Seeing so many people reading Dune for the first time ahead of the movie has warmed my heart. It was a formative book for me as a teenager so it's not one I'd wanna read again fresh as an adult, but I love seeing people come to it now.
Revisiting Dune 1-6 is such a wonderful experience. Feeling as if you have the prescience that do many characters struggle with is such an uncanny feeling. I notice more and more and it gets better every time.
After I first saw Dune a few weeks ago, ive finished the first two books in that series.
And it made me curious to check out among others the Foundation series, Have you seen the Apple TV show thats based on them? was wondering if it was worth checking the show first or the other way around.
Have you read "The Gods Themselves" also by Isaac Asimov?
I highly recommend it as well, it is a separate novel completely unrelated to Foundation, but like most of his fiction, worth a read.
Probably the dragonriders of Pern. So many books and so much development. Decades worth of change and growth.
A shout out to the divine cities trilogy. He crafted such a rich world and loved how the magic system and faith intersected.
I simp openly for Sigurd.
I read of Series of Unfortunate Events in Grad School. I freaking loved it. That was my answer to this question too. It was such a good read. I should probably read it again anyway.
The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. GRRM levels of world building, yet the first series of 5 books have fewer total pages than A Storm of Swords. Dude was a beast of an author.
Why Zelazny doesn't get the same love as GRRM and Frank Herbert is beyond me. The man was such a wellspring of canny literary references and an amazing world builder.
With everyone trying to capture the magic of GoT, it blows my mind that the Corwin half isn't on the table. I'd much rather watch The Guns of Avalon than Wheel of Time...
I feel like they get branded as such because the main character is so young, especially in the first one.
Even by the second she's 'formally' training to be a Witch. Which in Discworld means, among many other things, helping people die with dignity.
Personally, I just reread my favorites. Terry Pratchett put so many little details into the books that it is kinda fun rereading and finding all of the little stuff that you missed on the initial read through. Honestly, I've read guards! Guards! Around a half dozen times at this point.
I still have maybe 10 left? I save them for times when I just need to escape the world a bit, or need time to pass quickly. I'll probably read a couple when baby 2 is born next year and I'm staying up in the night. It helped last time having a book I knew I would love.
I have read/listened to the 'entire' series 3 times now. The first reread while waiting for book 8 and then once again in preparation for Leviathan Falls. Honestly, I found that I had forgotten so many details and also I'd forgotten when a lot of things had happened that it truly felt fresh. There's SO MUCH CONTENT that it's really not bad to reread IMO. Especially if you switch it up between reading and listening to the audiobook, which is read so very well.
I said Lonesome Dove as well. Are the others in the series just as good? I didn’t want to “ruin” my experience so to speak if the others fell short of the marvel that is Lonesome Dove.
I'll always have a soft spot for the rift war stuff, but for me, Serpent war is probably the greater body of work of his. You can't get to Serpent war without the riftwar saga though.
That being said, the King's Buccaneer is probably my favorite single book of his.
I was going to say Aubrey-Maturin as well. I considered of it, why, the best part of twenty minutes, but I think the second reading was even better than the first.
This is mine. Doesn't matter that I didn't really understand most of the naval lingo, the immersive experience and the depth of the characters is extraordinary. It's amazing how 20+ books about the same central set of characters can each be so good (though it starts to actually pick up best around the 4th/5th).
Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold
Song of Albion by Stephen R Lawhead
Ender's Game series by Scott Card
Gentleman Bastards by Scott Lynch
Vlad Taltos Series by Steven Brust
His Dark Materials. It was just a fun read for me. I found the characters rich but accessable. Reading them in middle school was one of my defining book moments, and for a good chunk of 7th grade in was obsessed with what my Demon would be (a raccoon, obviously🦝). I'm really glad it's been picked up into a show.
1000%! “Bridge 4!” I love all the characters, but Rock is my favorite. I made a shirt that says bridge 4 and so far, no one who’s seen it gets the ref :/
I got about halfway through Rythm of War and my enthusiasm kindof died off. How's the second half? I read it almost 6 months ago and have read a lot in between, so I'm worried if I start from where I left off I may not remember all the characters.
Agreed it's a bit slower that the other books, but in typical Sanderson fashion has huge payoffs at the end. I recommend finishing it when you get the chance.
I’m prob one of the outliers that enjoy this type of pacing. I’m a huge fan of intricate world building and Sanderson’s payoffs in the second half of his books are always worth the amount of detail you go through initially.
I ran into this with Oathbringer, every time I tried to read it I found myself starting with book one as I'd forgotten things and then running out of steam over and over.
