John Jude Palencar admits that
he has not painted many dragons throughout his career, but says that they have
been quite enjoyable to paint. Here are all the dragons he’s ever painted.
Sunday 7 October 2012
Thursday 27 September 2012
Wednesday 26 September 2012
Author Q&A
I have decided that I will start publishing interviews with Christopher Paolini that I have found on Shurtugal.com, the official Inheritance Cycle fan page, about once a month I will publish the interviews. I hope you enjoy them!
Mike: This was submitted by a bunch of people, no specific name. Why was Sloan’s true name omitted from the books?Christopher: Because, and I thought about that very carefully, I am not going to give any true names verbatim in the series. And that is because Ursula K. Le Guin used true names in her Wizards of Earthsea series. She wasn’t the first; she’s not the last, it’s a very old concept but in her books she actually gave the true names of her characters. But in my book the problem is when I read them, it felt as if they lost their power being put on a page. Because, when I saw them, they were just names, they were just words. They didn’t feel like they had power, to me. So I tried to omit them, also because I believe the true names of my world actually involve more then just a simple word; it could be a phrase or a paragraph could be your true name. It could be a book. I mean it could be a very involved thing and it would be a rather clunky and obtrusive within the pros to be using something like that all the time.M: So does that mean we’ll never see a true name in the books?C: No no, I’m not planning on putting any true names in explicitly although they may be referred to. But I’ll never actually right it out.M: They have been, I think, before.C: Yep.M: This is an interesting one—C: Besides, also, I don’t want any of the fans to be able to control my characters so, you know…[laughter]M: A couple people asked, is Longshanks Jeod’s last name—or surname…nickname or surname?C: It’s a nickname.M: Okay, that was easy!C: Just like “Stronghammer” for Roran.M: Valbrandr94, I think, asked: In Eldest, on page 216, Arya tells Lifaen and Narí: Go to Sílthrim and inform Captain Damítha, ‘that which she once hoped for—and feared—has occurred; the wyrm has bitten its own tail.’ What did she mean?C: Arya is referring to—and actually that city is Sílthrim [pronunciation], it’s hard to pronounce.M: I told you I’d get one wrong!C: Arya was basically sending a slightly coded message to her friend saying that Saphira’s egg had hatched. And that was the reference to what she had feared because Arya’s friend had feared that the egg hatching would upset the balance of power and the world would begin to change again. Elves aren’t really big on change, you know?M: They live so long…C: Yeah, they have many positive attributes but enthusiasm for new experiences isn’t always one of them.M: Now this is a question I had while writing The Inheritance Almanac but it came from a lot of people. Solembum has had multiple eye colors throughout the three books including: black, gold, and red. Is it possible this was an error or do werecats have the ability to change the color of their eyes.C: The red one is, of course, when his eyes were reflecting light. Like the way animals do, which can make them appear reddish or irridescent. The other thing is that he’s a shape-shifter and you’re asking whether or not his eye color can change. He can change his whole body shape. Solembum’s eyes are a source of infinite mystery and we’re not going to get into why the author chose to change his colors.M: Fair enough.M: This is another good one and we could probably count up to a hundred the amount of times we’ve gotten this question. Are you able to explain what the floating crystal on the island of Eoam as well as the dream well in Mani’s caves are? Are you able to explain what they are?C: I don’t want to go into the specifics but they’re natural manifestations of energy which, in Eragon’s world, people tend to call magic. So magic is, of course, the manipulation of energy through your mental powers, essentially. That’s what the telepathy is and all other forms of magic. And, of course, the spirits in my world are actually conscious beings composed purely of energy. And that’s the approach I took to all the magic in my world. It’s almost a scientific approach, saying it’s manipulation of energy and how that works within the world. So those two examples, and they are not the only ones—I might add, there are other places in Eragon’s world where magic can be found in the wild. They’re extremely dangerous. They’re usually far