Eragon And Back Again

The unfortunate truth of coral.  Darien and Lucy get a crash course in dwarven lore in Eldest chapter 14, “Celbedeil.” Talking points include Eragon needing to broaden his language horizons, Pride being all year long, some very juicy dwarven lore, the struggle to explain what coral is, Darien bringing up Discworld two episodes in a row, further examination of how Paolini frames religious beliefs t...

Eragon can’t even walk into town without causing a riot. Darien and Lucy get a crash course in dwarven lore in Eldest chapter 13, “Az Sweldn rak Anhûin.”  Talking points include the co-hosts not being sure if they like Arya, Saphira being so dragon, speculating Eragon’s height, theorizing which fantasy science fiction series Christopher Paloni didn’t read, killer food descriptions, and all kinds o...

Bones?! Lucy and Darien witness the origin of a local legend in Eldest chapter 11, “Hammer and Tongs,” and chapter 12, “Retaliation.” Talking points include Roran and Eragon having very different days, why Darien will never order bone marrow tacos, the Empire's complete disregard for its people, accepting that the characters are not also the narrators, and how folk heroes are born. Sparks of I...

Hey, where’s Tornac? Darien and Lucy refuse to let the episode change POVs by sticking to delight in the events of Eldest chapter 10, “Hrothgar’s Gift.” Talking points include once again wishing Dragon Riders grew to look that their dragons over time, Eragon belonging to all the races of Alagaësia, trying to figure out where Murtagh’s beloved horse went, Eragon’s relationship to his trauma, and Er...

Life happened and we didn't have the chance to record, so this week we're giving all listeners a sneak peak into The Dragons' Keep, our bonus feed for Patrons! For our very first bonus episode, it was only fitting we discuss a piece of foundational dragon text: The Chronicles of Pern. If you enjoyed this episode, consider supporting the show and joining The Dragons' Keep at https:/...

We're all doomed!! Lucy and Darien delight in the events of Eldest chapter 8, “Fealty” and chapter 9, “A Sorceress, a Snake, and a Scroll.” Talking points include Lucy being a Pisces, acknowledging how long ten minutes really feels like when cheering, speculating on Jörmundur's true motives and nature, just a hot lady shooting her shot, road trip plans, the return of the best character in...

This podcast has guests?! Darien (she/they) and Lucy (she/her) are joined by a special guest Francesca McMahon (any) for Eldest chapter 6, “Saphira’s Promise,” and chapter 7, “Requiem.”  Talking points include making a guest do the chapter summaries, Saphira’s unexpected remorse, the dwarves’ deepening respect for Saphira, speculation on the symbolism behind death rituals, giving Paolini props for...

A new point of view character?! Lucy and Darien practice some political intrigue in Eldest chapter 3, “Roran,” and chapter 4, “The Hunted Hunters.” Talking points include a sincere wondering if anyone “gets” the name of the podcast, analyzing why these chapters are seemingly “boring” compared to others, the value of social norms in a fantasy narrative, Katrina being great, how people deserve to wo...

Never underestimate Nasuada. Lucy and Darien practice some political intrigue in Eldest chapter 2, “The Council of Elders,” and chapter 3, “Truth Among Friends.”  Talking points include how, even though Murtagh dies at the start of Eldest, Paolini wrote a whole prequel book about him and a red dragon, Lucy’s feelings about Eragon attempting to scry Murtagh using a tear, the worst time to deal with...

What a way to start this book… Darien and Lucy unpack the unexpected trauma that is Eldest chapter 1, “A Twin Disaster.”  Talking points include Paolini's recontextualization of previous events in order to prioritize new themes, being told about and not shown some pretty important plot points, compelling evidence for Eragon having no sense of smell, a totally spoiler-free observation of the ch...

Y'all Showed Up 💛💜 Let's celebrate finishing Eragon by emptying out the mail bag! Thank you dear listeners for so many wonderful, thoughtful comments and emails!! Talking points include really digging into the Shade backstory and how it can mirror Eragon's experiences, relitigating the “Who Should Have Taken Off Saphira's Armor?” Case, taking care not to boil down the worth of a...

We did it! Lucy and Darien wrap the first book in The Inheritance Cycle with Eragon chapter 58, “Battle Under Farthen Dur,” and chapter 59, “The Mourning Sage.”  Talking points include the Urgals still be labeled as monsters, Hrothgar’s daring fashion statement, Angela’s incredible entrance on the battlefield, pondering why exactly Eragon when off alone while Arya took the armor off Saphira, an ep...