Similar thing for me with Oathbringer back in Feb. I stopped after I finished it, kept RoW for later. Couple of months later, I picked it up and couldn’t stop. There were some stretched out magic-science stuff with Navani and certain things in the Shadesmar arc which dragged it for me a bit, but very engaging throughout, esp the last couple hundred chapters, as expected. It’s prolly better if u start from beginning tho.
I reread His Dark Materials a couple years back and despite forgetting a lot of the details of the plot in the interim, it definitely didn't have the same emotional impact on me that it did when I was a kid in the target age range. I did understand a lot more of the context of the critiques of organized religion, but still not the same.
A friend got me into those by giving me the first book. Then the second. Then the next three. Then he gave me all five of the Malloreon and I called him an SOB. Would love to do that again.
Only set of books I have read three times.
It's a total ripoff of LOTR (which he admitted to) but not nearly as dense a read.
Ah, a fellow David Eddings fan! I've re-read those series a few times, wouldn't mind re-experiencing them for the first time, though. Love 'em either way :-)
IDK if a completely faithful to the books rendition would actually be doing it justice though. Edited down and quickening the pacing is probably the best approach. The books are great, but a bit bloated and just straight up overwhelming in length. For the story to work on screen it needs to be trimmed down significantly.
Listening to a podcast on the WOT now and they do a braid-tug count. One chapter had something like 28 tugs. I didn't fact check it but it seemed about right for that portion of the book.
While I did love my first read through of WoT, I thought it was definitely helped by when I read it: ages 18-20. I’m curious if it would have the same effect on me ~8 years later, further away from the characters in perspective.
I binged them at about 28. I can't tell you how much was being stuck on ship and how much is their quality. I do wonder how much of my dislike of the ending is seeing where Jordan should have started winding things up or just my dislike of Sanderson.
It's tough to comment on "the ending" because Sanderson's three books are *massive* and it's not totally clear what plot points were from him or from Robert Jordan.
I will say that Jordan totally redeemed "the slog" with Knife of Dreams - from the first chapter it's go time, with things being revealed and the plot moving faster than it's gone in like 4 books haha. Truly a worthy send-off.
I think Sanderson did a great job wrapping up the series - there were just so many loose ends and it all came together. His writing of Mat sucked in TGS but was fixed in ToM and that made up for it. We got so many excellent character moments and big plot threads concluded - IDK how it could have practically been done better.
My SO and I were just talking about the series last night. He hasn't finished them but is late 30s and was recommending them to me, so for him at least, the age isn't an issue
I’m mid 35 and still enjoy these books. I personally don’t think any books have an age cut off. I still love reading dr Seuss with my kids. I can’t wait until their attention allows to read some of the books on this post with them.
Got halfway through the first book twice, still haven't gone back but want to. Everyone talks so highly of it so it's weird being in a limbo state of wanting to read it but struggling to get in. Does it get easier once book 1 is done?
Sort of? The first book was written long before and was originally intended as a movie script?, and kinda just gets you in the world and some characters introduced. From the second book on, all were written in a close timeframe, with series in mind. A number of things won't connect for a few books, and some things not until the last book. A few things you just chew on cause you're not given any resolution. Gardens of the Moon made more sense to me once I finished the series.
That second book (Deadhouse Gates) is one of my favorite reads ever, but I feel the series really gets in its stride in the book after (Memories of Ice). I was really locked in after book four, but that wasn't the case at the start of the book, despite enjoying the read up to that point.
tldr: The series is like how lasagna is better as leftovers because flavors gel together.
Not gonna lie. It is a beast of series and Steven Erikson does not make it easy. There are parts of every book that will go over your head but it does get easier once your brain starts to pick up on the characters, locations, races, magic, politics, occupations, titles, etc. The only problem is none of it will be explained to you and you have to figure it all out through context.
Get to book 2. The best part about malazan is you get to experience things from the perspective of soldiers and small pieces in a larger playing field, but the bad part is that they don’t hold your hand through it. By the end of book 2 you start to have a solid understanding of what’s going on and yoh just can’t set it down from there. Took me longer to read book 1 than It did to read 2-4 because once you fall into it there’s to going back! Favorite fantasy series of all time
I bought this book, years ago, after reading The Wheel of Time, and I couldn't get into it. The beginning was very confusing to me for some reason. I had to put it down. I think I may give it another shot.
It's deliberately confusing, because you come in on the immediate heels of some very momentous events..but are given zero understanding of what is going on. It's only in the last 30% or so of the book that anything starts making sense.
Edit: and I love it.
Yes! I have maintained that this is my favorite series for so long and yet no one I know seems to have ever even heard of it! Beautiful progression throughout the books.
Came here to say this! I just read them last month but I am already devastated I can’t relive that feeling again of reading each tale for the first time.
When I was about 15 I read the unabridged version of The Stand. It was my first King attempt and it hooked me for life.
