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ONE OF THE BESTSELLING FANTASY AUTHORS OF ALL TIME

Christopher Paolini

7 p.m. Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, UAlbany Downtown Campus
135 Western Avenue, Albany NY 12208 See map.

Free and open to the public.

No registration required. 

A Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza & NYS Writers Institute event

Christopher Paolini presents Murtagh, the latest installment in his blockbuster “Inheritance Cycle,” with over 33 million copies in print. In March 2023, Money magazine ranked the cycle, the 13th biggest-selling fantasy series of all time.

Christopher Paolini, credit Lo Hunter
Christopher Paolini's Murtagh book cover

In 2011, Paolini was named the youngest author of a bestselling book series by the Guinness Book of World Records— the first book, Eragon, was begun in 1998 when the author was only 15 years old. “Christopher Paolini is a true rarity,” said The Washington Post.

The new book, Murtagh, tells the story of the Dragon Rider — and fan favorite — Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn, as they confront a perilous new enemy. (Photo credit: Lo Hunter)

ABOUT THE EVENT

While the November 8 event is free and open to all, a purchase of Murtagh or Eragon: The Illustrated Edition is required to enter the signing line. He will personalize one book per person, but will sign unlimited backlist, including new and personal copies.

The Book House will have all titles for sale before the event at Page Hall. Early purchase can also be made at the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza. Murtagh will be on sale Tuesday, November 7th the day before the event.


While Paolini will not pose for photos, attendees can take photos while he is signing (NYSWI staff can also assist if needed).

About Christopher Paolini

Christopher was homeschooled by his parents. As a child, he often wrote short stories and poems, made frequent trips to the library, and read widely. Some of his favorite books were Bruce Coville’s Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, Frank Herbert’s Dune, and Raymond E. Feist’s Magician (now available in volumes one and two), as well as books by Anne McCaffrey, Jane Yolen, Brian Jacques, E.R. Eddison, David Eddings, and Ursula K. Le Guin.

The idea of Eragon began as the daydreams of a teen. Christopher’s love for the magic of stories led him to craft a novel that he would enjoy reading. The project began as a hobby, a personal challenge; he never intended it to be published. Before he began writing Eragon, he plotted out the entire adventure. He found that doing some of the same things as his characters allowed him to better understand their world, as well as to think of descriptions that otherwise would not have occured to him.

 

To this end he forged his own knives and swords, made chain mail, spun wool, camped in the Beartooth Mountains, made his own bow, built survival shelters, learned to track game, fletched arrows, felled trees, hiked, and camped. In short, the books embody a great deal of his experience of living in Montana.

His work also combined elements gathered from research and from his imagination. He read a huge amount of folklore while growing up, ranging from the Brothers Grimm to Beowulf, Nordic sagas, and the Aeneid, along with contemporary fantasy and science fiction. In addition, he learned about weaponry, food, clothing, and customs from the Middle Ages, which is roughly the era he envisioned Eragon living in. Armed with that information, he daydreamed the scenes with his characters. Then he took pen to paper and tried to recreate those images with words.

Christopher was fifteen when he wrote the first draft of Eragon. He took a second year to revise the book, and then gave it to his parents to read. Read more

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