more powerful in, however they’re manifesting, then any one human magician could ever hope to achieve. And they’re generally better off avoided. The Dream cave as the name applies, is a place you can go and experience extremely vivid, magically dreams of various kinds. Sometimes they’re premonitions, sometimes they’re visions of what could have been. Very strange things happen there.M: Now does that have any influence on some of the dreams Eragon has had?C: Eragon’s dream..now I know I’ve said premonitions usually only go a short distance in the future but Eragon’s kind of an odd case because he’s in a very, very strange position with regard to what’s happening in the world and who he is and his dreams are happening because: one, he’s become fairly powerful and he’s always been fairly powerful with magic. And two: the world is shifting and that’s why sometimes things tend to leak through occasionally in dreams. Although, I should say that his dreams of Arya were not premonitions. They were current events, essentially scrying but they weren’t premonitions and I think I did say that in Eldest.M: He did have one dream that hasn’t happened yet.C: True, but he’s also had several dreams that haven’t happened yet, just in general.M: Now, this is my question, not in the interview but; In your world, is every premonition, does it have to come true? Though we discussed the elf who killed himself to prove not. But, what happens more often?C: Well, the majority is most of the time, if you have a premonition what you had a premonition of is what comes to place. Because—again—as I said in the books, if you don’t know how that event is going to end up taking place, there’s really nothing you can do to prevent it. However, if Eragon has a premonition of X—and let’s say X is a battle—he’s not the only player involved in the battle. So if Murtagh, for example, were to do something completely out of character or unexpected, Murtagh could end up changing that premonition. Even if Eragon didn’t consciously. So, people’s fates aren’t set in stone. If there’s a premonition of an event, it’s a strong suggestion that it might happen, but it’s by no means 100% certain.M: So we should be wary of any premonitions.C: You should be very wary. I just killed a character in the manuscript, you know.M: Oh geez…C: Yeah, very bloodily. There were spikes involved.M: Well, you left Eragon hanging bloodied off of hooks—C: Manicles, not hooks!M: Next question, what happened to Tornac the horse after Murtagh was taken by the twins?C: No, his horse was left at the Varden. I assume that it would have been appropriated by someone else at the Varden. Eragon didn’t need the horse and even if Eragon had asked for the horse to be cared for for a little while in the hopes that Murtagh might have been found. Of course, in the end, he wouldn’t have. And Eragon still had Snowfire at the time and that, to me seemed like, you know, Eragon didn’t need two horses and he ended up giving Snowfire away to Roran. Ultimately, I think Tornac ended up with someone else in the Varden.M: Well that was asked by Robert the Rider.M: This one is from AryaxEragon. In Eldest, Oromis said that Brom came from a family of illuminators. What is an illuminator?C: An illuminator is someone who illuminates of draws pictures or letters, handmade manuscripts. It’s a very demanding skill and tends to drive people blind, actually. But illuminating is a really wonderful form of art and if anyone is unfamiliar with it, I suggest looking of the Book of Kells**9:06(??) online or the Doomsday book or any other famous illuminated manuscripts. Look at some pictures online, they’re really beautiful.M: Sonia49 asked: Did you plan to kill off Oromis and Glaedr in Brisingr or was it a last minute snap?C: I planned to kill them from the very beginning of the series. The only big change was that at the end of when I decided to split the last book into two parts, I had to find a good ending spot for the first half of that, the first volume. And since I was decided to kill the men in any case and I knew they were going to die it seemed like their deaths provided a good stopping place for the first volume and a good jumping off point for the next book.M: Did it bug you to kill them?C: Of course it did, but I had to do it.M: Sal asked: In book 1, the gedwëy ignasia seemed to be able to sense danger coming. Several times, right before being attacked, it would, say Eragon felt a tingling sensation coming from his hand. After book one it was never mentioned again, nor was it explained.C: You know, it’s funny cause I keep meaning to use that again. And it would happen