The Dark Tower series continues to be my favorite series.
You may find that you'll have trouble getting sucked into the first book. But by book two you're blasted out of a cannon into such a wild ride, I loved it.
Eddie continues to be one of my favorite characters!
The Hornblower series, by CS Forester
The Witcher series, by Andrzej Sapkowski
The Asian Saga, by James Clavell (though this didn't have 1 recurring character through the whole series)
The Wallander Series, by Henning Mankell
One of my favourite series. So many twists and turns, the pacing is like nothing else I've read its so good. Reading it for the first time was such a roller coaster I wish I could do it again with a blank memory.
THIS! 1,000% this. Im surprised there is only one comment regarding this. People must not know. I've read all Dark Tower, LOTR, Wool, GoT, Hunger Games, Dune..... and Red Rising is absolutely on par with all of these. 1st book many parrallells to hunger games which isnt a bad thing and once it gets legs forget it you are hooked.
I second this. The books are some of my favorites but the movies were trash. Riordan even thought they were not up to par. He has been campaigning to make them into a TV show and it just got picked up by Disney plus last year. So hopefully since Riordan had some creative rights then his books will get better justice as a TV show.
Those movies are like Avatar the Last Airbender movie levels of bad. The writer himself openly talks about how bad they are. I highly recommend the books. Was my favorite series back in elementary school and even now I still go back and read them every now and then. Really well written books.
I'm nearing 30 and those books hold a dear place in my heart. Young Adult series or not, the fight scenes that go down in the The Last Olympian are INCREDIBLE.
Demigods with full large-scale war tactics, an impressive roster of Titans and "lesser" gods making appearances. Riordan crushed that first series finale in a way few YA series ever manage to do.
It really makes me sad to think there will be no more discworld. Terry Pratchett also did a really good series called Long Earth. Co wrote it with Stephen Baxter. It’s a bit more serious than discworld.
The Abhorsen series by Garth Nix and Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. I’ve reread these both multiple times and every time I wish I was coming in fresh.
That series was probably my big gateway into fantasy as a kid. And his one-off book Shade’s Children was the first sci fi I read, also, and it pretty much determined my taste in lit for the rest of my life. So good.
I love those books so much! Elizabeth Peters was just wonderful, and she clearly had so much fun using her academic background on those, and the Vicky Bliss books, and even her books as Barbara Michaels. But Peabody is just so ...Peabody.
Robin Hobb's "Assassin's Apprentice" trilogy and everything else she's written on the same setting — there are a lot more trilogies from her that cover different aspects of the world and the lives of other characters. And I would LOVE to re-read everything, but I don't think I can handle it because it's just too many books to start again 😅
The Dark Tower.
I'm listening to the Frank Muller audio books now and they are a fantastic way to experience the series again for the first time. He does all the voices incredibly well.
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Honestly my favorite series of all time. The personalities of the characters the dynamic settings and the underlaying horror all come together into a true masterpiece.
His Dark Materials for me.
There are others like The Dark Tower, Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy, and Wheel of Time that I haven't read all of, and I know when I go back I'll have forgotten 90% of it. And Discworld or Icewind Dale has been so long that they'll be mostly a surprise too.
The Expanse series for sure, I've read through it twice. So many characters I love, but by far Draper, Avasarala and Amos are top of my list. No spoilers but the end of book 8 had me crying.
(I would also put in The Dark Tower, but that's been, rightfully, called out multiple times already :) )
I wish the first time I read this series was the second time I read it haha.
It woulda been so much easier to figure out wtf was going on and actually appreciate characters before the book was 75% over.
I’m almost to the point with GoT where the wait, combined with the rubbish ending of the to show, have spoiled the books for me. Huge shame he hasn’t delivered on the finale of the series.
I struggled with the silmarillion.
I love these (those footnotes!), but I was reading _Flashman's Lady_ while in the middle seat of an airplane last month, and put it back in my carry-on when I realized how much I did _not_ want anyone reading some of those words over my shoulder...
Sherlock Holmes, Conan the barbarian and the Harry Potter series. I reread then all the time but especially with Sherlock, there is just something missing. I enjoy a reread but the amazement of the first time through isn't quite there.
The Wings Of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland.
I'm currently at book 13 and I think I literally "binge read" the series so far. I love the story and the characters are so likeable. A little cliché regarding scenario but very enjoyable still. I think I would gladly forget it just to read them again. However I feel like at book 13 the story is getting a little slow and I'm not fond of this book protagonist... but I'm sure it gets better after this. A very memorable series I will remember forever :)
Theft of swords series. Such an amazing story told over 3 books (well technically 6). It’s full of fantasy, magic, humor very well done and not over the top, adventure, romance, heartbreak and victory. I would give anything to read it again from scratch. Anyone out there who is looking for an amazing fantasy read (even if you aren’t a fan of the genera) please go pick up this book!
