Murtagh (2023)
Murtagh is a 2023 new york times bestseller book written by Christopher Paolini.
A tyrant has fallen, and the Dragon Rider who served him under duress is left to pay for it. Murtagh and his dragon Thorn are outcasts now, feared across Alagaesia, drifting through towns that would sooner see them dead than fed. Rumors reach them of poisoned ground, a faint reek of brimstone, and a witch working somewhere in the shadows. Christopher Paolini returns to the world of Eragon from the villain's chair, following a young man who never chose his side and the bond with Thorn that keeps him moving. Solitary, brooding fantasy for readers raised on the Inheritance Cycle.
Quick answers
What is Murtagh about?
A tyrant has fallen, and the Dragon Rider who served him under duress is left to pay for it. Murtagh and his dragon Thorn are outcasts now, feared across Alagaesia, drifting through towns that would sooner see them dead than fed. Rumors reach them of poisoned ground, a faint reek of brimstone, and a witch working somewhere in the shadows. Christopher Paolini returns to the world of Eragon from the villain's chair, following a young man who never chose his side and the bond with Thorn that keeps him moving. Solitary, brooding fantasy for readers raised on the Inheritance Cycle.
When was Murtagh published?
Murtagh was published in 2023.
Who made Murtagh?
Murtagh was written by Christopher Paolini.
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A few thoughts on Murtagh
Geralt's lonely road through a hostile world in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt hits the same note of a feared outsider tracking a witch. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim scratches the dragon-bond and open-country itch. For dragons tangled in dread and dynastic politics, House of the Dragon is the natural screen companion.
Dragon riders caught in wars they never chose
Murtagh and Thorn drift through Alagaesia as feared outcasts from a war neither chose freely, the same charged mix of dragons and unwanted power that drives House of the Dragon's warring Targaryens, Game of Thrones' fight over a crown, Avatar's exiled prince finding his own path, and the beast-bonded heroes of The Witcher 3 and Skyrim.
Warriors atoning for a war they didn't start
Paolini writes Murtagh from the villain's chair, a young man paying for a war he served under duress rather than by choice. Kenshin's wandering swordsman, Fullmetal Alchemist's brothers atoning through forbidden power, Attack on Titan's soldiers trapped in someone else's conflict, Hunter x Hunter's morally shaded fighters, and Smallville's reluctant hero inheriting a war he never chose carry that same weight.
Brooding heroes who carry someone else's guilt
Solitary and brooding describes Murtagh as well as it describes this whole shelf: Brisingr's continuation of his own story, Wizard and Glass's tragic gunslinger backstory, Oathbringer's guilt-bound knights, and The Song of Achilles's hero bound to someone else's glory. Kratos, Arthur Morgan, and Joel carry the same scars into their own violent, atoning quests.
Music for a doom-laden dragon rider's road
Brimstone, poisoned ground, and a witch working in the shadows give Murtagh a heavy, doom-laden atmosphere that this playlist matches beat for beat: In the Court of the Crimson King's prog dread, Painkiller's metal fury, IX Equilibrium's symphonic darkness, The Spectre Within's brooding weight, and The Return of the King's own epic film score.