Inheritance Cycle Books in Order
Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini contains 5 books, published between 2002 and 2023. The first book is Eragon (2002) and the newest is Murtagh (2023). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 5
- Published
- 2002–2023
- Confirmed
- 4 of 5 titles
- Pages on record
- 1,991 in 3 of 5 books
- Reading time
- 33–50 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,991 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 3 of 5 titles with a page count on record.
Inheritance Cycle is Christopher Paolini's young adult high fantasy sequence, set in the invented world of Alagaesia. Eragon (2002) sets a teenage boy and his dragon Saphira against the king Galbatorix, and Eldest (2005), Brisingr (2008) and Inheritance (2011) carry that struggle on. Paolini planned three books, then said in 2007, while writing the third, that the story was too complex to finish in three. Murtagh followed in 2023. Dragons, magic and imaginary places are the subjects.
How many Inheritance Cycle books are there?
Inheritance Cycle has 5 books, released between 2002 and 2023.
Inheritance Cycle Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 5 Inheritance Cycle books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 1Eragon2002 · 528 pages · confirmed 2/420025282/4
- 2Eldest2005 · 679 pages · confirmed 3/420056793/4
- 3Brisingr2008 · 784 pages · confirmed 3/420087843/4
- 4Inheritance2011 · confirmed 3/42011–3/4
- 5Murtagh2023 · confirmed 3/42023–3/4
Is there a chronological order for Inheritance Cycle?
No separate chronological order is on record for Inheritance Cycle, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.
Do you have to read Inheritance Cycle books in order?
You should read the Inheritance Cycle books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Inheritance Cycle book also stands alone.
Where to start with Inheritance Cycle
Start with Eragon (2002), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Inheritance Cycle book?
Murtagh (2023) is the newest Inheritance Cycle book released so far.
Is there a new Inheritance Cycle book coming?
No next Inheritance Cycle book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Inheritance Cycle at a glance
- Paused
- No new Inheritance Cycle title has appeared for 3 years. The last was published in 2023.
- Release pace
- Inheritance Cycle books have appeared about one every 5 years on average.
- Length
- 1,991 pages across the 3 of 5 books with a recorded length, a median of 679 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Inheritance Cycle books, 3 of 5, were published in the 2000s.
What the Inheritance Cycle books are about
4 of the 5 Inheritance Cycle books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: dragons is tagged on 4 of 4. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Dragons 4 of 4 books
- Fantasy 4 of 4 books
- Children's fiction 3 of 4 books
- Magic 3 of 4 books
- Young adult fiction 2 of 4 books
- Youths' writings 2 of 4 books
- Dwarves 1 of 4 books
- Humans 1 of 4 books
- Imaginary places 1 of 4 books
- Violence 1 of 4 books
More books by Christopher Paolini
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Christopher Paolini books in order 10 books
Other series by Christopher Paolini
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Fractalverse books in order 3 books