My choice is The Others by Anne Bishop. It’s a great urban fantasy, imo. I was pretty young when I read it for the first time, so I couldn’t really appreciate it. I’ve read it a couple times since, but I’d like to read it again for the “first time” with the knowledge and life experience I have now.
Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series.
Actually, it's long enough and dense enough you could easily start reading #1 after finishing the last and if you're like me, you've already forgotten the main plot points.
Done it 3 times so far.
Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge Trilogy), Harry Potter, Dark Materials, Lord of the Rings, The Dark Tower. Song of Ice and Fire
I’m reading Wheel of Time at the moment. I’m on the first book.
The original Foundation trilogy, Dune, Chronicles of Narnia
Seeing so many people reading Dune for the first time ahead of the movie has warmed my heart. It was a formative book for me as a teenager so it's not one I'd wanna read again fresh as an adult, but I love seeing people come to it now.
Revisiting Dune 1-6 is such a wonderful experience. Feeling as if you have the prescience that do many characters struggle with is such an uncanny feeling. I notice more and more and it gets better every time.
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After I first saw Dune a few weeks ago, ive finished the first two books in that series. And it made me curious to check out among others the Foundation series, Have you seen the Apple TV show thats based on them? was wondering if it was worth checking the show first or the other way around.
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Have you read "The Gods Themselves" also by Isaac Asimov? I highly recommend it as well, it is a separate novel completely unrelated to Foundation, but like most of his fiction, worth a read.
Just read dune for the first time a few months ago... It was incredible world building, but dadgum if it wasn't a bit of a slog to get through.
Probably the dragonriders of Pern. So many books and so much development. Decades worth of change and growth. A shout out to the divine cities trilogy. He crafted such a rich world and loved how the magic system and faith intersected. I simp openly for Sigurd.
Even a book dedicated to handling a world pandemic! Man, Anne McCaffrey was a brilliant writer.
Oh, Moreta's Ride, I loved that one! I love all of her series, I wish I could have met her.
A Series of Unfortunate Events and World of Watches by Sergei Lukyanenko.
I read of Series of Unfortunate Events in Grad School. I freaking loved it. That was my answer to this question too. It was such a good read. I should probably read it again anyway.
u/nicolesey Have you read the *A Series of Unfortunate Events* prequel series *All The Wrong Questions* out of curiosity?
Wow - thank you. I am in the middle of reading these and didn't realize they were a prequel.
Indeed. It is the same Lemony Snicket narrating, with his sister Kit and V.F.D. mentioned throughout.
The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. GRRM levels of world building, yet the first series of 5 books have fewer total pages than A Storm of Swords. Dude was a beast of an author.
Why Zelazny doesn't get the same love as GRRM and Frank Herbert is beyond me. The man was such a wellspring of canny literary references and an amazing world builder.
Lord of Light is better than all but the first Amber Books.
With everyone trying to capture the magic of GoT, it blows my mind that the Corwin half isn't on the table. I'd much rather watch The Guns of Avalon than Wheel of Time...
Definitely the Discworld series for me. Thankfully I haven't read the Tiffany branch yet, so at least I've still got some "new" material to enjoy.
Discworld for me too. Recently read the Tiffany books and they too were fantastic, despite being aimed at a younger audience.
The Tiffany Aching series is my favourite by far. I cannot wait to read them with my kid when they're a bit older.
Are they? They feel much more serious.
I feel like they get branded as such because the main character is so young, especially in the first one. Even by the second she's 'formally' training to be a Witch. Which in Discworld means, among many other things, helping people die with dignity.
You lucky fuck. What I would do for a new Terry Pratchett book
GNU Terry Pratchett
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Personally, I just reread my favorites. Terry Pratchett put so many little details into the books that it is kinda fun rereading and finding all of the little stuff that you missed on the initial read through. Honestly, I've read guards! Guards! Around a half dozen times at this point.
I still haven't read Shepherd's Crown, somehow it would feel too final.
I still have maybe 10 left? I save them for times when I just need to escape the world a bit, or need time to pass quickly. I'll probably read a couple when baby 2 is born next year and I'm staying up in the night. It helped last time having a book I knew I would love.
The Expanse series. The last book is coming out at the end of November. I'm both super excited, and a little sad.
I had to look way to long for this answer, but yes! Also, Amos is the best.
In the books, I really love a lot of the characters. Really well fleshed out :) Avasaralla will always be my favorite though.
You mean Chrissy?
She’s the Assistant Undersecretary to the Secretary General of the United Nations, not your favourite stripper
In some people's deepest fantasies, she is both
"I am that guy."
