Eragon is the first novel in the
Inheritance Cycle by
Christopher Paolini, who began writing at the age of 15. After writing the first draft for a year, Paolini spent a second year rewriting and fleshing out the story and characters. Paolini's parents saw the final manuscript and decided to
self-publish Eragon. Paolini spent a year traveling around the United States promoting the novel. By chance, the book was discovered by
Carl Hiaasen, who got it re-published by
Alfred A. Knopf. The re-published version was released on August 26, 2003.