After writing the first draft for a year, he spent a second year rewriting it and fleshing out the story and characters, and then presented it to his parents. Homeschooled by his parents, Christopher Paolini graduated from high school at the age of fifteen, but felt he was not yet mature enough for college, so he wrote Eragon in his spare time.

The film received generally negative reviews, but closed as the 13th highest grossing fantasy- live action film within the United States.

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 series has sold 33.5 million copies worldwide. The fourth and currently final book in the series, Inheritance, was published by Knopf on November 8, 2011. The third book in the series, Brisingr, was published by Knopf on September 20, 2008. The second book in the series, Eldest, was published by Knopf on August 23, 2005. Knopf Books for Young Readers on June 25, 2003. The first book in the series, Eragon, was originally self-published by Paolini in 2001, and subsequently re-published by Alfred A. The book series as a whole received mixed reviews by critics, but has gained both popularity and commercial success.

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. Set in the fictional world of Alagaësia ( / æ l ə ˈ ɡ eɪ z i ə/), 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 Inheritance Cycle is a tetralogy of young adult high fantasy novels written by American author Christopher Paolini. Print ( hardcover and paperback) and audio Cover of The Inheritance Cycle collection

The inheritance cycle book 3