Christopher recently sent out a new Alagaesia newsletter to give us an update on the writing of Book III, as well as to recommend several titles for reading in the interim (after you’ve finished Deathly Hallows, of course). No major information about Book III was revealed in the newsletter, and Christopher again asked for patience as he is hard at work writing it.
“ I know it has been a long time since my last newsletter, but there hasn’t been that much Inheritance news since the movie came out last December. After the excitement of the premiere, I returned to the business of finishing Book Three. Since then, I’ve been writing nonstop, but I promise to send you more frequent updates. “
Please note that one paragraph of the newsletter was left out of the email sent to the mailing list – the offending paragraph is included in Shur’tugal’s archive copy. To read the newsletter, click here.
To view any past newsletter, please visit the archive index here.
Below is a copy of the July 19th newsletter
July 19th, 2007
Kvetha Fricaya. Greetings Friends.
I know it has been a long time since my last newsletter, but there hasn’t been that much Inheritance news since the movie came out last December. After the excitement of the premiere, I returned to the business of finishing Book Three. Since then, I’ve been writing nonstop, but I promise to send you more frequent updates.
For the past seven months, I’ve been writing with a metal-nib, ink-dip pen. What is this like? You can picture me hunched over a drafting table, an adjustable lamp clipped to the side of the table, my iPod on the left of the desk, along with our cat doing his best to catch the tip of the pen as it makes it way across the page.
Random House sent us a whole slew of new foreign editions of both Eragon and Eldest. One of my favorites is the Japanese Eragon mass-market paperback, which they split into three volumes, each one having a computer-generated version of Saphira from the US cover posed at three different angles. When I saw the three volumes together, my first thought was to say, “Yes, the trilogy is already done!” Ah well. [Webmaster’s Note: Shur’tugal’s news story, as well as high-res images of the cover, can be found here]
I know, I know . . . what you really want to hear are some juicy tidbits about the plot or the release date or the name of Book Three, but I must ask for your patience a bit longer. Please know that I appreciate your support as I write.
While you’re waiting to rejoin Eragon and Saphira’s adventures, you might want to check out these items:
Random House released a new set of podcasts: Pullman, Paolini, Pierce. There are nine parts to the interview. This is not the original interview from 2003. It is all new. You can listen to them here: link [Webmaster’s Note: Shur’tugal’s news story on this podcast can be found here]
There is a section on Eragon in a newly-released book,
The Kids’ Book Club Book: Reading Ideas, Recipes, Activities, and Smart Tips for Organizing Terrific Kids’ Book Clubs, Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin Group, 2007.
And here are a few books I’ve enjoyed recently. (Scalzi’s books contain adult language and situations and therefore are not appropriate for younger readers. The Carpet Makers is fine for teens and adults.)
Old Man’s War, John Scalzi, 2004
The Ghost Brigades, John Scalzi, Tor Books, 2006
The Last Colony, John Scalzi, Tor Books, 2007
John Scalzi writes science fiction that is fun, intelligent, and irreverent. He takes today’s cutting-edge technology, extrapolates it into the future, and uses it to tell swashbuckling adventures. I haven’t enjoyed science fiction this much in years.
From the back cover of Old Man’s War:
“John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife’s grave. Then he joined the army. The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce – and aliens willing to fight for them are common. The universe, it turns out, is a hostile place.”
The Android’s Dream, John Scalzi, Tor Books, 2006
And here’s another from John Scalzi. It’s about a sheep cult that’s out to change the world. Just read the book; it’s wickedly funny. You will never look at sheep the same way again!
The Carpet-Makers, Andreas Eschbach, Tor Books, 2006
Andreas Eschbach’s first novel was published in 1996 in Germany. As a result of Orson Scott Card efforts, we have Doryl Jensen’s English language translation of Eschbach’s novel.
Andreas Eschbach has created one of the most unique, superbly-constructed sci-fi worlds in the The Carpet Makers. Eschbach is a master storyteller.
From the back cover:
“Since the time of pre-history, carpetmakers tie intricate knots to form carpets for the court of the Emperor. These carpets are made from the hairs of wives and daughters; they are so detailed and fragile that each carpetmaker finishes only one single carpet in his entire lifetime.
“This art descends from father to son, since the beginning of time itself.
“But one day the empire of the God Emperor vanishes, and strangers begin to arrive from the stars to follow the trace of the hair carpets. What these strangers discover is beyond all belief, more than anything they could have ever imagined . . .”
Enjoy reading,
And may your swords stay sharp!
Christopher Paolini
