Christopher Paolini returns to Eragon's world with 'Murtagh'

NEW YORK (AP) – Christopher Paolini will have a new adventure this fall from the worlds of Alagesia and Aragon featuring Dragon Rider Murtagh.

Random House Children’s Books announced Wednesday that Paolini’s “Murtagh,” a standalone novel that takes place one year after the events of his blockbuster “Inheritance Cycle,” will be published Nov. 7 with a first printing of 2 million copies. . According to Random House, the novel is “an epic journey into familiar and uncharted lands” of Murtagh and his dragon Thorn as a “mystical witch”.

“‘Murtag’ is the novel I’ve been waiting 13 years to write,” Paolini said in a statement.

“This is a deep dive into the life of our titular character and his dragon, Thorn. Here you’ll find mystery, magic and revelation as Murtagh attempts to answer some of the land’s deepest questions, as well as those about his own life ,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of (sometimes diabolical) fun writing Murtagh, and I can’t wait for readers to experience it for themselves. Welcome to Alagesia!”

Paolini, 39, was not yet 20 when his first novel, “Aragon,” made him one of the world’s most popular fantasy authors. According to his publisher, his four “legacy” books—”Eragon,” “Eldest,” “Brisinger” and “Inheritance”—have sold more than 40 million copies.

To mark the 20th anniversary of “Aragon”, Alfred A. Knopf House is releasing an illustrated edition of the book on the same day “Murtagh” comes out. New paperback editions of the “Inheritance” novels will be published April 23 by Knopf, which, like Random House, is part of Penguin Random House.

Another new Paolini book, “Fractal Noise”, will be released on May 16 by Tor Publishing Group.