Eragon

Inheritance, Book 1

By: Christopher Paolini

Narrated by: Gerard Doyle

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.

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

Heard the Audio, Bought the Print

I enjoyed Eragon in this audio format so much that a few days after coming to the end I went out and bought the hardcover edition. Partly for the outstanding dustjacket design, partly for the maps on the endpapers, and partly so my 14 year-old daughter could read it.

Eragon has a winning protagonist, a brisk plot, a very cool female elf mage, solid "history", plausible magic, vivid scenery. Studded throughout with sly references to other fantasy fiction. What's not to like?

Does Paolini owe a debt to Tolkein and LeGuin? Sure, but no more than Tolkein and LeGuin owe George MacDonald and the Brothers Grimm!

Gerard Doyle's reading performance is beyond praise. I'd like to hire him to record my answering machine messages in his dragon voice.

Wonderful reading!

I hated to see the book end. I am even more sorry that the next book is not available to see where fate next leads this dragon rider!

Excellent!

I admit that this was my first audiobook, but I was SO impressed with the quality of the narrator(not to mention the wonderful book itself)! I had seen the movie, but heard the book was better (which is so often the case) and this was the perfect way to fit reading it into my busy schedule! Wonderful book & great narrator!

Eragon

What an incredible book for such a young writer. I loved the book and overall was highly entertained most of the way. I thought there was a texture lacking that might only come with life experience and personal challenge. When he comes out with a sequel, I'll read it for sure.

I'm disappointed ... :-)

... that book 2 hasn't been published yet, so who knows when Audible will be carrying it!

I very much enjoyed both the story and the reading, and my only disappointment was that I couldn't start the 2nd book right away. This was one of those books where several times after finishing my 55 minute commute I sat in the car and listened for a few minutes longer.

It isn't as rich or well-written as Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and I wish that Paolini gave his protangonist a name that wasn't so similar to Tolkien's Aragorn, but these aren't really complaints. This is an impressive first work from such a young author.

Gerald Doyle's reading was excellent -- I'll be disappointed if he isn't the reader for book 2. ;-)