The Inheritance Cycle

Not to be confused with The Inheritance Trilogy.

The Inheritance Cycle
Cover of The Inheritance Cycle collection
Eragon (2003)
Eldest (2005)
Brisingr (2008)
Inheritance (2011)
AuthorChristopher Paolini
Cover artistJohn Jude Palencar
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung adult fiction
High fantasy
PublisherPaolini LLC (early edition of Eragon)
Alfred A. Knopf
Published2002–2023
Media typePrint (hardback and paperback) and audio

The Inheritance Cycle is a tetralogy of young adult high fantasy novels written by American author Christopher Paolini. Set in the fictional world of Alagaësia (/æləˈɡeɪziə/), the novels focus on the adventures of a teenage boy named Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, as they struggle to overthrow the evil king Galbatorix. The series was originally intended to be a trilogy (named the "Inheritance Trilogy") until Paolini announced on October 30, 2007, while working on the third novel, that he believed the story was too complex to conclude in just three books.

The book series as a whole received mixed reviews by critics, but has gained both popularity and commercial success. The first book in the series, Eragon, was originally self-published by Paolini in 2001, and subsequently re-published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers on June 25, 2003. The second book in the series, Eldest, was published by Knopf on August 23, 2005. Both were New York Times bestsellers.[1][2][3] The third book in the series, Brisingr, was published by Knopf on September 20, 2008.[4] The fourth book in the series, Inheritance, was published by Knopf on November 8, 2011.[5] The first full-length spinoff, Murtagh, was published by Penguin Randomhouse on November 7, 2023.[6] The series has sold 33.5 million copies worldwide.

In 2006, a feature film was released based on the first book in the cycle, Eragon, starring Ed Speleers, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich and Djimon Hounsou. The film received generally negative reviews, but closed as the 13th highest grossing fantasy-live action film within the United States.[7]

The Inheritance Cycle is part of a larger series called World of Eragon,[8] which includes the collection of short stories The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm (2018), the novel Murtagh (2023) as well as an announced sequel cycle to Inheritance.

  1. ^ "Best sellers: September 14, 2003". The New York Times. September 13, 2003. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  2. ^ "Children's best sellers: September 11, 2005". The New York Times. September 11, 2005. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  3. ^ "Interview with Christopher Paolini". The Author Hour. January 21, 2009.
  4. ^ "Brisingr by Christopher Paolini". www.randomhouse.com. Random House. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  5. ^ "Last book of Christopher Paolini's 'Inheritance' cycle out in November", Washington Post, March 23, 2011, archived from the original on December 11, 2018
  6. ^ Paolini, Christopher (November 7, 2023). Murtagh.
  7. ^ "Fantasy — Live Action Movies". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 31, 2007.
  8. ^ World of Eragon – Christopher Paolini presents the new logo for the world of Eragon on YouTube