Inheritance is the final novel in The Inheritance Cycle and after reading the entire series, while I can see why the popularity is there as a series it leaves a lot to be desired. It’s biggest issue is coming from a young author who lays the foundation in the first book for a world and series that is highly derivative of what has come before. While this is nothing new for fantasy as a genre, others who have followed what has come before successfully have put their own twist upon the material to allow for a uniqueness from an older story. There is also the opposite end of the spectrum where authors just steal ideas, plot points, and characters wholecloth due to a lack of creativity, however it must be very clear that this is not what Christopher Paolini has done. Paolini has simply taken elements of the stories he genuinely loves and mixes them up in a way that makes an attempt to be original but fails. This is reinforced by the developments in the series after the first installment improving in several aspects, though not necessarily linearly as the third book suffers greatly from being too long and in need of an edit. That brings us to the final novel in the series, Inheritance, which shows the endpoint of Paolini’s growth as an author.
Despite being the longest of the four novels in the series, Inheritance is the first not to feel entirely dragged down because of its weight. Much of the novel is dedicated to exploring how each of our principle characters are preparing and building towards the climactic final battle against King Gallbatorix and his forces, with a lengthy epilogue taking place after to wrap up loose plot threads. The time after the climax helps greatly in settling a climax which itself builds to a point where the resolution does not become nearly as satisfying that it could be, especially as structurally it follows the beats of the climax to Return of the Jedi with Gallbatorix in the role of Emperor and Murtagh in the role of Darth Vader. There is of course the slight difference by having Murtagh not being able to act on his own free will, and much exploration about how power corrupts after the climax where the incoming governments set up provisions to stop another evil king or magician from grasping power. Paolini does attempt to use Inheritance to explore themes of self-discovery and coming to understand one’s place in the world which becomes apparent throughout Eragon’s plot and eventual final decision, once again mirroring potential paths of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. Paolini does at least make attempts to hide the outline he is using for the book by genuinely doing a good job of exploring his cast of characters, adding a point where Nasuada is captured and tortured while almost bordering on the gratuitous in terms of violence that continues to show her perseverance. Though this perseverance there is this nice cap to her arc though it includes hints at a romance with Murtagh which honestly doesn’t feel right, there’s some weird power dynamics at play here though it’s clear Paolini is continuing the idea of a Han Solo/Princess Leia romance which doesn’t come to a good conclusion. Murtagh exiles himself to the wilderness which could honestly be a good start for a sequel series that doesn’t have to have the baggage of the previous books since he was a character who hasn’t had an established point of view.
Characters leaving for their own almost hermitage post the series also helps clean the slate so Paolini can have a genuine reason to continue in the world he has crafted, something he is actively doing. In 2018 he published three novellas in a collection and is working on a fifth novel. This means that while Inheritance ends the cycle, it is not the last of the world so there’s a chance I’ll cover it. Inheritance is not a book I disliked, heck it was very close to breaking the mold of scores for the rest of The Inheritance Cycle. The hanging plot threads are nicely tied up and the status quo is changed with some genuinely interesting stories to be told. This is still suffering from the previous book’s issue of being overly long for its plot, though nowhere near as badly as it has an actual ending and complete character arcs. It’s a book that closes a series that captured the hearts of children and provided its writer a starting point but Paolini can do better and hopefully has done better elsewhere. 6/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment