Christopher Paolini was born in Southern California and lived most of his life in Paradise Valley, Montana. The tall, jagged Beartooth Mountains that rise on one side of Paradise Valley inspired the fantastic scenery inEragon, the first novel in his Inheritance Cycle. Christopher's journey to becoming a globally beloved publishing phenomenon is as magical as the fantasy novels he writes. Christopher was homeschooled by his parents and often wrote short stories and poems, made frequent trips to the library, and read widely. He was fifteen when he wrote the first draft ofEragon and his family self-published the book in 2001. In August 2003, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers publishedEragon and it was an instant success, reaching a worldwide audience. Christopher's second novelEldest was published in 2005, followed byBrisingr in 2008.Inheritance, the fourth and final book in the cycle released in November 2011. Additional titles in The World of Eragon includeEragon's Guide to Alagaesia andThe Fork, The Witch, and the Worm.Today, the Inheritance Cycle is available in more than 50 countries, and together the four books in the series (Eragon,Eldest,Brisingr,Inheritance) have sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.
