Information on the Inheritance Cycle
"The Inheritance Cycle" is a series of fantasy novels by Christopher Paolini. So far, the series consists of "Eragon," "Eldest," "Brisingr" and an untitled fourth novel, yet to be released. Paolini received much acclaim due to his young age when he wrote and published "Eragon." Although the critical reaction has been mixed, the novels are bestsellers and have a strong fan following.
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History
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Christopher Paolini wrote "Eragon" at the age of 15. With the help of his parents, he revised, self-published and promoted the novel. In 2003, author Carl Hiaasan brought a copy of "Eragon" to his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf Books For Young Readers (an imprint of Random House). Knopf published "Eragon" in August 2003. Paolini wrote the sequels "Eldest" (published in August 2005) and "Brisingr" (published in September 2008) and is currently writing the fourth book in the cycle.
Story
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"The Inheritance Cycle" takes place in the land of Alagaësia and focuses on Eragon, a 15-year-old farm boy with a mysterious heritage. Eragon finds a strange stone that hatches into a dragon, Saphira. With the help of a storyteller, Brom, Eragon learns magic and swordfighting, eventually becoming one of the legendary Dragon Riders sworn to protect the land.
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Popularity
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"The Inheritance Cycle" has become overwhelmingly popular, with over 20 million copies printed in dozens of languages. "Brisingr" had a first-run printing of 2.5 million copies--the largest first run printing in Alfred A. Knopf's history--and sold a half-million copies in its first day, the most for any Random House children's book.
Critical Reception
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Paolini's novels have received criticism due to their derivative nature, pulling plot elements and characters from such fantasy epics as "Lord of the Rings." Some critics have been harsh: Entertainment Weekly called "Eldest" "mind-numbingly silly" and named it one of the worst books of 2005. Others have acknowledged the books' fun: Kirkus called "Eldest" "derivative but exciting," and the New York Public Library wrote that the series was "nothing particularly original, [but] will find its fan-base."
Adaptations
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In 2006, "Eragon" was adapted into a movie and video game. The movie, starring Edward Speleers, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich and Djimon Hounsou, received generally poor reviews, including a 17 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. The video game received similarly poor reviews, averaging a 48 out of 100 on Metacritic, with reviewers citing "very little innovation" and "tedious, unenthusiastic gameplay."
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