Eragon, the first in Paolini’s Inheritance trilogy releases as a movie with a cast of impressive actors on 15 December. For those teenagers and adults alike who’ve enjoyed The Lord of the Rings or indeed The Dark Materials trilogy we think you’ll really enjoy the magic, the power and the storytelling of Eragon and its sequel Eldest. The characters and the plot will get so under your skin that you’ll feel you’re in that world. Let’s hope the film is as good as the book.
When Eragon finds a polished stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands...
Christopher Paolini was born in 1983 in California where he still lives. Home schooled for the duration of his education, Paolini graduated from high school at the age of 15 through a set of accredited correspondence courses from the American School in Chicago, Illinois. Following graduation, he started his work on what would become the novel Eragon and its sequel Eldest, both set in the kingdom of Alagaësia.
In 2002, Eragon was published in a small way by Paolini International LLC, Paolini's parents' company. However, his big break was to come in Summer 2002, when the stepson of author Carl Hiaasen found Eragon in a bookstore and loved it, and Hiaasen brought it to the attention of his publisher, who subsequently made an offer to publish Eragon and the rest of the Inheritance Cycle. The second edition of Eragon was published in August 2003. At the age of nineteen, Paolini became a New York Times bestselling author. Eragon has since been adapted into a film of the same name.
Eldest, the sequel to Eragon, was published in 2005. The third book in the cycle, Brisingr, was released in autumn 2008. The fourth and final title in the series has yet to be given a date for publication.
Paolini's literary inspirations include the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, E. R. Eddison and the epic poem Beowulf. Other literary influences include David Eddings, Brian Jacques, Anne McCaffrey, Raymond E. Feist, Ursula K. Le Guin. Other favourite authors include Philip Pullman and Garth Nix. Paolini notes that in his writing he ‘strives for a lyrical beauty somewhere between Tolkien at his best and Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf.’
In this video, Christopher delivers the manuscript for the very last book in the Inheritance sequence to his publisher. Press play to watch:
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