Book 5 of the Inheritance Cycle

Christopher won’t be abandoning the world of Alagaësia!

 

Christopher Paolini has consistently kept fans up to date on his current and future projects. Shortly after completing the Inheritance Cycle in 2011, the author announced that a fifth book, referred to by fans as “Book 5,” will someday be written. The author sees the book as a continuation of the same story, heavily influenced by the events of the Cycle, but featuring new main characters.

“The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm” – Tales from Alagaësia (Volume 1: Eragon) is not Book 5. This new book is a standalone story narrated by Eragon and featuring three original short stories. Familiar faces, such as Eragon, Saphira, and Murtagh will make a return!

Looking to immediately jump to the topic that interests you the most?

WHEN WILL BOOK 5 BE WRITTEN?

Before Christopher tackles Book 5, he’s working on finishing his sci-fi novel, code-named “TSiaSoS”. The author hasn’t definitively stated that Book 5 will be the next project after the sci-fi novel’s completion, but has repeatedly expressed interest in returning to the world of Alagaësia.

WHAT EXACTLY IS BOOK 5?

Book 5 will be a standalone novel set in Alagaësia. Eragon, Saphira, and Nasuada will not return as main characters. Instead, the series will follow new/unnamed characters. However, Christopher still sees the book as a continuation of the same story, being heavily influenced by the events of the Cycle. [S1, S2]

The entire book is already plotted out and has been since the conclusion of the Cycle. The fifth book isn’t the only story has planned for the world of Alagaësia! In addition to “The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm,” Christopher has shared a desire to write prequels, sequels, and stand-alone books, all found on on a dedicated page here.

WHAT WILL BOOK 5 INCLUDE?

Fans of the Cycle will know that Christopher deliberately hid clues and left loose ends in Inheritance which set the stage for events in Book 5 and beyond. Many of the community’s most burning questions are set to be addressed. We’ve compiled a list of confirmed plot details to be found in the fifth book below.

Christopher has revealed that some of the hidden groundwork laid for Book 5 in Brisingr and Inheritance has been discovered by fans, while even more remains hidden. [S]

AN OFFICIAL TITLE

The book has no official title and likely won’t until just a few months before its release. Fans have affectionately referred to the book as Book 5 since the beginning. However, other fans stick to more “complete” titles, such as Inheritance Cycle Book 5 and Eragon Book 5. The big question: will Christopher stick with his one-word-title scheme or break free of that constraint to mark a new chapter in the series?

THE MYSTERIOUS CLUES

When asked to reveal any new detail about Book 5, Christopher delivered two cryptic messages:

“Everyone in Alagaësia has overlooked something really, really important with regard to the new peace they hope to establish.” [S]

“Light and shadow shall meet in an epic battle. Bwahahaha! #ineverjokeaboutstories” [S]

CONFIRMED PLOT DETAILS
Dive into this topic in further detail on our Confirmed Book 5 Plotlines page (COMING SOON)!

Timeline: Book 5 won’t pick up immediately after the ending of Inheritance. [S]

Main characters: Eragon and Saphira will not be main characters in the book. [S1] We have, however, met the new main character. [S2] Never fear, though: many old characters will return in the fifth installment. [S3] The strangers who had their fortunes read by Angela in Brisingr are not the subjects of Book 5 but rather a different future story. [S4]

New villain(s): The Unnamed Shadow (from Eragon’s Guide to Alagaësia) and Nameless One (Jeod’s Letter from the Deluxe Edition of Inheritance) are very real. “Beware of shadows that seek to use mirrors.” [S1] As for who or what these are – we’ve already met “him/her/it/they/what-the-heck-is-that?” [S2] Christopher has revealed that they are separate entities, and that some characters (including Jeod and the man he was writing to in his letter) know more about the Nameless One than Christopher has revealed in canon materials and interviews. [S3]

Future of the dragons and Riders: Book 5 will reveal the outcome of Saphira and Firnen’s mating at the end of Inheritance. Little baby dragons? We’ll find out! [S] We’ll see the beginning of the new generation of dragons and Riders, and it’s a very real possibility we’ll see dwarf and Urgal Riders. [S1, S2]

Angela the Herbalist: Angela’s origin story and other mysterious details will be addressed. [S1] Christopher also has an entire book about Angela planned. [S2]

Eragon and Arya: Eragon and Arya’s confusing and open-ended relationship will be addressed – but not necessarily in the ways we expect. [S]

Murtagh and Roran: Fans looking to see more of the two warriors will be happy with Book 5. [S1] It’s possible that Murtagh (and Thorn’s) appearance will include further developments on the fan-wished Murtagh/Nasuada relationship. [S2]

Tenga: Tenga’s mysterious inclusion in Brisingr and disappearance in Inheritance (also addressed in Jeod’s letter, an epilogue to the Inheritance Cycle) is likely to be explored in Book 5 – all but confirmed by the author with a “no comment” answer in a Q&A. [S1] If not in Book 5, he’ll definitely appear in other stand-alone books. [S2]

TEASED PLOTLINES

New lands: It’s likely we’ll see an extended map of Alagaësia, further cementing the idea that we’ll explore lands beyond what we saw in the first four books. [S1] Whether in Book 5 or beyond, we will see the lands Eragon sailed off to. [S2] Could this include the lands the humans and Ra’zac migrated from? Yes – someday. [S3]

It’s worth exploring other teased plotlines that Christopher has confirmed will be explored and included in future books, but did not specifically state they would be in Book 5. These include topics such as the Grey Folk, what the Menoa tree took, Tenga’s whereabouts, Oromis’ missing sword, and more! All of these confirmed plots can be found on our “Beyond Book 5: Standalone books, prequels, and more” page.