again, it’s not as if I did forget it. The problem is, ever since book one, Eragon has been mainly been wearing gloves because you wear gloves when you swordfight. And I’ve done some sparring myself and, trust me, you want some gloves. You skin knuckles left and right. So, he wouldn’t see any sort of reaction from the gedwëy ignasia. And as for feeling it, there haven’t really been any situations so far where he’s been in any close quarters danger like that which would have allowed any sort of premonition like that to work. At least the way it works in my head. Like Murtagh showing up in Brisingr to attack the Varden was sort of a long distance thing. Murtagh showing up at a distance and it didn’t seem to me like Eragon’s, perhaps little bit of sixth sense, would have worked like that. But it will show up in the last book.M: That’s quite a useful tool.C: Yeah, it’s little bit of a spider sense, there.M: This is a good question, I like this one. Du Súndavar Freohr—C: Du Súndavar Freohr [pronunciation]!M: You’re good! [Du Súndavar Freohr] asks: What would happen if someone discovered Saphira’s true name and ordered her to kill Eragon, would their bond take precident over her true name or would she have to kill him?C: She’d would have to kill him.M: Whoa.C: Yes, true names are serious business.M: Well, that was a good answer—or quick answer.C: Or she might go to kill him with the intention of killing him and just quick accidentally trip and break her neck. Which she would have the wiggle room to do. But she would have to be on the way to kill him.A note about Eragon hanging in those manacles: Christopher mentioned that to us in the Suvudu interview, which was taped right before ours, so there doesn’t seem to be any context.
Mike: This was submitted by a bunch of people, no specific name. Why was Sloan’s true name omitted from the books?Christopher: Because, and I thought about that very carefully, I am not going to give any true names verbatim in the series. And that is because Ursula K. Le Guin used true names in her Wizards of Earthsea series. She wasn’t the first; she’s not the last, it’s a very old concept but in her books she actually gave the true names of her characters. But in my book the problem is when I read them, it felt as if they lost their power being put on a page. Because, when I saw them, they were just names, they were just words. They didn’t feel like they had power, to me. So I tried to omit them, also because I believe the true names of my world actually involve more then just a simple word; it could be a phrase or a paragraph could be your true name. It could be a book. I mean it could be a very involved thing and it would be a rather clunky and obtrusive within the pros to be using something like that all the time.M: So does that mean we’ll never see a true name in the books?C: No no, I’m not planning on putting any true names in explicitly although they may be referred to. But I’ll never actually right it out.M: They have been, I think, before.C: Yep.M: This is an interesting one—C: Besides, also, I don’t want any of the fans to be able to control my characters so, you know…[laughter]M: A couple people asked, is Longshanks Jeod’s last name—or surname…nickname or surname?C: It’s a nickname.M: Okay, that was easy!C: Just like “Stronghammer” for Roran.M: Valbrandr94, I think, asked: In Eldest, on page 216, Arya tells Lifaen and Narí: Go to Sílthrim and inform Captain Damítha, ‘that which she once hoped for—and feared—has occurred; the wyrm has bitten its own tail.’ What did she mean?C: Arya is referring to—and actually that city is Sílthrim [pronunciation], it’s hard to pronounce.M: I told you I’d get one wrong!C: Arya was basically sending a slightly coded message to her friend saying that Saphira’s egg had hatched. And that was the reference to what she had feared because Arya’s friend had feared that the egg hatching would upset the balance of power and the world would begin to change again. Elves aren’t really big on change, you know?M: They live so long…C: Yeah, they have many positive attributes but enthusiasm for new experiences isn’t always one of them.M: Now this is a question I had while writing The Inheritance Almanac but it came from a lot of people. Solembum has had multiple eye colors throughout the three books including: black, gold, and red. Is it possible this was an error or do werecats have the ability to change the color of their eyes.C: The red one is, of course, when his eyes were reflecting light. Like the way animals do, which can make them appear reddish or irridescent. The other thing is that he’s a shape-shifter and you’re