Christopher Paolini
Christopher James Paolini (born November 17, 1983) is an American author and screenwriter. He is best known for "The Inheritance Cycle", which consists of the books "Eragon", "Eldest", "Brisingr", "Inheritance", and the follow up short story collection "The Fork, the Witch and the Worm". His first science fiction novel, "To Sleep in a Sea of Stars", was published on September 15, 2020. He lives in Paradise Valley, Montana, where he wrote his first book. Early life. Paolini was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in the area of Paradise Valley, Montana. His family members include his parents , Kenneth Paolini and Talita Hodgkinson, and his younger sister, Angela Paolini. Home schooled for the duration of his education, Paolini graduated from high school at the age of 15 through a set of accredited correspondence courses from the American School of Correspondence in Lansing, Illinois. Career. He started his work on his first novel, "Eragon", at the age of 15. This novel would become the first of a four-book series set in the mythical land of Alagaësia. In 2002, "Eragon" was published for the first time by Paolini International LLC, Paolini's parents' publishing company. To promote the book , Paolini toured over 135 schools and libraries, discussing reading and writing, all the while dressed in "a medieval costume of red shirt, billowy black pants, lace-up boots, and a jaunty black cap." He drew the cover art for the first edition of "Eragon", which featured Saphira's eye, along with the maps on the inside covers of his books. In mid-2002, the stepson of author Carl Hiaasen found "Eragon" in a bookstore and loved it; this led to Hiaasen bringing it to the attention of his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf. Knopf subsequently made an offer to publish "Eragon" and  the rest of "The Inheritance Cycle". The second edition of "Eragon" was published by Knopf in August 2003. At the age of nineteen, Paolini became a "New York Times"-bestselling author. In December 2006, Fox 2000 released the film adaptation of "Eragon" in theaters around the world. It received mostly negative reviews from critics, and made a combined domestic and international gross of $249,488,115 USD against a production budget of $100,000,000. Paolini's essay "It All Began with Books" was included in the April 2005 anthology "Guys Write for Guys Read". "Eldest", the sequel to "Eragon", was released August  23, 2005. The third book in the cycle, "Brisingr", was released on September 20, 2008. Although "The Inheritance Cycle" was originally planned as a trilogy, a fourth book, "Inheritance", was released on November 8, 2011 in the US, Australia, New Zealand, the EU, and India, and was subsequently translated and published in fifty-three countries. "The Inheritance Cycle" has sold more than 35 million copies. On December 31, 2018, "The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm", the first book in a series called "Tales of Alagaësia", was published and released to the public. Paolini's new science fiction novel, "To  Sleep in a Sea of Stars", was released on September 15, 2020, by Tor Books. He also plans to return to the world of Alagaësia with a fifth book when he finishes his science-fiction book. Influences. Paolini's literary inspirations include the works of J. R. R. Tolkien and E.R. Eddison, as well as the epic poem "Beowulf". Paolini has said that "Eragon" was "specifically inspired" by "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher", by Bruce Coville. Other literary influences include David Eddings, Andre Norton, Brian Jacques, Anne McCaffrey, Raymond E. Feist, Mervyn Peake, Ursula K. Le Guin and Frank Herbert. Other  favorite books include works by Jane Yolen, Philip Pullman, Terry Brooks, and Garth Nix. Nature influences much of Paolini's writing. In an interview with Philip Pullman and Tamora Pierce, Paolini said that Paradise Valley, Montana is "one of the main sources" of his inspiration. In the acknowledgments of "Brisingr", Paolini acknowledged the influence of Leon and Hiroko Kapp's "The Craft of the Japanese Sword" for his description of the forging of Eragon's sword. Additionally, Paolini has admitted that he is a "Doctor Who" fan, which inspired his reference to the "lonely god" (the epithet given to the  Doctor by the Face of Boe in the episode "New Earth"), to "rooms that are bigger on the inside than the outside" (from "Questions Unanswered" in "Inheritance"), as well as to Raxacoricofallapatorius, the home of the Slitheen ("Blood Price" in "Inheritance"). The experience of homelearning was a powerful influence on Paolini’s literary development. The author wrote, “Eragon would not exist if I had gone to public school. Homeschooling gave me the opportunity to pursue my own interests, time to dream, and time to write. And I had freedoms the majority of today’s teens don’t have. I did n’t have to contend with peer pressure to conform to social fads. I could be myself. Without the frantic schedule kept by many teens, I had time to think, to daydream about adventures, to create the world of Alagaésia.” Paolini adds, “Weekly trips to the library were part of our routine. My sister and I became voracious readers, leaving the library every week with our arms filled with teetering towers of books.” “My parents read to my sister and me, usually in the evenings. That was how I was introduced to Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. Hearing those books read  out loud helped give me a feel for the English language, as well as solidify my love for books.” Reception. Paolini's books have sold very well and have topped the charts of "The New York Times", "USA Today", and "Publishers Weekly" bestsellers lists. The Guinness World Records recognized Christopher Paolini as the "youngest author of a bestselling book series" on January 5, 2011.