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paulviebranz 's review for:
Murtagh
by Christopher Paolini
- 3.5 stars -
I listened to the audiobooks of all four novels in the Inheritance Cycle last year, and I found them generally quite enjoyable reads, with interesting characters, some truly engaging moments and scenes, yet stories that didn’t always feel terribly investing due to the somewhat nebulous nature of the primary antagonist’s villainy—Galbatorix was unfailingly talked about as totally and completely evil, but… what exactly did he do that was so bad to his people, as opposed to the heroes and their particular (and very small) social groups specifically? We didn’t see nearly enough of how the Empire negatively affected the peoples in its territories, as opposed to interpersonal conflicts like Galbatorix having betrayed the Riders, and been cruel to baby Murtagh. The books also grew to feel quite overlong by the end, and I found myself absolutely dreading chapters from Roran’s point of view. Still, the majority of the novels were engaging fantasy, and I find myself remembering quite fondly some of the quieter moments, such as Eragon observing the ant colony, or forging his blue sword, Brisingr, as much as I may recollect flashy battles, which to me is the mark of a successful piece of genre work.
The novel Murtagh is more of the same, for better and for worse. This story starts out feeling more episodic in nature, not unlike a John Carter adventure (which Paolini actually shouts out in the afterword, funnily enough!), but, as with the Inheritance books, stages of the journey simply take too long. The character evolutions of Murtagh and Thorn are engaging, but they play out across plot stretched quite thin, to the point that some final resolutions simply don’t hit as hard as they ought to have. We kick things off with Murtagh inquiring after a witch of some sort, named Bachel, as he simultaneously protects a young girl. This is a fine way to set the plot in motion, and reintroduce Murtagh as a kind of wandering knight. But then we enter a series of detours, from and WAIT A MINUTE wasn’t he looking for a witch?!?
There’s just too much stuff going on in the first half or so of the novel that had me wondering, when are we going to get started? Not that Murtagh isn’t an interesting enough character, but how many times must we belabor the tragedies of his childhood, only to reveal that deep down he’s had true strength of character and moral virtue all along? The novel doesn’t tread a load of new ground, and its length is entirely inappropriate to the revelations (or lack thereof).
Speaking of belaboring points, I’ve said several times now the book is too long. Besides this, I do like the challenge Murtagh faces with the witch Bachel, and the ultimate personal outcomes of that conflict for Murtagh and Thorn, even if they feel a little redundant in the course of the series as a whole. New characters of import feel few and far between, but I quite.
If you enjoy the Inheritance books, you’ll enjoy this one. I definitely liked it enough, and there are definitely enough dangling plot threads and open-ended character endings, that I’m interested in reading more from this world.
I listened to the audiobooks of all four novels in the Inheritance Cycle last year, and I found them generally quite enjoyable reads, with interesting characters, some truly engaging moments and scenes, yet stories that didn’t always feel terribly investing due to the somewhat nebulous nature of the primary antagonist’s villainy—Galbatorix was unfailingly talked about as totally and completely evil, but… what exactly did he do that was so bad to his people, as opposed to the heroes and their particular (and very small) social groups specifically? We didn’t see nearly enough of how the Empire negatively affected the peoples in its territories, as opposed to interpersonal conflicts like Galbatorix having betrayed the Riders, and been cruel to baby Murtagh. The books also grew to feel quite overlong by the end, and I found myself absolutely dreading chapters from Roran’s point of view. Still, the majority of the novels were engaging fantasy, and I find myself remembering quite fondly some of the quieter moments, such as Eragon observing the ant colony, or forging his blue sword, Brisingr, as much as I may recollect flashy battles, which to me is the mark of a successful piece of genre work.
The novel Murtagh is more of the same, for better and for worse. This story starts out feeling more episodic in nature, not unlike a John Carter adventure (which Paolini actually shouts out in the afterword, funnily enough!), but, as with the Inheritance books, stages of the journey simply take too long. The character evolutions of Murtagh and Thorn are engaging, but they play out across plot stretched quite thin, to the point that some final resolutions simply don’t hit as hard as they ought to have. We kick things off with Murtagh inquiring after a witch of some sort, named Bachel, as he simultaneously protects a young girl. This is a fine way to set the plot in motion, and reintroduce Murtagh as a kind of wandering knight. But then we enter a series of detours, from
Spoiler
traveling to another city to taking on an undercover mission to taking on a monster hunt to having to search for bait for the monster before going to hunt it and back to the undercover missionThere’s just too much stuff going on in the first half or so of the novel that had me wondering, when are we going to get started? Not that Murtagh isn’t an interesting enough character, but how many times must we belabor the tragedies of his childhood, only to reveal that deep down he’s had true strength of character and moral virtue all along? The novel doesn’t tread a load of new ground, and its length is entirely inappropriate to the revelations (or lack thereof).
Speaking of belaboring points, I’ve said several times now the book is too long. Besides this, I do like the challenge Murtagh faces with the witch Bachel, and the ultimate personal outcomes of that conflict for Murtagh and Thorn, even if they feel a little redundant in the course of the series as a whole. New characters of import feel few and far between, but I quite
Spoiler
like the Urgal named Uvek whom Murtagh encounters and allies himself withIf you enjoy the Inheritance books, you’ll enjoy this one. I definitely liked it enough, and there are definitely enough dangling plot threads and open-ended character endings, that I’m interested in reading more from this world.