asking whether or not his eye color can change. He can change his whole body shape. Solembum’s eyes are a source of infinite mystery and we’re not going to get into why the author chose to change his colors.M: Fair enough.M: This is another good one and we could probably count up to a hundred the amount of times we’ve gotten this question. Are you able to explain what the floating crystal on the island of Eoam as well as the dream well in Mani’s caves are? Are you able to explain what they are?C: I don’t want to go into the specifics but they’re natural manifestations of energy which, in Eragon’s world, people tend to call magic. So magic is, of course, the manipulation of energy through your mental powers, essentially. That’s what the telepathy is and all other forms of magic. And, of course, the spirits in my world are actually conscious beings composed purely of energy. And that’s the approach I took to all the magic in my world. It’s almost a scientific approach, saying it’s manipulation of energy and how that works within the world. So those two examples, and they are not the only ones—I might add, there are other places in Eragon’s world where magic can be found in the wild. They’re extremely dangerous. They’re usually far more powerful in, however they’re manifesting, then any one human magician could ever hope to achieve. And they’re generally better off avoided. The Dream cave as the name applies, is a place you can go and experience extremely vivid, magically dreams of various kinds. Sometimes they’re premonitions, sometimes they’re visions of what could have been. Very strange things happen there.M: Now does that have any influence on some of the dreams Eragon has had?C: Eragon’s dream..now I know I’ve said premonitions usually only go a short distance in the future but Eragon’s kind of an odd case because he’s in a very, very strange position with regard to what’s happening in the world and who he is and his dreams are happening because: one, he’s become fairly powerful and he’s always been fairly powerful with magic. And two: the world is shifting and that’s why sometimes things tend to leak through occasionally in dreams. Although, I should say that his dreams of Arya were not premonitions. They were current events, essentially scrying but they weren’t premonitions and I think I did say that in Eldest.M: He did have one dream that hasn’t happened yet.C: True, but he’s also had several dreams that haven’t happened yet, just in general.M: Now, this is my question, not in the interview but; In your world, is every premonition, does it have to come true? Though we discussed the elf who killed himself to prove not. But, what happens more often?C: Well, the majority is most of the time, if you have a premonition what you had a premonition of is what comes to place. Because—again—as I said in the books, if you don’t know how that event is going to end up taking place, there’s really nothing you can do to prevent it. However, if Eragon has a premonition of X—and let’s say X is a battle—he’s not the only player involved in the battle. So if Murtagh, for example, were to do something completely out of character or unexpected, Murtagh could end up changing that premonition. Even if Eragon didn’t consciously. So, people’s fates aren’t set in stone. If there’s a premonition of an event, it’s a strong suggestion that it might happen, but it’s by no means 100% certain.M: So we should be wary of any premonitions.C: You should be very wary. I just killed a character in the manuscript, you know.M: Oh geez…C: Yeah, very bloodily. There were spikes involved.M: Well, you left Eragon hanging bloodied off of hooks—C: Manicles, not hooks!M: Next question, what happened to Tornac the horse after Murtagh was taken by the twins?C: No, his horse was left at the Varden. I assume that it would have been appropriated by someone else at the Varden. Eragon didn’t need the horse and even if Eragon had asked for the horse to be cared for for a little while in the hopes that Murtagh might have been found. Of course, in the end, he wouldn’t have. And Eragon still had Snowfire at the time and that, to me seemed like, you know, Eragon didn’t need two horses and he ended up giving Snowfire away to Roran. Ultimately, I think Tornac ended up with someone else in the Varden.M: Well that was asked by Robert the Rider.M: This one is from AryaxEragon. In Eldest, Oromis said that Brom came from a family of illuminators. What is an illuminator?C: An illuminator is someone who illuminates of draws pictures or letters, handmade manuscripts. It’s a very demanding skill and tends to drive people