Ask the Author: Christopher Paolini
Answered Questions (144)
Christopher Paolini
Glad to hear you enjoy the books! I'd like to write about Brom's adventures prior to the events of the Inheritance Cycle, however I'm concerned it might be boring because everyone would know how it ended.
Christopher Paolini
Glad to hear you've enjoyed the Inheritance Cycle! I should have news in the next few months about when my new science fiction novel will be published: https://www.paolini.net/books/sci-fi-.... Fingers crossed you'll like it as much or more than the Eragon series!
Christopher Paolini
It was likely signed by Gerard Doyle, who is the narrator for the audiobook editions of the Inheritance Cycle. (He really brings the characters to life! I’ve had the opportunity to meet him several times. He’s a really great guy.)
Christopher Paolini
Glad to hear you are writing your own projects! I plotted out the Inheritance Cycle prior to starting "Eragon," but had initially planned on making it into a trilogy. By the time I got to the end of "Brisingr," it was very clear that the trilogy needed to become a cycle in order to properly complete the story.
Christopher Paolini
Like you, I would love to see the Inheritance Cycle brought to the big or small screen again! The rights to do so are owned by 20th Century Fox. While they have no current plans to reboot the series, they are open to the project sometime in the future. What can you do? Let Fox’s new CEO/chairman Stacey Snider know how much you want to see Eragon’s adventures come to life! Write to her at eragon.reboot@gmail.com. Every fan’s voice counts!
Christopher Paolini
Well, that one is hard to answer. My focus is currently on finishing up the last handful of chapters of the second draft of my new science fiction novel, #TSiaSoS, before going on tour for "The Official Eragon Coloring Book." After that, I'd like to write a couple more of the stories I've been thinking about for years. Then it will be time to work on Book Five, which will be set a number of years after Eragon leaves Alagaësia.
Christopher Paolini
I wouldn’t be surprised if Galbatorix WAS aware of Murtagh’s visits and was just allowing it as a way to get more leverage on the both of them. Galbatorix was very much aware that Murtagh and Nasuada were attracted to each other.
Christopher Paolini
Most dragons didn’t wait very long to hatch. The only reason Saphira did was because, even in the egg, she knew she was in danger. As for how the Riders knew which child a dragon had picked — as I believe I said somewhere in the books, the guardians of the eggs would monitor the mind of the unhatched dragon, and thus would be able to tell when it had made a decision. And not just because the dragon’s thoughts would change, but because the decision would initiate first the hatching process, and then the bonding process mandated and mediated by the magical pact between dragons and Riders.
Christopher Paolini
‘Archaic' isn’t a problem for me when it comes to fantasy. The genre is inherently conservative, so a certain amount of archaism is to be expected. As for ‘sexist’ . . . I’d say Lovecraft is probably more obviously offensive in that regard (he’s many things as a writer, but subtle ain’t one of them). Wolfe is primarily concerned with the use of language and with unreliable narrators. As a result, he gives short shrift to all characters outside his narrator, including of course, the women. Honestly, I haven’t read enough of his work to be able to give you a definitive answer. In fact, I feel as if I don’t entirely understand "The Book of the New Sun." It’s a densely wrought, enormously complicated hall of mirrors, and I’m still trying to decide how much to trust the main character. So . . . yeah. If you like puzzles, go for it (the language is awesome). Just realize most of the female characters aren’t going to have a whole lot of agency. But then, few people do in Wolfe’s world. For comparison, I would highly recommend "The Worm Ouroboros," by Eddison.
Christopher Paolini
I’ve actually never been to Bologna! Driven past it, but never made it into the city proper. It’s a great failing of mine, as my family (on my father’s side) actually comes from Bologna. Gotta go there during my next trip to Italy!
Christopher Paolini
Hi! Riders often used different weapons (personal preference and all that) but their sword was a symbol of their position, so they all had one made by Rhunön. Part of the difficulty of using another weapon is that it would be hard to find one as tough or sharp as Rhunön’s swords — mainly due to the spells she imbued the swords with.
Christopher Paolini
“The Face of Battle,” by John Keegan; “On Combat,” by Dave Grossman; “The Book of the Five Rings,” by Musashi; “The Art of War,” by Sun-Tzu; “Beowulf”; and of course, lots, and lots of fantasy novels.
Christopher Paolini
Skyrim, Mass Effect series (haven’t played the new one), the old Myst series, Halo & sequels, the old Marathon trilogy (amazing time-travel shenanigans), Just Cause 2 & 3, Blood Dragon, and many, many more. Currently been chewing my way through Warframe.
Christopher Paolini
Only up to the third or fourth book. Never finished the series. As I remember, Jordan had published just six books when I started them.
Christopher Paolini
All dragons see with a bluish tint. It’s a function of how many rods and cones they have in their eyes. Like most predators, they don’t need to see a whole lot of red or green.
Christopher Paolini
I know of it but never read it. One of these days!
Christopher Paolini
Of course! Read Mistborn and The Way of Kings (still haven’t gotten through Words of Radiance yet). Definitely enjoy them. Sanderson has a real knack for worldbuilding. As I’ve said a few times to my friends, he writes fantasy like science fiction.
Christopher Paolini
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)
Christopher Paolini
Thanks for your note, Jesper! This is Immanuela, Christopher's assistant. We're sorry to hear that you got a misprinted edition of INHERITANCE. The best thing to do is contact the retailer where you purchased it and see what they're able to do for you. Hope that helps!
Christopher Paolini
Glad to hear you're starting your own writing project! My best advice can be found here: https://www.paolini.net/writers-corner/.
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