Eragon Audiobook By Christopher Paolini cover art

Eragon

Inheritance, Book 1

 Preview
Get this deal Try for $0.00
Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm PT.
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just $0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible Premium Plus.
1 audiobook per month of your choice from our unparalleled catalog.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Eragon

By: Christopher Paolini
Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
Get this deal Try for $0.00

$14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime. Offers ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm PT.

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $22.50

Buy for $22.50

Get 3 months for $0.99 a month
Don’t miss the eagerly anticipated epic new fantasy from Christopher Paolini—Murtagh!

A new adventure hatches in Book One of the Inheritance Cycle, perfect for fans of Lord of the Rings! This New York Times bestselling series has sold over 40 million copies and is an international fantasy sensation.

"Christopher Paolini is a true rarity." —The Washington Post

When fifteen-year-old Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.

Overnight his simple life is shattered, and, gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire.
©2003 Christopher Paolini; (P)2002 Random House, Inc., Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc. Fantasy Fantasy Essentials Series Essentials Fiction Magic Dragons Feel-Good Suspenseful Adventure

Critic reviews

Praise for The Inheritance Cycle:

A #1 New York Times Bestseller
A #1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A #1 USA Today Bestseller
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller

"An authentic work of great talent." –New York Times Book Review

"Paolini is a spellbinding fantasy writer." –The Boston Globe

"A breathtaking and unheard of success." –USA Today

“Christopher Paolini make[s] literary magic.” –People

“Will appeal to legions of readers who have been captivated by the Lord of the Rings trilogy.” –School Library Journal

Praise for Eragon:

“The new ‘It’ book of children’s lit.” –U.S. News & World Report

“Unusual, powerful, fresh, and fluid.” –Booklist, Starred

"The author takes the near-archetypes of fantasy fiction and makes them fresh and enjoyable, chiefly through a crisp narrative and a likable hero." –Publisher's Weekly

Featured Article: The top 100 series of all time


The feeling of discovering that your favorite new listen is actually the start of a series is euphoric. That you can immediately hit play and re-enter a beloved new world, or love story, or era from history is a gift to the devoted listener. But how to pick just 100 of these unique and immersive listening journeys? We defined a series as having a minimum of three books, and—after some debate—we decided the titles had to be anchored in fiction. From YA to horror to historical fiction, from fresh voices to seminal tales, hours of discovery await.

Featured Article The top 100 series of all time
Captivating Dragon-rider Bond • Immersive Fantasy World • Excellent Storytelling Ability • Character Development

Highly rated for:

All stars
Most relevant
This was a fun book to listen to, and caught my interest for quite a while. The book isn't consistently gripping - the beginning plodded along for me, but by the time Eragon hit the road, it was more fun to keep up with. From the minute they introduced it as "Inheritance, Book 1", I figured there would be a sequel, but I was still a little surprised at how quickly the book ended. The Hollywood-style setup for the next book seemed like a quick fix to end it.

I've read a lot of comments regarding how much was lifted from other books in the genre. I'll grant that there are some strong similarities to what's out there: a variant of dragonriding (McCaffrey), blue rock-like things that mark your palm (Eddings), but then I think the comparisons get a little unfair. Yes, there are dwarves, elves and dragons, and yes, Tolkien has them in his books. But so do a lot of other people who have written about them, and you see many similar traits regardless of the author - dwarves hacking stone underground, elves being thin, quiet, strong, and longlived. Some features are just elements of other stories that you'll find anywhere else - a bond between the main character and an animal, the older mentor with a similar past. Paolini has put many of these features together in a way that makes for an interesting story, and is set in an interesting world that I'm looking forward to reading more about.

The writing style _is_ simpler than other authors. Paolini _is_ a teenager, and soon enough, he'll be older, continue to age, and no doubt become a more complex writer as he learns more. I think this is an interesting station at which to hop on the train, and see where he ends up. I'd recommend it as a good fun audiobook, keeping in mind that it won't necessarily be complex and that the descriptions get a little overdone, especially in the beginning. Looking forward to book 2 and the improvements to his writing style he'll likely bring.

A good read, even if similar to other in the genre

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book was a great listen, and I find it to be the quintisential fantasy title. The young warrior/magician type is somehow chosen to begin an adventure with the help of the older wizard/loremaster type and must leave his small village because the big bad is threatening it because of his/her presence. Eragon becomes the rewcipient of a dragon egg and begins his training as a dragonrider with the help of an old story teller from his village. Along the way he meets up with Elves, Warriors, and Dwarves od course. Very good story 5 stars all the way. I see it as Lord of the Rings meets The Whhel of Time with Dragons of the Pern variety.

Eragon (Unabridged)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I hate to say this, but this was one of the books I just had to listen to even when I was not in the car. The narration is simply superb, and the story well-told. I did not find the obvious references to Tolkien a bother, as great books always stand on the shoulder of giants.

Great Entertainment Value

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It took a while to get into Eragon; in fact, after I started it, I actually didn?t listen to any more for a couple of weeks. It might have just been my frame of mind at the time, though, because once I started listening to more of the story I couldn?t turn it off! Now I can?t wait to learn more about Eragon?s journey!

Definitely recommended!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I could not stop listening to this book. I downloaded the book for a road trip on a tour bus thinking it would be something to keep me occupied. It did more than that!!! I loved the book! Lots of action, suspense, and detailed characters and a very small touch of romance. The book kept you guessing and wondering what was going to happen to the characters next. Everytime the bus stopped for a break I was the first back on to start listening to my book again. I'm a Lord of the Rings fan and this book is along the lines of The Lord of the Rings. As soon as I finished book one I downloaded book two and now I'm waiting for Book 3. Its a great book. I'm curious how the movie will turn out.

WOW!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews