INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Master storyteller and internationally bestselling author Christopher Paolini returns to the World of Eragon in this stunning epic fantasy set a year after the events of the Inheritance Cycle. Join Dragon Rider—and fan favorite—Murtagh and his dragon as they confront a perilous new enemy! “Christopher Paolini is a true rarity.” —The Washington Post The world is no longer safe for the Dragon Rider Murtagh and his dragon,Thorn. An evil king has been toppledand they are left to face the consequences of the reluctant role they played in his reign of terror. Now they are hated and aloneexiled to the outskirts of society. Throughout the landhushed voices whisper of brittle ground and a faint scent of brimstone in the air—and Murtagh senses that something wicked lurks in the shadows of Alagaësia. So begins an epic journey into lands both familiar and untraveledwhere Murtagh and Thorn must use every weapon in their arsenalfrom brains to brawnto find and outwit a mysterious witch. A witch who is much more than she seems. In this gripping novel starring one of the most popular characters from Christopher Paolini’s blockbuster Inheritance Cyclea Dragon Rider must discover what he stands for in a world that has abandoned him. Murtagh is the perfect book to enter the World of Eragon for the first time . . . or to joyfully return. Praise for Christopher Paolini: “A spellbinding fantasy writer.” —The Boston Globe “A breathtaking and unheard-of success.” —USA Today “Make[s] literary magic.” —People