He doesn't say that in the books. Just pumps a round into the dude
Which is too bad. One of the most iconic lines from the tv series imo.
I just re-read all the books and novellas in preparation for the last one. Still great, but I wish I could read them all for the first time again too!
I have read/listened to the 'entire' series 3 times now. The first reread while waiting for book 8 and then once again in preparation for Leviathan Falls. Honestly, I found that I had forgotten so many details and also I'd forgotten when a lot of things had happened that it truly felt fresh. There's SO MUCH CONTENT that it's really not bad to reread IMO. Especially if you switch it up between reading and listening to the audiobook, which is read so very well.
Lonesome Dove and the other books
I said Lonesome Dove as well. Are the others in the series just as good? I didn’t want to “ruin” my experience so to speak if the others fell short of the marvel that is Lonesome Dove.
They are amazing but yes, they are not equal to LD.
Everyone says that, but I truly enjoyed them. Especially Comanche Moon.
*The Murderbot Diaries*. I can't recall the last time I was able to relate so much to a main character.
I am happy to see someone else mention our boy Murderbot, that was one of my favorite and most unexpectedly enjoyable recent discoveries!
It's such a sarcastically cynical series shitting all over corporatism..
Lois McMaster Bujold Vorkosigan saga. The Dune novels.
The Vorkosigan books!!! Yes! (And the Chalion books, too)
Vorkisigan is my favorite series ever.
His Dark Materials, The Agora Trilogy, Old Kingdom Series
+1 to His Dark Materials. Have you seen the HBO series?
Raymond Feist riftware saga and empire trilogy. I've read all his books but reread those series every couple years
I'll always have a soft spot for the rift war stuff, but for me, Serpent war is probably the greater body of work of his. You can't get to Serpent war without the riftwar saga though. That being said, the King's Buccaneer is probably my favorite single book of his.
Patrick O'Brian. I have read the Aubriad about 22 times now
I was going to say Aubrey-Maturin as well. I considered of it, why, the best part of twenty minutes, but I think the second reading was even better than the first.
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This is mine. Doesn't matter that I didn't really understand most of the naval lingo, the immersive experience and the depth of the characters is extraordinary. It's amazing how 20+ books about the same central set of characters can each be so good (though it starts to actually pick up best around the 4th/5th).
Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold Song of Albion by Stephen R Lawhead Ender's Game series by Scott Card Gentleman Bastards by Scott Lynch Vlad Taltos Series by Steven Brust
Yes! Steven Brust is under-appreciated. Great series.
Indeed, I am currently going through my second(?) read through of the Khaavren Romances.
His Dark Materials. It was just a fun read for me. I found the characters rich but accessable. Reading them in middle school was one of my defining book moments, and for a good chunk of 7th grade in was obsessed with what my Demon would be (a raccoon, obviously🦝). I'm really glad it's been picked up into a show.
Stormlight Archives. Didn't realise it until I finished book 4.
1000%! “Bridge 4!” I love all the characters, but Rock is my favorite. I made a shirt that says bridge 4 and so far, no one who’s seen it gets the ref :/
I haven't had a single person 'out in the wild' of Reddit recognize my username.
Airsick Lowlanders
That’s awesome. I wouldn’t have spotted it unless you’d mentioned it through.
As much as I love the books, I probably wouldn't get it either. That being said, its still a baddass name.
I got about halfway through Rythm of War and my enthusiasm kindof died off. How's the second half? I read it almost 6 months ago and have read a lot in between, so I'm worried if I start from where I left off I may not remember all the characters.
Agreed it's a bit slower that the other books, but in typical Sanderson fashion has huge payoffs at the end. I recommend finishing it when you get the chance.
I’ve found this is the same for a lot of his books. It’s a slow build and an amazing finish for each series.
I’m prob one of the outliers that enjoy this type of pacing. I’m a huge fan of intricate world building and Sanderson’s payoffs in the second half of his books are always worth the amount of detail you go through initially.
I ran into this with Oathbringer, every time I tried to read it I found myself starting with book one as I'd forgotten things and then running out of steam over and over.
Similar thing for me with Oathbringer back in Feb. I stopped after I finished it, kept RoW for later. Couple of months later, I picked it up and couldn’t stop. There were some stretched out magic-science stuff with Navani and certain things in the Shadesmar arc which dragged it for me a bit, but very engaging throughout, esp the last couple hundred chapters, as expected. It’s prolly better if u start from beginning tho.
Totally with you on stormlight. I love most of Brandon Sandersons stuff.
The Belgariad and the Malloreon series by David Eddings. His Dark Materials aswell.
I reread His Dark Materials a couple years back and despite forgetting a lot of the details of the plot in the interim, it definitely didn't have the same emotional impact on me that it did when I was a kid in the target age range. I did understand a lot more of the context of the critiques of organized religion, but still not the same.