blind, actually. But illuminating is a really wonderful form of art and if anyone is unfamiliar with it, I suggest looking of the Book of Kells**9:06(??) online or the Doomsday book or any other famous illuminated manuscripts. Look at some pictures online, they’re really beautiful.M: Sonia49 asked: Did you plan to kill off Oromis and Glaedr in Brisingr or was it a last minute snap?C: I planned to kill them from the very beginning of the series. The only big change was that at the end of when I decided to split the last book into two parts, I had to find a good ending spot for the first half of that, the first volume. And since I was decided to kill the men in any case and I knew they were going to die it seemed like their deaths provided a good stopping place for the first volume and a good jumping off point for the next book.M: Did it bug you to kill them?C: Of course it did, but I had to do it.M: Sal asked: In book 1, the gedwëy ignasia seemed to be able to sense danger coming. Several times, right before being attacked, it would, say Eragon felt a tingling sensation coming from his hand. After book one it was never mentioned again, nor was it explained.C: You know, it’s funny cause I keep meaning to use that again. And it would happen again, it’s not as if I did forget it. The problem is, ever since book one, Eragon has been mainly been wearing gloves because you wear gloves when you swordfight. And I’ve done some sparring myself and, trust me, you want some gloves. You skin knuckles left and right. So, he wouldn’t see any sort of reaction from the gedwëy ignasia. And as for feeling it, there haven’t really been any situations so far where he’s been in any close quarters danger like that which would have allowed any sort of premonition like that to work. At least the way it works in my head. Like Murtagh showing up in Brisingr to attack the Varden was sort of a long distance thing. Murtagh showing up at a distance and it didn’t seem to me like Eragon’s, perhaps little bit of sixth sense, would have worked like that. But it will show up in the last book.M: That’s quite a useful tool.C: Yeah, it’s little bit of a spider sense, there.M: This is a good question, I like this one. Du Súndavar Freohr—C: Du Súndavar Freohr [pronunciation]!M: You’re good! [Du Súndavar Freohr] asks: What would happen if someone discovered Saphira’s true name and ordered her to kill Eragon, would their bond take precident over her true name or would she have to kill him?C: She’d would have to kill him.M: Whoa.C: Yes, true names are serious business.M: Well, that was a good answer—or quick answer.C: Or she might go to kill him with the intention of killing him and just quick accidentally trip and break her neck. Which she would have the wiggle room to do. But she would have to be on the way to kill him.A note about Eragon hanging in those manacles: Christopher mentioned that to us in the Suvudu interview, which was taped right before ours, so there doesn’t seem to be any context.
Alagaesia in the Future
A Prequel to Inheritance
Christopher has expressed interest in writing a prequel to the current events in Alagaesia, taking readers on a journey back to the days where the Riders were at the height of their power, and may very well feature the character of Brom!“I don’t have any immediate plans to write a prequel, but, if I ever do, it will probably be either the story of Brom’s life or a story set during the height of the Riders’ power.”What we have heard of the Riders prior to their downfall at the hands of Galbatorix is only the beginning of the rich and detailed history of the Riders, who oversaw Alagaesia for many peaceful years. Their once mighty capital of Vroengard now lies deserted, but their detailed history still lingers. The Riders’ tale and the events which lead to the Inheritance Cycle would tickle the adventurous side of any Inheritance reader!
“Book 5” – A Stand-alone Novel
Looking to explore Alagaesia following the plot’s conclusion in Book 4, Christopher is considering a fifth stand-alone story set within the world of Alagaesia, featuring both new and old characters. The story would be set some time after the events of Book 4 and would likely tackle what became of Alagaesia and our favorite characters in the time since.Christopher has specifically stated that the book would not be an official part of the Inheritance Cycle and would only span one book. He has also stated that the book is not confirmed and will not be published soon after Book 4’s release. If this book ever hits store shelves, it’ll be some time – but as with all of the Inheritance novels, it’ll be well worth the wait!
