Read these 15 epic fantasy series about dragons

3. The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini

When it comes to stories about dragons, few have had the impact of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle. Starting with Eragon, written by a teenage Paolini and self-published with the help of his family in 2001, Inheritance follows the first book’s titular character: farmboy-turned-dragonrider Eragon Bromsson.

The dragons are always at the forefront of The Inheritance Cycle. The premise is that once, dragonriders rode the skies and kept the world of Alagaësia safe and in balance. But when a dragonrider goes dark and murders the rest, Alagaësia spirals into a state of oppression and brutality; think life under the Empire in Star Wars, or under Sauron in The Lord of the Rings. With dragonriders all but gone, there’s little hope of fighting back.

Then young Eragon finds a dragon egg, which hatches Saphira, the blue dragon that will bond with him and become his partner. The first dragonrider in years, Eragon sets out on an epic quest, and the rest is history.

One of the best parts of this series is the relationship between Eragon and Saphira. The young blue dragon goes through her own revelations and tragedies during their quest, and since she’s capable of speaking telepathically to Eragon, she’s every bit as sympathetic as any human character in the series.

These are Young Adult fantasy books, which means they’re a great introduction to dragon stories for younger readers, and a good read for anyone.