dragon and names her Saphira. After the Ra’zac kill Garrow, Eragon flees Carvahall with Saphira and Brom, the village storyteller. At this point, Eragon is unaware that Brom used to be a Rider but lost his dragon during the war against Galbatorix. As time goes on, Brom starts teaching Eragon to fight and to use magic for survival.

During their travels, Eragon and Brom encounter Murtagh, who befriends the young Rider. However, Brom is mortally wounded by the Ra’zac. After his death, Eragon is telepathically contacted by an Elf who has been captured by Galbatorix. The Elf, Arya, had been tasked with transporting Saphira’s egg when she was ambushed by Durza, one of Galbatorix’s magical creatures. Eragon and Murtagh rescue Arya, then join the Varden, the group of rebels fighting against Galbatorix’s oppressive rule.

Murtagh is the son of Morzan, a Rider who betrayed his companions to Galbatorix years ago. As a result of this fraught history, Murtagh is now viewed with suspicion, but he ingratiates himself to the Varden. Meanwhile, Eragon is welcomed by Ajihad, the leader of the Varden, as a symbol of renewed hope. At the end of the book, Galbatorix’s army attacks the Varden city of Tronjheim. Eragon kills Durza, thereby defeating the King’s forces, but he sustains a serious back injury that leaves him partially incapacitated. Eldest begins in the aftermath of the battle, just a few days after Eragon’s heroic feat and the Varden’s victory. Unlike Eragon, which is entirely told from the young Rider’s perspective, Eldest alternates between Eragon and Roran’s third-person limited perspectives and includes occasional chapters from Nasuada’s perspective.