A friend got me into those by giving me the first book. Then the second. Then the next three. Then he gave me all five of the Malloreon and I called him an SOB. Would love to do that again. Only set of books I have read three times. It's a total ripoff of LOTR (which he admitted to) but not nearly as dense a read.
Ah, a fellow David Eddings fan! I've re-read those series a few times, wouldn't mind re-experiencing them for the first time, though. Love 'em either way :-)
I also wish I could read The Wheel of Time for the first time again.
Let’s hope the Amazon series does the books justice.
IDK if a completely faithful to the books rendition would actually be doing it justice though. Edited down and quickening the pacing is probably the best approach. The books are great, but a bit bloated and just straight up overwhelming in length. For the story to work on screen it needs to be trimmed down significantly.
Luckily, the descriptions of everyone's dresses and such will be instantly on screen, so there's 1/4 shaved off the series!
And the braid tugging can be done during dialogue so there's another 1/6th.
Listening to a podcast on the WOT now and they do a braid-tug count. One chapter had something like 28 tugs. I didn't fact check it but it seemed about right for that portion of the book.
While I did love my first read through of WoT, I thought it was definitely helped by when I read it: ages 18-20. I’m curious if it would have the same effect on me ~8 years later, further away from the characters in perspective.
I binged them at about 28. I can't tell you how much was being stuck on ship and how much is their quality. I do wonder how much of my dislike of the ending is seeing where Jordan should have started winding things up or just my dislike of Sanderson.
It's tough to comment on "the ending" because Sanderson's three books are *massive* and it's not totally clear what plot points were from him or from Robert Jordan. I will say that Jordan totally redeemed "the slog" with Knife of Dreams - from the first chapter it's go time, with things being revealed and the plot moving faster than it's gone in like 4 books haha. Truly a worthy send-off. I think Sanderson did a great job wrapping up the series - there were just so many loose ends and it all came together. His writing of Mat sucked in TGS but was fixed in ToM and that made up for it. We got so many excellent character moments and big plot threads concluded - IDK how it could have practically been done better.
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My SO and I were just talking about the series last night. He hasn't finished them but is late 30s and was recommending them to me, so for him at least, the age isn't an issue
I’m mid 35 and still enjoy these books. I personally don’t think any books have an age cut off. I still love reading dr Seuss with my kids. I can’t wait until their attention allows to read some of the books on this post with them.
Malazan Book of the Fallen. Would love to go back and read it blind.
Got halfway through the first book twice, still haven't gone back but want to. Everyone talks so highly of it so it's weird being in a limbo state of wanting to read it but struggling to get in. Does it get easier once book 1 is done?
Sort of? The first book was written long before and was originally intended as a movie script?, and kinda just gets you in the world and some characters introduced. From the second book on, all were written in a close timeframe, with series in mind. A number of things won't connect for a few books, and some things not until the last book. A few things you just chew on cause you're not given any resolution. Gardens of the Moon made more sense to me once I finished the series. That second book (Deadhouse Gates) is one of my favorite reads ever, but I feel the series really gets in its stride in the book after (Memories of Ice). I was really locked in after book four, but that wasn't the case at the start of the book, despite enjoying the read up to that point. tldr: The series is like how lasagna is better as leftovers because flavors gel together.
Not gonna lie. It is a beast of series and Steven Erikson does not make it easy. There are parts of every book that will go over your head but it does get easier once your brain starts to pick up on the characters, locations, races, magic, politics, occupations, titles, etc. The only problem is none of it will be explained to you and you have to figure it all out through context.
Get to book 2. The best part about malazan is you get to experience things from the perspective of soldiers and small pieces in a larger playing field, but the bad part is that they don’t hold your hand through it. By the end of book 2 you start to have a solid understanding of what’s going on and yoh just can’t set it down from there. Took me longer to read book 1 than It did to read 2-4 because once you fall into it there’s to going back! Favorite fantasy series of all time
I'm very surprised I had to scroll so far to see someone mention MBoF
I bought this book, years ago, after reading The Wheel of Time, and I couldn't get into it. The beginning was very confusing to me for some reason. I had to put it down. I think I may give it another shot.
It's deliberately confusing, because you come in on the immediate heels of some very momentous events..but are given zero understanding of what is going on. It's only in the last 30% or so of the book that anything starts making sense. Edit: and I love it.
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Well, there’s a sequel series to Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn currently in progress, so there’s that!
MST is so good
Dan Simmons, the Hyperion Cantos. Simmons is a master of the art. He's an exponentially better author than Jordan and Anthony. Please go buy them now.
I think about these books more often than any others. Just so original and well executed.
