Eragon And Back Again

Happy First Anniversary, Eragon and Back Again! Darien and Lucy take it slower in Eragon chapter 39, “Capture at Gil’ead,” and chapter 40, “Du Sundavar Freohr.”  Talking points include creating suspense with the chapter title, acknowledging that readers should be suspicious that Murtagh might be too good to be true (and immediately refusing to entertain such suspicions), confirmation that the woma...

A time for grief.  Lucy and Darien get into some dramatic feelings in Eragon chapter 38, “Diamond Tomb.” Talking points include the most memorable image from the book, how often chapters begin with Eragon waking up, the weight of forever when navigating grief, Eragon’s dramatic yet understandable emotional responses, Murtagh still being the best, Darien being completely unable to correctly pronoun...

We FINALLY get some answers. Darien and Lucy feel a lot of emotions in chapter 37, "Legacy of a Rider." Talking points include how "You didn't need to know" is rarely a good answer to "Why didn't you tell me this crucial information sooner?", how if dying makes one realize they need to share crucial information, perhaps that information should have been shared...

Meet your new best friend.  Lucy and Darien try to keep it cool in chapter 36, "Murtagh." Talking points include Eragon probably making things worse with magic and how that's not really his fault cause Brom is just a terrible teacher, sealing a wound not being the same as healing it, how to write a strong first impression, being very happy to see Eragon making a new friend, and Murta...

Things take a turn for the worst. Darien and Lucy witness everything fall apart in chapter 34, "Worshipers of Helgrind," and chapter 35, "The Ra'zac's Revenge." Talking points include Dras Leona being just an awful place, Eragon's odd visit to appreciate the local architecture, Saphira still playing messenger between Eragon and Brom, a daring city escape that shatte...

In the shadow of a spooky, scary mountain. Lucy and Darien are creeped out in chapter 32, "The Mire of Dras-Leona," and chapter 33, "Trail of Oil." Talking points include striving for casual queerness in stories, the implications of connecting poverty, enslavement, and religion, Saphira being weirdly judgy about Eragon enjoying an adult libation, and the hunt for the Ra'zac...

Eragon, what are you doing?! Darien and Lucy find Eragon to be maximalist annoying in chapter 30, "Vision of Perfection," and chapter 31, "Master of the Blade." Talking points include host poses that are underappreciated in an audio-only medium, interrogating why Brom and Saphira insist Eragon was wrong for not wanting to kill Urgals, the struggle of remaining spoiler-free when...

Mistakes were made! Lucy and Darien bemoan character (and author) decisions to needlessly withhold information until chapter 29, "A Costly Mistake." Talking points include Eragon's many mistakes, Brom's complete lack of preparation before taking on a teaching position, suffering through unpleasant character interactions that could have been avoided, some peak, unintentional emoti...

Another weirdly short chapter! Darien and Lucy support literacy in YA fantasy protagonists in chapter 27, "Of Reading and Plots," and chapter 28, "Thieves in the Castle." Talking points include employing the powerful writing tool called "the time skip," the sound of mental voices, not spending every waking moment with your characters, and Eragon's odd habit of not...

The journey continues! Lucy and Darien speculate about mysterious prophecies while pretending they haven't read the rest of the series in chapter 26, "The Witch and the Werecat." Talking points include Angela still being the best, bizarre choices regarding the "sound" of telepathic communication, character voices, prophetic dreams, and Darien doing her very best not to go n...

Angela is here!  Darien and Lucy get way too excited about a side character in Eragon chapter 25, “An Old Friend.”  Talking points include Angela being the best, if toads are all actually frogs, the heartwarming fact that Christopher Paolini dedicated this book to his sister Angela, Angela being our spark of inspiration for the week, and some stuff lore stuff in which Brom doubles down on being cr...

Sing the song of your people! (Or write it down. That’s fine.) Lucy and Darien sing different tunes in Eragon chapter 23, “A Song for the Road,” and chapter 24, “A Taste of Terim.” Talking points include why songs in non-audio mediums are the worst, awesome descriptions of the sea, the song in this chapter being pretty good actually, a practical use of magic that tragically replaces archery, ident...

Let’s take to the skies! Darien and Lucy enjoy the magical experience of flying on a dragon in Eragon chapter 22, “Through the Eyes of a Dragon.” Talking points include Saphira’s time spent alone in the skies, how the way dragons perceive color may contribute to their vain nature, Eragon’s strong Stanger Danger Skills, the gaps in Brom’s magical teaching curriculum, Eragon’s terrible Lab Safety Sk...

