About the Author: “Christopher Paolini is the author of the international bestsellers Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance, as well as The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm. Murtagh is now available and marks the highly anticipated return to the World of Eragon. His debut science fiction novel, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, came out in September 2020 and its prequel, Fractal Noise, was released in May 2023. He resides in Paradise Valley, Montana, USA” (Bio from author’s website).
My first copy of Christopher Paolini’s Eragon was a random book I had found in Goodwill as a child trying to avoid another trip to the jeans section. I quickly became obsessed. A boy who finds a dragon egg was only the beginning of this series, and I was all too happy to sit in the middle of the store and read the first several pages. Then I found the second book, Eldest, and not long after that, my mother thrifted me the hardcover version of the third book, which she had to tape up so that it didn’t fall apart, and I ended up renting the fourth book from the library. I loved every bit of my mismatched collection. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I purchased a new set—I have always been one for a matching aesthetic, after all.
The Inheritance Cycle is a four-book series (Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance) that encompasses a world of dragons, elves, and more. Paolini’s balance of intricate worldbuilding, compelling characters, and multilayered plots were the perfect introduction to the epic fantasy genre. Not only was the immersive storytelling, magic, and shifting perspectives a new experience, but it was the first book I read that had me obsessively looking in the back of the book at the translation guide for the different languages that Paolini had created.
But what still catches my eye about Paolini’s stories goes deeper than the narratives.
When I was reading the author bio on the dust jacket of my borrowed copy of the last book, I learned that Paolini is from Montana, my home state. At that point in time, the only authors I knew from Montana wrote historical narratives, autobiographies, or contemporary pieces that focus on the state itself. I genuinely didn’t know it was possible for someone from my home state to write such magical stories, and suddenly, I had a new connection to these books. To this day, Paolini is one of the few fantasy authors that originate from my state.
However, as I got older and my focus shifted, I drifted away from Paolini’s novels. In 2022, I saw an ad that fantasy author Victoria Aveyard was going to be having an event in Montana and that she would be in conversation with Paolini. Suddenly, my childhood fascination was back. I bought my ticket, drove five hours, stayed the night on my cousin’s couch, and arrived way too early. It was his first in-person event since pandemic lockdowns had been lifted, and I was more than excited for this opportunity. It was during this event that I learned Paolini originally self-published Eragon.
Today, our society sees self-published books quite often. But over twenty years ago, this method was not as popular. So, after leaving the event, I ended up doing my own research. Paolini’s website had everything I wanted to know. Paolini began writing Eragon as a teenager, and together with his family, he self-published the book when he was eighteen. The art on the cover and the map were his own designs. He and his family promoted the book by traveling to different schools and bookstores. A year later, the book caught the eye of Carl Hiaasen, an author and journalist who introduced the novel to a publisher at an imprint of Random House Children’s Books: Alfred A. Knopf Books For Young Readers. Soon, the book was republished in August of 2003, reaching all the way to the New York Times Best Seller list.
With new inspirations, Paolini continued to write the tale of Eragon the dragon rider and his partner Saphira. He toured several countries and even earned the 2011 Guinness World Record for youngest author of a bestselling book series. The Inheritance Cycle only continued to grow in popularity. He released a spin-off book, The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm, in 2018 and published the sequel to the original series, Murtagh, in 2023 which follows one of my all-time favorite characters.
Paolini remains an important influence in the literary community; he hosts writing challenges, participates in Q&As, and is constantly reposting fan creations for his books. Paolini’s website has all kinds of information, including advice for new and young writers and an encyclopedia for his fantasy world, Alagaësia, for fans who are craving more. Team Paolini, the group that markets, designs and releases information regarding Paolini’s stories, works to not only promote the books they work with, but to also spread the love of storytelling to all corners of the world. Some days, I can’t believe that picking up a random book in Goodwill turned into a lifetime of curiosity and captivation. Epic fantasy has grown to be my favorite genre, and I have The Inheritance Cycle and Christopher Paolini to thank.
Hannah Goerndt, Pine Reads Review Writer