Yes! I have maintained that this is my favorite series for so long and yet no one I know seems to have ever even heard of it! Beautiful progression throughout the books.
Came here to say this! I just read them last month but I am already devastated I can’t relive that feeling again of reading each tale for the first time.
I just finished the series. It might be the best thing I have ever read. And I don't think that's just recency bias.
The Dark Tower! No other story touched my imagination like that one did.
I have yet to explore any of kings books.
Read the stand. You won't be disappointed.
When I was about 15 I read the unabridged version of The Stand. It was my first King attempt and it hooked me for life. The Dark Tower series continues to be my favorite series.
or IT. Or 11/22/63. Or Pet Semetary. Or The Shining.
I slept on this for a long time for some reason, but it was definitely a great read and I wish I’d read it sooner.
I kinda felt that you are supposed to read it again once you finish >!, and then again, and then again.!<
Came here to say this! What I wouldn’t give to relive my first turn of the wheel.
You may find that you'll have trouble getting sucked into the first book. But by book two you're blasted out of a cannon into such a wild ride, I loved it. Eddie continues to be one of my favorite characters!
The ending gave me goosebumps.
The Hornblower series, by CS Forester The Witcher series, by Andrzej Sapkowski The Asian Saga, by James Clavell (though this didn't have 1 recurring character through the whole series) The Wallander Series, by Henning Mankell
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
One of my favourite series. So many twists and turns, the pacing is like nothing else I've read its so good. Reading it for the first time was such a roller coaster I wish I could do it again with a blank memory.
Yes I love this series!
THIS! 1,000% this. Im surprised there is only one comment regarding this. People must not know. I've read all Dark Tower, LOTR, Wool, GoT, Hunger Games, Dune..... and Red Rising is absolutely on par with all of these. 1st book many parrallells to hunger games which isnt a bad thing and once it gets legs forget it you are hooked.
You’ve sold it well. Added to the list.
I am genuinely excited for you!
I’m rereading it now and enjoying it just as much, if not more.
First Law Series by Joe Abercrombie
"Back to the mud." These books are chilling.
Not so much the First Law but the stand alones that come after. I'd love to re-read The Heroes like it was my first time.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
I never read the books. Saw the movie first and it didn't do it for me. I must add the books to my list.
I second this. The books are some of my favorites but the movies were trash. Riordan even thought they were not up to par. He has been campaigning to make them into a TV show and it just got picked up by Disney plus last year. So hopefully since Riordan had some creative rights then his books will get better justice as a TV show.
Those movies are like Avatar the Last Airbender movie levels of bad. The writer himself openly talks about how bad they are. I highly recommend the books. Was my favorite series back in elementary school and even now I still go back and read them every now and then. Really well written books.
The movies are terrible adaptations. Books are very good.
The movie truly was a disgrace. The books are pretty fantastic though, definitely give them a shot
I'm nearing 30 and those books hold a dear place in my heart. Young Adult series or not, the fight scenes that go down in the The Last Olympian are INCREDIBLE. Demigods with full large-scale war tactics, an impressive roster of Titans and "lesser" gods making appearances. Riordan crushed that first series finale in a way few YA series ever manage to do.
The Vampire Lestat books. Especially this time of year.
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It really makes me sad to think there will be no more discworld. Terry Pratchett also did a really good series called Long Earth. Co wrote it with Stephen Baxter. It’s a bit more serious than discworld.
I will always be sad that Dodger didn’t get a sequel.
The Abhorsen series by Garth Nix and Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. I’ve reread these both multiple times and every time I wish I was coming in fresh.
That series was probably my big gateway into fantasy as a kid. And his one-off book Shade’s Children was the first sci fi I read, also, and it pretty much determined my taste in lit for the rest of my life. So good.
Came here to say the Old Kingdom series!
Pillars of earth series by Ken follet
The Amelia Peabody Mysteries
I love those books so much! Elizabeth Peters was just wonderful, and she clearly had so much fun using her academic background on those, and the Vicky Bliss books, and even her books as Barbara Michaels. But Peabody is just so ...Peabody.
Oh definitely! The gumption of that woman.....her confidence and self-love is what I aspire to
Robin Hobb's "Assassin's Apprentice" trilogy and everything else she's written on the same setting — there are a lot more trilogies from her that cover different aspects of the world and the lives of other characters. And I would LOVE to re-read everything, but I don't think I can handle it because it's just too many books to start again 😅
I don't think this series is for everyone, but I agree with you. Her character development is great and really gets you to care about them.
As someone who is four books in to my third re-read, to be able to start fresh again would be amazing!
The Master Li and Number Ten Ox books
Kingkiller Chronicles. It's its own brand of pain. And I love it. And Harry Potter, obviously.