Antici… Darien and Lucy get ready for battle in Eragon chapter 57, “The Shadows Lengthen.”  Talking points include an exciting new way for Eragon to wake up in a chapter, Saphira’s daring new fashion statement, Eragon praising Murtaugh for being “merciless” in situations he approves of, building tension for the coming battle, Arya being unable to shut down this kid who keeps hitting on her, and th...

You don’t want to fail this test.  Lucy and Darien need Eragon to get a job and leave her alone in Eragon chapter 56, “Arya’s Test.”  Talking points include the Twins not shaking the suspicious allegations, pentagrams being just for show, majestic elven Naruto-running, interrogating why Eragon’s pining for Arya is so irritating to the hosts, a weirdly placed piece of foreshadowing, and Paolini’s h...

Someones are very suspicious… Darien and Lucy choose joy in Eragon chapter 55, “Hall of the Mountain King.”  Talking points include some excellent architecture, tidbits of dwarf lore, these twins being too damn suspicious, excitement over a new cool character, troubling implications about women implied by specific word choices, and Saphira and Solembum being Magical Creature Friend Goals. We invit...

Witches, rejoice! Lucy and Darien are sure this won't come back to haunt us later in Eragon chapter 53, “Bless the Child, Argetlam” and chapter 54, “Mandrake Root and Newt's Tongue." Talking points include Eragon having a chance to chill, Eragon passing Orik’s vibe check, Orik passing Saphira’s vibe check, Darien short but hard Will Not Eat list, the daily realities of what it means t...

Ajihad is one cool dude.  Darien and Lucy get some answers in Eragon chapter 51, “The Glory of Tronjheim,” and chapter 52, “Ajihad.” NOTE: In this episode, Darien draws incorrect conclusions about the inspiration of that city name Tronjheim. Listeners have since informed us that the name is a reference to a real world city in Norway! How cool!! Talking points include Darien’s steadfast refusal cor...

This bald man sucks. Lucy and Darien have some OPINIONS in Eragon chapter 50, “Hunting for Answers.” Talking points include a crucial need for italics, being right about disliking this bald guy, the excellent word choice that is “courier,” being right about liking our new dwarf friend, Lucy's impeccable memory of lines from the text, tantalizing lore drop about Darien and Lucy's time in an...

The truth is finally out.  Darien and Lucy discuss out-of-character reactions in Eragon chapter 49, “The Horns of a Dilemma.” Talking points include being mad at a 16-year-old, the introduction of the theme of inheritance in The Inheritance Cycle, examining Eragon and Saphira’s seemingly out-of-character reactions to Murtagh, Darien finally going off about naming structures meant to invoke Arthuri...

So many things happen! Lucy and Darien find themselves in a morally gray area while discussing Eragon chapter 48, “Flight Through the Valley.” Talking points include a nail-biting rock-paper-scissors game, Saphira weighing in on conflict of the previous chapter, what makes a satisfying twist, Eragon and Saphira learning SCIENCE, Eragon re-learning a magic lesson, and Mordred’s Big Fat Lore Drop. ...

What we have here is a failure to communicate.  Lucy and Darien find themselves in a morally gray area while discussing Eragon chapter 47, “A Clash of Wills.” Talking points include “chonky boi” chapters, where your bones live, the difference between war horses and running horses, unpacking a little bit of Murtagh’s Trauma, a missed opportunity to clearly examine Eragon’s values, dissecting who in...

Meet Arya! Darien and Lucy are happy to finally know the elf woman’s name in Eragon chapter 46, “A Path Revealed.”  Talking points include the importance of having your basic needs met in creativity and problem solving, Eragon embracing the true responsibility of being a Rider, the connections between memory and belief as seen in Inside Out 2 , Eragon’s poor execution of a good idea, using italics...

How do you get two horses, two humans, and one dragon across a river? Darien and Lucy continue the journey and discuss Eragon chapter 44, “The Ramr River,” and chapter 45, “The Hadarac Desert.” Talking points include mountains being very cool, Saphira coming to trust Murtagh, Eragon’s continued “protective” feelings for the elf woman, sandy deserts being very cool, Saphira living her best life in...

Did you know the elf lady is super hot?  Darien and Lucy discuss some uncomfortable implications presented in Eragon chapter 42, “A Warrior and a Healer,” and chapter 43, “Water from Sand.”  Talking points include a critical examination of Eragon’s healing abilities, interrogating the implication of Saphira’s insistence that the elf woman be saved solely because she is an elf, interrogating why ph...

This is the best chapter of the book. Lucy and Darien embark on a daring rescue/escape mission in Eragon chapter 41, “Fighting Shadows.” Talking points include deconstructing Sparks of Inspiration to add tools to our creative toolbox, the delightful humor woven throughout the chapter, Murtagh being the ultimate Ride-or-Die, confirmation that the elf woman of Eragon’s dreams is indeed very beautifu...