FROM CHRISTOPHER:

Kvetha Fricaya. Greetings, Friends.

It’s been a while….

This was an unplanned-for book. A bit over two years ago, I wrote the first version of “The Worm of Kulkaras” as a means of clearing my head between sections of a larger sci-fi project. Although I was pleased with it, “Worm” by itself was too short to publish. Thus it sat on my computer, alone and abandoned, until the summer of 2018.

At that point, I got an urge to write a story about Murtagh I’d long had in mind. This became “A Fork in the Road.” I sent both that and “Worm” off to my editor at Knopf. Meanwhile, my sister, Angela, proposed writing a vignette from her character’s point of view. And hey, presto! Before I knew it, we were in talks to release this anthology that same year. (For those of you not familiar with publishing, that is a highly accelerated schedule.)

I’d always imagined returning to Alagaësia with a full-sized novel. However, doing it this way made for a wonderful experience. Getting to dip into the heads of some of the characters from the Inheritance Cycle—as well as a few new ones—was a real treat for me. Writing about Eragon and Saphira after so many years was like returning home after a long journey.

Plus, I finally proved to myself that I could turn out a book that was shorter than 500 pages. Success!

Short it may be, but as with every book, The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm would not exist without the hard work of a whole team of people:

My wonderful parents, who continue to provide the same love, support, and editing as they have all my life. I owe them more than I can say. Couldn’t have done this without you!

My sister, Angela, who still has a good sense of humor about her brother portraying her as a fictitious character. Without her, the middle section of this book wouldn’t exist (she wrote the chapter “On the Nature of Stars”), nor would “The Worm of Kulkaras,” which was born out of a conversation we once had about a rather unsuccessful movie. She was also my first-pass reader and helped edit all the stories in this collection, and they are much improved as a result, especially “A Fork in the Road.” Thanks, Sis! You always push me to grow as a writer.

My assistant, Immanuela Meijer, for building me an Inheritance-themed wiki (woo-hoo!), her thoughtful editing, and doing such a beautiful job colorizing the map at the beginning of this book.

My literary agent, Simon Lipskar, who has been not only a friend but a powerful advocate for my work. A heartfelt thank-you! Next time, sushi is on me.

My editor, Michelle Frey, who did her usual bang-up job in shaping this book into something respectable. It was a pleasure to once again face down some deadlines with you! And thanks for helping me to finally master Track Changes.

Also at Knopf: Barbara Marcus, head of Random House Children’s Books. Judith Haut, associate publisher of Random House Children’s Books. Executive copy editor Artie Bennett, cruciverbalist and word-wrangler extraordinaire. Director of copyediting Alison Kolani for her sharp-eyed suggestions. Marisa DiNovis, assistant editor. Art director Isabel Warren-Lynch and her team, who made this book look so beautiful. John Jude Palencar, who painted the amazing cover. Seriously, just look at it! Dominique Cimina, publicity and communications director at Random House Children’s Books, and Aisha Cloud, publicity manager, and all the rest of the awesome marketing and publicity crew, as well as everyone else at Random House who helped make this book happen. You have my profound gratitude! I’d also like to acknowledge former Knopf publishing director Jennifer Brown for her support.

A special mention goes out to fellow author Fran Wilde, who was kind enough to read an early version of “The Worm of Kulkaras” and provide me with some useful feedback. Thanks, Fran! I owe you one.

And of course…the biggest thanks of all go to you, the reader. Without your support throughout the years, none of this would have been possible.

As the elves would say, “Atra esterní ono thelduin.” Or, “May good fortune rule over you.”

Christopher Paolini

December 2018