‘A compeUing and action-filled adventure... a galloping good example of its genre' Daily Telegraph

‘This book is an achievement. Readers... will be transported'Sunday Times

‘A portrayal of true affection between boy and dragon... Paolini writes like someone gripped by his own story' Guardian

‘A stirring fantasy of epic proportions' The Bookseller

When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his faraily meat for the winter. 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 he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders？The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands...

Prologue: Shade of Fear

Discovery

Palancar Valley

Dragon Tales

Fate's Gift

Awakening

Tea for Two

A Name of Power

A Miller-to-Be

Strangers in Carvahall

Flight of Destiny

The Doom of Innocence

Deathwatch

The Madness of Life

A Rider's Blade

Saddlemaking

Therinsford

Thunder Roar and Lightning Crackle

Revelation at Yazuac

Admonishments

Magic Is the Simplest Thing

Darer

Through a Dragonn's Eye

A Song for the Road

A Taste of Teirm

An Old Friend

The Witch and the Werecat

Of Reading and Plots

Thieves in the Castle

A Costly Mistake

Vision of Perfection

Master of the Blade

The Mire of Dms-Leona

Trail of Oil

Worshipers of Helgrtnd

The Ra'zac's Revenge

Murtagh

Legacy of a Rider

Diamond Tomb

Capture at Cil'eed

Du Sundavar Freohr

Fightiug Shadows

A Warrior and a Healer

Water from Sand

The Ramr River

The Hndarac Desert

A Path Revealed

A Clash of Wtlh

Flight Through the Valley

The Horns of a Dilemma

Hunting for Answers

The Glory of Troniheim

Ajithad

Bless the Child. Argetlam

Mandrake Root and Newfs Tongue

Hall of the Mountain King

Arya's Test

The Shadows Lengthen

Battle Under Farthen Dvr

The Mouming Sage

Pronunciation guide

Glossary

Acknowledgments