The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm by Christopher Paolini
Fantasy Anthology. 288 Pages. 4 stars
Synopsis:
It’s been a year since Eragon departed Alagaësia in search of the perfect home to train a new generation of Dragon Riders.
Now he is struggling with an endless sea of tasks: constructing a vast dragonhold, wrangling with suppliers, guarding dragon eggs and dealing with belligerent Urgals and haughty elves. Then a vision from the Eldunarí, unexpected visitors and an exciting Urgal legend offer a much-needed distraction and a new perspective.
This volume features three original stories set in Alagaësia, interspersed with scenes from Eragon’s own unfolding adventure. Included is an excerpt from the memoir of the unforgettable witch and fortune-teller Angela the herbalist, penned by Angela Paolini, the inspiration for the character, herself!
Relish the incomparable imagination of Christopher Paolini in this thrilling new collection of stories based in the world of the Inheritance Cycle.
My Review:
Man, I’ve been meaning to get to this one for a while, but now that Murtagh is out, I knew it was finally time!
It was so fun to dive back into the world of Eragon and Saphira (and others, no spoilers!) after so long – and with all new (to me) stories. It was also neat to get to read them right after having reread the quartet so everything’s still fresh in my mind.
This anthology is comprised of 3 short stories in the world of Alagaesia. The Fork. The Witch. And the Worm (shocking). I think the Fork may have been my favorite as we get a surprise return character! I loved the POV of this one and the nuanced internal wrestling of the girl and the mysterious visitor she bumps into.
The Witch was a curious bit of “story” or rather snippets of essays. Seeing from Angela’s perspective is a bit of a treat and her outlook on the stars was quite interesting. Her purpose in visiting Eragon also made me smile.
The Worm was by far the longest of the stories. I think it was half the book. Honestly, I struggled with this one a little. I think in part because I struggle with audiobooks, but also I was driving on a very long road trip. I had to listen to the beginning of this one twice to follow what on earth was happening. But it was also the most unique of the stories. An urgal tale displaying the breadth of their culture with some rather fascinating worldbuilding and a really intriguing new character.
I loved that the narrator of the series came back for this! I could hear some differences in his portrayals of the characters this time, but that’s to be expected after so much time apart from the world, story, and characters. Regardless, his voice is one I know well and it felt like a bit of home!
Content: there’s a fair bit of fantasy violence, no explicit romance, and I don’t recall any specific foul language, but it’s been a minute since I read it. There may be a word or two in there in a fantasy context. I’d recommend the book to those who loved the quartet, probably for 14/15+ readers.
More:
Book 1 in the Inheritance Cycle is Eragon (5 Stars)
Book 2 is Eldest (4 Stars)
Book 3 is Brisingr (4 Stars)
Book 4 is Inheritance (5 Stars)
Book 4.5 is The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm (4 Stars)
Book 5 is Murtagh (4 Stars)
I have rated each of the above on Goodreads. Follow the links to find more info on the books.
This series must be read in order.
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Check out my thoughts on the first book in the series: