On April 13th, the Inheritance Cycle’s American publisher released Brisingr in paperback, and accompanying the story would be our first glimpse at Book 4: the book’s fourth chapter, “King Cat”. This is big news for us Inheritance fans because it means that progress is being made on Book 4. No longer do we have to wait in agony for Book 4 news!
In this editorial, we’re going to explore what we learned in this chapter (though very vaguely as to not spoil it for those who have yet to read the chapter), what questions this chapter has raised, and most importantly, what the release of this chapter could potentially mean for Book 4. Our goal is to spark creative discussion, theorizing, and understanding of the chapter and what it means for Book 4 and our favorite characters. Keep reading!
What have we learned from this chapter?
- Book 4 will begin with a battle!
- Angela is still very, very mysterious. Perhaps even more so!
- Angela has even more enemies. Shocker! (See below)
- We have encountered a new king
- Werecats continue to be absurdly mysterious and unpredictable
What questions has this chapter raised?
- Who or what the heck is Angela?!
- Why do the werecats hate Angela?
- Which battle did the Varden just fight in?
- Who is Lord Bradburn?
- What kind of difference will the werecats make as allies?
- Can the werecats truly be trusted?
- What took the werecats so long?
- How many werecats are there under their king’s command?
- What are the “Lonely Places”? What are the “Night Reaches”? And why does Grimrr “Walk Alone”?
What was notably missing?
- A certain green egg.
What ideas should we definitely explore?
- The importance of Angela is now almost undeniable. The herbalist has made all kinds of crazy claims, has demonstrated powers of significance, is a formidable opponent in physical combat, appears ageless, has many interesting friends and enemies, and knows far too much. Who is she? What is she? How old is she? What role is she going to play in the final battles?
- What exactly are the werecats capable of? We’ve seen Solembum fight on the battlefield and prophesize important events in certain individuals’ futures. Are all werecats prophets? Do some werecats have separate abilities we have not yet seen? How large are their numbers? Christopher teased the importance of werecats in Book 4 in previous interviews – is this all he was referring to, or will there be more?
- What battle happened before this chapter? Were the Varden able to capture another Empire city, or did they fall under siege by Galbatorix’s army? Is Lord Bradburn an ally or enemy, perhaps leader of the town they just captured?
- Four chapters in, has anything happened with the final egg? There was not even a single hint or mention of it, so it’s safe to assume that at this point in the book, the egg is not with the Varden or their allies…
What does the release of this chapter mean for Book 4’s title, cover, and release date?
Let’s start with the obvious: Book 4 is clearly further along now than it was back when the deluxe edition of Brisingr was released in November. Christopher was confident enough in the solidity of the plot that this chapter could be released without the worry of having to change plot going forward.
As for the more uncertain aspects: this means that Book 4 is getting closer, but it in no way means that Book 4 is right around the corner. Do not expect a summer 2010 release for this book. Going off of past timelines with the Cycle, we are willing to guess that a title and cover are creeping up on us. Whether or not a release date will be bundled with a cover and title announcement is not clear. When these announcements will be made is also unclear.
So what now?
We sit and wait. And we have a blast dissecting this new chapter for any hidden meanings, developing new theories based off of what we’ve learned, debating these theories with our friends, and possibly debunking other theories we had that were proven false. One thing is for certain: Book 4 is coming and it looks like it’s going to be sweet.
Shur’tugal is going to be running a series of editorials centered around the community’s favorite and most mysterious theories. We’ll explore and conquer subjects such as “who the heck is Angela?!”, the new “werecat dilemma”, the “Green Rider”, and more. Keep an eye out on the website in the coming months for these editorials!
If you are interested in contributing to Shurtugal.com by writing your own theories and editorials, please check out this page for more information. Great articles will be posted on the front page of Shurtugal.com for tens of thousands of Inheritance Cycle fans to read and enjoy, and those who have their editorials and theories posted on the website will be rewarded (with signed drawings, pictures, personalized books, and more!)!
