All 5 Eragon books, ranked worst to best

The Eragon series (also known as The Inheritance Cycle) by Christopher Paolini are beloved within the modern fantasy genre. Eregon is a sweeping story about good versus evil, with an eclectic and vibrant cast of characters. It follows the deep relationship between a boy and his dragon, and it ticks off all the boxes for what we look for in an epic fantasy tale.

Last year, we learned that Disney+ was adapting the series for Disney+. And more recently, we heard that Paolini will return to The Inheritance Cycle with a new book called Murtagh, which is out later this year). There’s never been a better time to dive into the world of Eragon. After rereading the books myself recently, not only did I have a fun time (and would encourage other people to pick up the books), I also had some thoughts about which books I enjoyed more, and for what reasons.

So on that note, here is my (personal) ranking of the five existing Eragon books, ranked from worst to best…

5) The Fork, The Witch and The Worm

Let’s start positive (even though this book comes last on my list). The Fork, The Witch and The Worm was published some time after the other Inheritance Cycle books. It’s a set of short stories that give us a little peek into what Eragon is up to after the events of the fourth book, Inheritance. Now that we know a new book in the saga, Murtagh, is coming out, this book now feels like a bridging book; we need to know where Eragon is and what he’s doing.

Upon first read of this book, my feeling was very much “Yes I enjoyed this, and it was fun to be back in the world for a bit but… why? What was the point?”

Now we know the answer is Murtagh. The Fork, The Witch and The Worm is a fun adventure that felt a bit unnecessary; now we can see that it bridges the gap between Inheritance and Murtagh. It is not crucial. You don’t need to read it, hence it comes in last place on my ranking. But it’s a fun read.