The new gang: Michelle Frey, who not only loved the story enough to take a chance on an epic fantasy written by a teenager but also managed to streamline Eragon’s pacing through her insightful editing; my agent, Simon Lipskar, who helped find the best home for Eragon; Chip Gibson and Beverly Horowitz for the wonderful offer; Lawrence Levy for his good humor and legal advice; Judith Haut, publicity whiz of the first degree; Daisy Kline for the awe-inspiring marketing campaign; Isabel Warren-Lynch, who designed the lovely book jacket, interior, and map; John Jude Palencar, who painted the jacket art (I actually named Palancar Valley for him long before he ever worked on Eragon); Artie Bennett, the doyen of copyediting and the only man alive who understood the difference between to scry it and to scry on it; and the entire team at Knopf who have made this adventure possible.
Lastly, a very special thanks to my characters, who bravely face the dangers I force them to confront, and without whom I wouldn’t have a story.
May your swords stay sharp!
Christopher Paolini
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher Paolini’s abiding love of fantasy and science fiction inspired him to begin writing his debut novel, Eragon, when he graduated from high school at fifteen. Now nineteen, he lives with his family in Paradise Valley, Montana, where he is at work on Eldest, the next volume in the Inheritance trilogy.
You can find out more about Christopher, Eragon, and Inheritance at www.alagaesia.com.
is also available in an unabridged
audio edition from Listening Library
ISBN 0-8072-1962-2
$39.95 U.S. / $59.95 CAN.
THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF
Text copyright © 2003 by Christopher Paolini
Illustrations on endpapers copyright © 2002 by Christopher Paolini
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. Distributed by Random House, Inc., New York.
Originally published, in different form, by Paolini International, LLC in 2002.
KNOPF, BORZOI BOOKS, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
www.randomhouse.com/teens
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Paolini, Christopher.
Eragon / Christopher Paolini.
p. cm. — (Inheritance ; bk. 1)
SUMMARY: In Alagaësia, a fifteen-year-old boy of unknown lineage called Eragon finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic, and power, peopled with dragons, elves, and monsters.
[1. Fantasy. 2. Dragons—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.P19535Er 2003
[Fic]—dc21 2003047481
eISBN: 978-0-375-89036-9
v3.0