ALFRED A. KNOPF BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS TO PUBLISH

BOOK THREE OF

CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI’S

#1 BESTSELLING

INHERITANCE SERIES

SEPTEMBER 23, 2008

SERIES WILL BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE A FOURTH FULL-LENGTH NOVEL

Christopher Paolini, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eragon and Eldest, the first two books in his Inheritance series, will write an additional, fourth novel about his hero Eragon, it was announced today by Nancy Hinkel, Publishing Director of Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. Originally planned as a trilogy, Inheritance will now include four complete novels written by Paolini and be named the Inheritance cycle.

Knopf also announced that it will publish Book Three, as yet untitled, in a national laydown in the United States and Canada on September 23, 2008. Book Four is not yet scheduled for publication.

Book Three will be published simultaneously in the United Kingdom by Random House Children’s Books. It will also be released simultaneously in the United States as an audiobook from Random House’s Listening Library division. Random House Children’s Books’ subsidiary rights team will sell the translation rights for Books Three and Four to publishers worldwide, as it did with Eragon and Eldest.

“I plotted out the Inheritance series as a trilogy nine years ago, when I was fifteen. At that time, I never imagined I’d write all three books, much less that they would be published” said Paolini. “When I finally delved into Book Three, it soon became obvious that the remainder of the story was far too big to fit in one volume. Having spent so long thinking about the series as a trilogy, it was difficult for me to realize that, in order to be true to my characters and to address all of the plot points and unanswered questions Eragon and Eldest raised, I needed to split the end of the series into two books.”

Michelle Frey, Executive Editor with Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, who worked with Paolini on Eragon and Eldest, will also edit Books Three and Four. The overall story is not changing, and the series will end as Paolini always envisioned.

Paolini’s fans will be able to see him talking about the fourth book in an exclusive video message that will air on his Web site, www.alagaesia.com, beginning at 5:00 pm EDT today, October 30, 2007.

“Christopher has really grown as a writer,” said Hinkel. “And the next two books promise to deliver even more of his signature heart-stopping adventure, as well as thrilling revelations about the characters whom fans around the world have come to love.”

Both #1 New York Times bestsellers in the United States, Eragon and Eldest have also been international sensations. To date there are 50 foreign-language licenses for Eragon alone, and together, Eragon and Eldest have sold 12.5 million copies worldwide. In its first week on sale in North America in August 2005, Eldest sold more than 425,000 hardcover copies, making Eldest the greatest single-week sale ever recorded for a Random House Children’s Books title—hardcover or paperback—and the fastest-selling title in the publisher’s history.

Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers is an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, the world’s largest English-language children’s trade book publisher. Random House Children’s Books is a division of Random House, Inc., whose parent company is Bertelsmann AG, a leading international media company.