Christopher Paolini

has a very strong element of nostalgia to it.

It in some ways is the fiction of the past.

We tend to look backward with fantasy.

Not all the time.

There's urban fantasy.

There's even science fiction fantasy.

But in terms of epic mythic fantasy, that has generally been the case.

And with my newest book, I wanted to write something that looked forward to the future.

I personally am very optimistic about humanity's future.

I mean, we face certainly lots of challenges as a species, but I think we're going to have a wonderful future out among the stars.

And that's something I wanted to write about.

And I wanted to write about a grand adventure in the future.

And I also wanted to write something that was going to leave a good taste in people's mouths and leave readers feeling a sense of hope and optimism as well as a sense of awe and wonder for the beauty and size and sheer beauty.

sheer amazing awesomeness of this universe.

I realize I'm saying awesome an awful lot, but that's one of those words that just seems appropriate when thinking of the scale of the universe and our place in it.

So yeah, this was a big challenge for me, but I felt it was important and I really wanted to tell this story.

I am currently reading a book called Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton because I'm actually doing a virtual event with him in the UK.

in September.

And I am simultaneously reading The Last Emperor Ox by John Scalzi for the same reason.

I've read John Scalzi's work before, quite a few of his books, but I haven't read anything by Peter Hamilton.