What Will Happen in Eragon IV: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Becomes the Third Dragon Rider and How Will the Inheritance Cycle Finally E

If you are among the legions of fantasy junkies awaiting the final act in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, you have probably spent the better part of this year speculating, guessing, weighing options, considering and eliminating variables as you pour over fan sites and Inheritance Cycle blogs. If you have, you're not much different than fantasy-junkie and book-reviewer-turned-author, Richard Marcus, whose debut offering, What Happens in Eragon 4, attempts to deduce the outcomes of Paolini's Inheritance finale. Will Galbatorix determine Eragon's true name and use it to control him and Saphira? Will the final dragon egg hatch for Arya? Or Nasuada? That would certainly address the immortality issue for her and Eragon, making it possible for them to be together - unless, of course, Eragon manages to convince Arya to fall in love with him. Who might be lost in the quest to regain the final egg from Galbatorix? Where is the Rock of Kuthian, anyway? And what's with that creepy werecat hanging around with Angela, the bone-reading witch? Is the Vault of Souls a repository for heart of hearts? So many questions to consider. Marcus endeavors to answer all of them, publicly risking what the rest of us merely shout in derision at Internet blogs late at night. What Marcus does well is to provide a view from the balcony, carefully dusting off and considering variables while we watch over his shoulder, drawing our own inferences and formulating our own conclusions. Marcus's breezy, conversational style makes for a quick and enjoyable read. It's as though he's in the room with you. While thorough, he doesn't take himself too seriously and even offers a few well-placed jokes. (Never send to know for whom the egg hatches, after all!) Marcus does not evaluate Paolini's work through any esoteric lens nor does he insist on one perspective over another as he presents data in a salad bar of questions and possible answers. What Happens in Eragon 4 is a prediction about a book organized around a prophesy and peopled with cryptic fortune tellers making predictions. In the end, Marcus's work reads like a conversation among well informed Paolini fans. So brush up on your details before tackling this one. Marcus is thorough. He has to be. There are blog sites aplenty out there predicting everything from Eragon's death to the last-second arrival of E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons. (Alright, I made that one up.) But Marcus leaves few questions unaddressed. Whether you agree with him or not, What Happens in Eragon 4 will have you and your reading group discussing possibilities into the wee hours as you await Paolini's final volume.