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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 (), 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. The third book in the series, Brisingr, was published by Knopf on September 20, 2008. The fourth book in the series, Inheritance, was published by Knopf on November 8, 2011. The first full-length spinoff, Murtagh, was published by Penguin Randomhouse on November 7, 2023. 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.
The Inheritance Cycle is part of a larger series called World of Eragon, 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.
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