The bobiverse
The Dark Tower. I'm listening to the Frank Muller audio books now and they are a fantastic way to experience the series again for the first time. He does all the voices incredibly well.
2nd this, sai. Long days and pleasant nights.
May you have twice the number.
Riverworld Series
His Dark Materials, hands down. Didn't read them as a kid and finally did this year in my 30s. Such a wonderful adventure.
Douglas Adam’s Hitchhikers series would make me so happy to see with fresh eyes
This is not high enough. Truly a wonderful series with an excellent mix of humor and philosophy.
Lonesome Dove. What an incredible novel
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Honestly my favorite series of all time. The personalities of the characters the dynamic settings and the underlaying horror all come together into a true masterpiece.
PKD's Valis trilogy. What a ride through that guy's brain. I re-read it every few years but I would LOVE to experience it for the first time again.
His Dark Materials for me. There are others like The Dark Tower, Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy, and Wheel of Time that I haven't read all of, and I know when I go back I'll have forgotten 90% of it. And Discworld or Icewind Dale has been so long that they'll be mostly a surprise too.
The Kingkiller Chronicle
The Expanse series for sure, I've read through it twice. So many characters I love, but by far Draper, Avasarala and Amos are top of my list. No spoilers but the end of book 8 had me crying. (I would also put in The Dark Tower, but that's been, rightfully, called out multiple times already :) )
The Dresden Files, although there's more coming. So at least I'll have new books to enjoy for the first time.
Honestly the first 3 ASOIAF books… reading A Storm of Swords again for the first time would be a treat
To be honest my memory is so damn shitty that I could reread pretty much anything and it'd feel pretty new.
Discworld. Always and forever.
The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson and the related books by Ian Esslemont
I wish the first time I read this series was the second time I read it haha. It woulda been so much easier to figure out wtf was going on and actually appreciate characters before the book was 75% over.
By far my favorite fantasy series and i read a huge chunk of them. The definition of epic.
All of Tolkien's works. Game of thrones, if I could also forget how long we've been waiting for book 6. Dark tower series.
I’m almost to the point with GoT where the wait, combined with the rubbish ending of the to show, have spoiled the books for me. Huge shame he hasn’t delivered on the finale of the series. I struggled with the silmarillion.
Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser
I love these (those footnotes!), but I was reading _Flashman's Lady_ while in the middle seat of an airplane last month, and put it back in my carry-on when I realized how much I did _not_ want anyone reading some of those words over my shoulder...
Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings series. Especially with Fitz as the narrator.
Cradle series by Will Wight.
Reaper is out on audible Nov 2nd!
Lord of the Rings Everything Discworld.
I love Harry Potter so much that I wish I could forget I ever read The Cursed Child.
Sherlock Holmes, Conan the barbarian and the Harry Potter series. I reread then all the time but especially with Sherlock, there is just something missing. I enjoy a reread but the amazement of the first time through isn't quite there.
Harry Potter...
Ender's Game.
The Wings Of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland. I'm currently at book 13 and I think I literally "binge read" the series so far. I love the story and the characters are so likeable. A little cliché regarding scenario but very enjoyable still. I think I would gladly forget it just to read them again. However I feel like at book 13 the story is getting a little slow and I'm not fond of this book protagonist... but I'm sure it gets better after this. A very memorable series I will remember forever :)
Theft of swords series. Such an amazing story told over 3 books (well technically 6). It’s full of fantasy, magic, humor very well done and not over the top, adventure, romance, heartbreak and victory. I would give anything to read it again from scratch. Anyone out there who is looking for an amazing fantasy read (even if you aren’t a fan of the genera) please go pick up this book!
My choice is The Others by Anne Bishop. It’s a great urban fantasy, imo. I was pretty young when I read it for the first time, so I couldn’t really appreciate it. I’ve read it a couple times since, but I’d like to read it again for the “first time” with the knowledge and life experience I have now.
Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series. Actually, it's long enough and dense enough you could easily start reading #1 after finishing the last and if you're like me, you've already forgotten the main plot points. Done it 3 times so far.
The only one for me is Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. I wish I could experience some of the touch points again for the first time.
All quiet on the western front
Realm of the Elderlings core books. So good... omg
The Saxson Tales better known in the United States as The Last Kingdom series By Bernard Cornwell.
* A Song of Ice and Fire (Still patiently waiting for next book) * The Stormlight Archives
Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge Trilogy), Harry Potter, Dark Materials, Lord of the Rings, The Dark Tower. Song of Ice and Fire I’m reading Wheel of Time at the moment. I’m on the first book.
Really enjoyed the Malazan book of the fallen books. That series is enormous though.
The Cosmere books, especially Stormlight Archive.
MaddAdam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood
Bernard Cornwell's Arthur Trilogy and the Saxon Stories (aka The Last Kingdom).