Christopher James Paolini is an American and Italian author known for The Inheritance Cycle, a fantasy series that has become widely popular. The cycle began with Eragon, published in 2002, and continued with Eldest (2005), Brisingr (2008), and Inheritance (2011). He later expanded the world with the short story collection The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm (2018) and the novel Murtagh (2023), which launched a follow-up duology. Paolini wrote his first book while living in Paradise Valley, Montana, where he continues to reside. Beyond fantasy, he has ventured into science fiction with his novel To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, published on September 15, 2020.