91 pages • 3 hours read
Christopher PaoliniA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Eragon is only the first book in a four-part series called The Inheritance Cycle. The first installment establishes the connection between Eragon and his dragon Saphira and shows the threat they face from the tyrannical ruler Galbatorix. The book ends with Eragon and his allies defeating an attack by the brutish Urgals and their demonic leader, Durza.
Eldest (Volume II): The cycle’s second book covers the aftermath of this battle. In a follow-up attack, Ajihad is ambushed and killed, while the Twins and Murtagh are missing but presumed dead. Ajihad’s daughter, Nasuada, is named head of the Varden resistance, and she moves her people to Suda, which is not under the evil Empire’s control. At this point, Eragon and Saphira travel to the elvish capital of Ellesmeara, where the new Dragon Rider receives training and undergoes a physical transformation that gives him the appearance and physical powers of an elf. Eragon then begins to woo Arya, but she rejects him because she is his senior by a hundred years and is destined to rule the realm after her mother. When Galbatorix stages his next attack against the Varden, Eragon finds himself pitted against Murtagh, who has become a Dragon Rider for Galbatorix. Murtagh discloses that Eragon is his brother, and they both have the same evil father, Morzan. Although Murtagh wins the battle, he lets Eragon escape.
Brisingr (Volume III): In the cycle’s third book, Eragon and Saphira escape with their lives but are tasked with uniting the resistance against the increasingly powerful forces of Galbatorix. Eragon is faced with several challenges, including overseeing the choice of a new dwarf king, killing the Ra’Zac, and completing his training among the elves. During this time, he is given a magical sword called Brisingr that bursts into blue flames whenever he wields it. At this time, Eragon learns that Murtagh lied about his parentage. While the two shared the same mother, Eragon’s father was Brom, not Morzan. At the novel’s end, Eragon and Arya defeat another Shade and unite the allied forces against Galbatorix.
Inheritance (Volume IV): In the final book of the cycle, the battle intensifies between the forces of Galbatorix and the resistance. When the Varden leader, Nasuada, is captured, Eragon must take control of the army and press forward to Galbatorix’s capital city. Overwhelmed by his new responsibilities, Eragon recalls the advice that Solumbum the werecat gave him long ago: To gain more power, he must go to the Rock of Kuthian and use his real name to open the Vault of Souls. Eragon and Saphira complete the journey and succeed in unlocking a trove of unhatched dragon eggs that no one knew existed. They also find a large number of Eldunari, gemstones containing the consciousness and wisdom of deceased dragons. Armed with the power of the Eldunari, Eragon confronts and defeats Galbatorix. Nasuada is named ruler of the Empire, while Arya ascends the elven throne after her mother is killed. Eragon then departs to take on the task of training a new generation of Dragon Riders.
NOTE: Many readers were disappointed that Eragon and Arya never became a romantic couple by the end of the series. The author left this issue open-ended and hinted that these characters might resume their relationship in future works set in the same fictional universe.
By Christopher Paolini