Not so very long ago, Eragon - Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider - was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now, the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders. The Rider and his dragon have come farther than anyone dared to imagine. But can they topple the evil king, Galbatorix, and restore justice to Alagaesia? And if so, at what cost?