The kingdom is in disarray.  Lucy and Darien are relieved to find everyone is alive in Eragon chapter 21, “Daret.”  Talking points include how to spot a villain in a fantasy novel (Hint: His name has an X in it, and he rides a black dragon), tracking the various factions we know little about, magical vibe checks, and Darien’s specific choices for character voices.  Sparks of Inspiration Lucy speak...

All magic comes with a price.  Darien and Lucy tackle more magic in Eragon chapter 20, “Magic is the Simplest Thing.”  Talking points include the rules of magic, hard versus soft magic systems, spoilers versus genre tropes, elf lore, Dragon Rider lore, and the danger of discovering one’s true name.  Sparks of Inspiration Darien romanticizes growing up and finding magic in the mundane with Fionna a...

Things are getting magical! Lucy and Darien dissect the basics of magic while discussing Eragon chapter 19, “Admonishments.”  Talking points include Brom being difficult, Eragon conveniently shouting the one useful word, and Saphira’s over-confidence in their growing abilities.  Sparks of Inspiration Lucy and Darien both shout out their friend Dalton’s amazing TTRPG skills and how these skills ins...

A horrifying turn of events.  Darien and Lucy somberly discuss Eragon chapter 18, “Revelation at Yuazac.”  Talking points include writing about horrific events without traumatizing your readers, raging against a broken world, Eragon refusing to bow down to inevitability, and how legitimately cool it is when characters get big hero moments.  Sparks of Inspiration Darien bemoans living in a world wi...

We hope you brought an umbrella.  Lucy and Darien weather the storm in Eragon chapter 17, “Thunder Roar and Lightning Crackle.”  Talking points include the unsettling sensation created by the acute absence of mountains, the agony of chapped lips, Saphira and Eragon taking care of one another at every opportunity, and excellent examples of severe precipitation. Sparks of Inspiration Lucy delights i...

Time to describe the process of making a textile in excruciating detail.  Darien and Lucy have differing opinions about Eragon chapter 15, "Saddlemaking," and chapter 16, “Therinsford.”  Talking points include how not to train in a new skill, Brom being shady AF, juicy dragon lore, and when to let the landscape tell the story. Sparks of Inspiration Darien reflects on stories of joy and i...

Rest in peace, Garrow.  Lucy and Darien explore finding purpose through grief in Eragon chapter 13, "The Madness of Life," and chapter 14, “A Rider’s Blade.”  Talking points include the subtle way Paolini establishes lore, how Eragon really should have trained with a bow instead of a sword, dragon magic being vague and inconsistent, and how annoying it would be to deal with a cryptic, my...

Everything goes wrong.  Darien and Lucy tread through the air of foreboding that is Eragon chapter 12, "Deathwatch." Talking points include the most amazing non-magical house in fiction, Eragon's numbness in shock, the cruelty of well-meaning comments during times of crisis, and Elain being the hero of the chapter. Sparks of Inspiration Lucy discussed the first arc of The Adventure Z...

Everything goes wrong.  Lucy and Darien discuss Eragon, chapter 11, "The Doom of Innocence." Talking points include the first place Saphira felt safe, Eragon and Saphira’s relationship persevering through crisis, hints of Eragon’s new abilities, and the fine art of describing chocolate.  Sparks of Inspiration Lucy reflected on the valuable of viewing one's work as a geode, as present...

STUFF IS HAPPENING Darien and Lucy discuss Eragon chapter 10, "Flight of Destiny." Talking points include panic as the plot picks up, great concern for Garrow's well-being, how undermining expected tropes can benefit a narrative, and the deep friendship between Eragon and Saphira. Sparks of Inspiration Darien mused about the meta-narrative found in the difference between the Nimona g...

Stuff is happening! Lucy and Darien discuss Eragon chapter 9, "Strangers in Carvahall." Talking points include Garrow giving excellent advice, the importance of displays of affection between fathers and sons, heroes who want adventure without resenting their home, and how the readers don't really know what's going on yet. Sparks of Inspiration Darien shared the boardgame Flamecra...

Eragon continues to throw a right tantrum about his cousin getting a new job. Darien and Lucy cover Eragon chapter 8, "A Miller-To-Be." Talking points include Saphira's perception of the self, the acute sadness of feeling left behind by a loved one, and the sudden dread of remembering the dangers Eragon is yet unaware of. Follow the show on Instagram  ⁠⁠⁠@EragonPod     Cover art by L...