“Book Five (as I think of it) would be set after the events of the Inheritance cycle, would be a single stand-alone book, and would feature both new and old characters.”Christopher has also revealed that plot threads already exist in the Inheritance Cycle which pertain to the events in future books. Which threads could these be? In the mean time, fans are left pondering which characters may make a re-appearance in our favorite series’ stand-alone story, and what state the world may be in once we reach that time period.
Beyond Inheritance
Inheritance has been in development for over a decade now, but Christopher has assured us that it is only the beginning of what Christopher plans to be many novels from the budding fantasy and science-fiction author.Christopher has stated that he has many novels planned and plotted, ready to go as soon as Book 4 is released to his fans. Spanning a number of genres and content types, fans will be delighted to get their hands on a novel outside of Eragon’s world.
Will Christopher continue writing for young adults? This remains to be seen, but judging by the tone the books have taken since Eragon’s initial publication, it’s safe to say we’ll at least see a few books aimed at older audiences as Christopher continues his writing career.
“I’ve given a lot of thought to what I want to write after I finish Book Four. In fact, I have a number of books entirely plotted out that I’ve been waiting to write for several years now. Some are fantasy, some are science fiction, some romance, historical fiction, mystery, thriller, horror . . . you name it!”
Christopher Paolini attends the National Book Festival in Washington DC
Christopher is currently visiting the east coast to attend several book events where he will be giving presentations and signing books for fans. The first stop on his brief trip took him to Washington D.C., where Christopher was a guest at the National Book Festival, an Library of Congress event celebrating all types of literature. Christopher’s visit included a presentation and two massive book signings for Inheritance fans in attendance. We have a number of photos from the event showing just how massive Christopher’s presentation and signings were!
Here are some pictures of Christopher at the National Book Festival:
Here are some pictures of Christopher at the National Book Festival:
Monday 24 September 2012
Inheritance Deluxe Edition e-book
Random House and Christopher Paolini have announced that they will be releasing an enhanced version of the Inheritance Deluxe Edition e-book which, in addition to the new content already featured in the Inheritance Deluxe Edition, will also include 17 never-before-seen videos of Christopher Paolini discussing various aspects of the book as you read through.
Christopher’s videos will pop up after you read certain sections of the book, discussing what you just read and revealing exclusive and incredibly interesting behind-the-scenes information.
Christopher’s videos will pop up after you read certain sections of the book, discussing what you just read and revealing exclusive and incredibly interesting behind-the-scenes information.
The INHERITANCE DELUXE Enhanced Ebook with Video (On sale October 23, 2012 / $13.99) includes all the features of the hardcover Deluxe, plus 17 exclusive videos that take readers behind the scenes with Christopher Paolini for a unique reading experience, as he shares stories and secrets about Inheritance. Videos are embedded throughout the text, allowing readers to watch Paolini’s commentary on scenes as they unfold. He touches on topics and characters ranging from the Capture of Nasuada, the Siege of Urû’baen, the Fall of Galbatorix, Angela the Herbalist, and his thoughts on returning to the world of Alagaësia in the future.
In addition to the full text of Inheritance, the Deluxe Edition includes never-before-seen artwork by Christopher Paolini, a letter from Paolini to fans reflecting on the series, and a new scene within the text.
Christopher Paolini hits the road!
Christopher has informed his fans that he will be travelling over the next two weeks for several events before embarking on a small book tour to promote the Deluxe Editions release.
Details on the tour are scarce but as soon as I find out a bit more, I will let you know.
Details on the tour are scarce but as soon as I find out a bit more, I will let you know.
Got some fun stuff coming up next month to mark the release of the deluxe edition of Inheritance. I'm actually going to tour a bit more.
@InheritanceCP
Christopher Paolini
And this month I'm attending the National Book Festival in DC before heading to Boston for a literacy event a week later.
@InheritanceCP
Christopher Paolini
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