Christopher Paolini author page

Christopher Paolini biography

Christopher Paolini is an American author best known for his work in young adult fantasy and science fiction. He gained prominence with his debut novel, Eragon, which he began writing at age 15 and self-published in 2002. The novel was later acquired by Alfred A. Knopf and re-released in 2003, launching the four-book Inheritance Cycle series, which includes Eragon (2003), Eldest (2005), Brisingr (2008), and Inheritance (2011). The series has sold over 40 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 50 languages.

Paolini was born in 1983 in Southern California and was homeschooled in Paradise Valley, Montana. He graduated from high school at 15 through an accredited correspondence program. His early literary influences include authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Anne McCaffrey. To promote Eragon, Paolini toured extensively, visiting schools and libraries across the United States.

In addition to the main series, Paolini expanded the world of Alagaësia with The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm (2018), a collection of short stories, and Murtagh (2023), a standalone novel focusing on the character Murtagh. He also ventured into science fiction with To Sleep in a Sea of Stars (2020) and its prequel, Fractal Noise (2023), both set in the Fractalverse universe.

Paolini holds the Guinness World Record for being the youngest author of a bestselling book series.