You may also enjoy: How the Inheritance Cycle was originally going to end

Comments 22

  1. samiam says:

    i do not think it will be roran because he’s married to katrina and they have a child unless brigit kills them
    so it would most likely be arya

  2. JohnnyIQ INHERITANCE says:

    The green rider has to be Roran as there have been hints throughout the whole series. If it was going to be arya CP wouldn’t have been so outright and made it more subtle.

    • summergirl says:

      the green rider cant be roran!
      i think it should be arya, but that would seem too obvious…

      • Aprilann12 says:

        what if the last rider is Orik?

        • summergirl says:

          maybe, but i think orik is already important enough being the king of the dwarves.
          the new rider could be someone we’ve never met before. and i’ve even considered the fact that maybe the teenage girl from brisingr (the one that was with the lady that angela told the forune to) could even be the next rider.

    • Zetty says:

      It would take to long to train Roran since he doesn’t have magic already

  3. Inheritance says:

    i agree in finding it hard to close up all the loose ends in one final book, but when he said that brisingr had to be split into two books, i really think that somehow he had to of finished everything for the fourth one. i think that a fifth book would be really cool, as well as a prequel so we can have a descriptive story as to how the riders fell. that would be EPIC

  4. BabeTa says:

    All i want is for the 4th book to come out. I, however don’t think that CP would be so obvious as to name the last dragon rider of the series Arya. My thoughts are that CP will end the 4th book with Eragon as the last dragon egg’s protector, then have his 5th book be from old and new points of view, and have an amazing story of a new characters trip to Eragon’s new place and the hatching of the last dragon egg. My thoughts are that Poalini is to caught up in Alagaesia to end Eragons story, and that he will try to prolong his suffering when he can no longer /write, no cause he can still write and publish his stories/ really think up anything diff from his already amazing plot.
    sincerely,
    obsessed reader!!!

  5. BabeTa says:

    All i want is for the 4th book to come out. I, however don’t think that CP would be so obvious as to name the last dragon rider of the series Arya. My thoughts are that CP will end the 4th book with Eragon as the last dragon egg’s protector, then have his 5th book be from old and new points of view, and have an amazing story of a new characters trip to Eragon’s new place and the hatching of the last dragon egg. My thoughts are that Poalini is to caught up in Alagaesia to end Eragons story, and that he will try to prolong his suffering when he can no longer /write, no cause he can still write and publish his stories/ really think up anything diff from his already amazing plot.
    sincerely,
    obsessed reader!!!

  6. BabeTa says:

    All i want is for the 4th book to come out. I, however don’t think that CP would be so obvious as to name the last dragon rider of the series Arya. My thoughts are that CP will end the 4th book with Eragon as the last dragon egg’s protector, then have his 5th book be from old and new points of view, and have an amazing story of a new characters trip to Eragon’s new place and the hatching of the last dragon egg. My thoughts are that Poalini is to caught up in Alagaesia to end Eragons story, and that he will try to prolong his suffering when he can no longer /write, no cause he can still write and publish his stories/ really think up anything diff from his already amazing plot.
    sincerely,
    obsessed reader!!!

  7. CPReader says:

    I fail to see how the story of Eragon would be wrapped up in Book 4. I would also hate to stop reading this series of books, which may contribute to my belief that there WILL be a Book 5. Think about it. If there were a fourth dragon (green), to hatch, who would it be to? Obviously, Arya. Her eyes are green, her magic is green, her weapons have always been green, and most often her outfits are green. This is obviously an attempt by CP to foreshadow that Arya is to be the next rider. But, can CP really fit the entire growth of the green dragon into Book 4? I don’t see it as a possibility. No, I am sure that there will be a Fifth Book. CP said that Brisingr was to be the last book, and it wasn’t. I feel as if he underestimated the amount of loose ends he has to tie up (Az Swelden, Green Dragon, Thorn/Murtagh, finding heart of hearts, tutoring the 4th dragon rider, etc).

    • Anon says:

      I think the last rider will be Katrina, just to create extreme tension. I believe that it is definitely not Arya, and if it ends up not being Katrina, the next likely choice is Nasuada, so Eragon and Arya are together forver, and Murtagh and Nasuada will also be together forever

      • lol I fell to see how Katrina even enter the Riders Plot !! and Also how Nasuada and Murtagh end up together.

  8. Dragon'sBlood says:

    I think the plot threads that already exists might have something to do with the two women in book three, who get their fortune told by Angela. They may be main characters of another book, or have association to something to come. Either way, I would love it if CP made a before/after book about Alagaesia!

  9. Dragon'sBlood says:

    I think the plot threads that already exists might have something to do with the two women in book three, who get their fortune told by Angela. They may be main characters of another book, or have association to something to come. Either way, I would love it if CP made a before/after book about Alagaesia!

  10. Firgreen says:

    I suggest having the next generation’s adventures, if inheritance’s people revive the dragons. And in inheritance, king orik will send his entire army to war, sacrificing it, but saving entire algaesia. Therefore in the would-be book 5, the dragons remaining and any old eldunari found will accept dwarves into the dragon rider legacy.