New Book Series

GiggidyGoo on 10/12/2013 - 19:19

Hey all.

Need some help here. My misses is looking for a new series to get stuck into. (Yep old school, actual books, not e-books). Shes read the Games of Thrones series and liked it (despite complaining about the killing off of main characters throughout the series) and was looking at a new series to get stuck into. Shes also read the Hunger Games and a few science fiction series. Can anyone recommend anything they have read of a similar context? Or even something that was enjoyable and would recommend? Shes currently reading a Jodi Picoult novel so her tastes can vary.

Was thinking I'd even get a new series for her for Xmas if I have time but don't know where to start. So I figured I'd ask my (other) family…

Thanks in advance.

Find Me A Bargain

Comments

  • Riczter on 10/12/2013 - 19:21

    I quite enjoyed the hunger games books

    • GiggidyGoo on 10/12/2013 - 19:24

      Oops, yeah that's what I meant to write (have edited my post). Shes read that already.

  • FiDad on 10/12/2013 - 20:33

    i have both these series and also liked Wheel of time and Sword of truth series

    • GiggidyGoo on 10/12/2013 - 23:04
      +1

      Yep, done the Terry Goodkind series. Wheel of time series might be a new one though, thanks.

      • teehee on 12/12/2013 - 04:33

        Wheel of Time is great. It is long though which often puts off alot of people. Try reading the first 3 books alone and if you want to stop there you can
        Raymond E Feist and David Eddings earlier work are great.
        Terry Pratchett is good if you're into some witty not in your face kind of humour

        I'm about to start Name of the Wind soon so i'll let you know how that goes

        • Lucky13 on 12/12/2013 - 08:05
          +2

          Sir Terry Pratchetts awesome +1 and yep he's a Sir got an OBE and knighted for being a writer. So stuff being a doctor to get a title before my name my pen and I are moving to England

  • scrimshaw on 10/12/2013 - 21:37

    Lord of the Rings.
    The Hobbit.
    Eragon.
    Tom Clancy series.

    • GiggidyGoo on 10/12/2013 - 23:08

      Thanks, will investigate Tom Clancy. The others have been done.

  • 2ndeffort on 10/12/2013 - 21:37
    +1

    I recently finished the Game of Thrones stuff and following the 'cult AMC TV Series' theme I switched across in the 'Rise of the Governor' book from the walking dead world. Almost finished book3 now, good stuff.

    • FiDad on 10/12/2013 - 22:21

      I might try that next…Thanks for recommendation 2ndeffort

    • GiggidyGoo on 10/12/2013 - 23:11

      Yeah dunno if she's into the whole zombie apocalypse thing. Will scope it though ta.

  • Whiskeyjack on 11/12/2013 - 00:57
    +2

    Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series.
    Peter F. Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga + Void Trilogy.
    Simon Morden's Petrovitch/Metrozone series.
    Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy.

    • dogboy on 11/12/2013 - 16:41
      +1

      Mistborn series not bad (goes downhill after the first book imo)
      Joe Abercrombie's First Law series is great!

      • alizzan on 12/12/2013 - 14:37

        Really? I thought it went uphill after the first. His writing improved a lot after that. It seemed very basic/high schooler at first.

  • LyndonBBear on 11/12/2013 - 07:56

    Sue Grafton - A to W crime books (a new one comes out every year)
    Don't discount the wonderful Harry Potter - great even for adults to enjoy.

    • GiggidyGoo on 11/12/2013 - 09:53

      Yup… Harry potter done.

  • one man clan on 11/12/2013 - 09:04

    I just finished The Malazan Book of the Fallen and it's the best fantasy series I've read (putting aside the Lord of the Rings).

    Incredible depth and foresight, really interesting characters and very well written, compared to say Terry Goodkind or the Petrovitch series (which I had to stop at about 80% it was so bad). It is dense though, and confusing at first, but if she pushes through it gets awesome.

    • GiggidyGoo on 11/12/2013 - 09:51

      Sounds good. How much of a push though? Any more than 2 chapters and she'll put it down.

      • one man clan on 11/12/2013 - 09:59

        Hmm, maybe not. There's 10 books so she's got tons of reading, but the first one was written 10 years before the rest (he struggled to get a publisher).

        It starts in medias res, in a huge battle, and you don't really have much idea what's going on. There's also terminology which is confusing at first but gets explained as the series progresses. Each book builds towards a massive finale, usually the last 25%, where big guys come together and fight.

        It's also loosely inspired by Roman mythology (in terms of the pantheon of gods, demigods, titans etc.) but uses different terms.

  • 1ch1go on 11/12/2013 - 09:43

    You may want to check Kylie Chan's Dark Heavens and Journey to Wudang trilogy. Or if you want to try at something light hearted maybe Alexander McCall Smiths' No 1 Lady Detective Agency series. Maybe even Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano series.

    • grumpyboots on 11/12/2013 - 23:10

      Love the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series…it's a great read and has been turned into a TV series currently showing on the ABC on Friday nights. The Miss Fisher (Phryne Fisher) Mysteries and of course Sherlock Holmes are two more that come to mind as popular again following great TV adaptations.

      I can't believe the Terry Pratchett's Discworld series hasn't been mentioned yet as a category of brilliant fantasy. Very highly recommended!

      Going way back to truly old school… There are some beautifully printed repackaged classic selections in bookstores this year that could make a nice present (not that you'd ever judge a book by the cover of course!)

      • GiggidyGoo on 12/12/2013 - 00:34

        She used to have all the Terry Prattchet books so she'll definitely agree with you there.

  • rong818 on 11/12/2013 - 10:44
    +1

    I like the GoodReads monthly newsletter, you can discover new book series by genre too this way. Have a look.

    • GiggidyGoo on 11/12/2013 - 14:08

      Thanks for the advice. Have signed up.

  • earths_pacifist on 11/12/2013 - 12:01

    I love reading almost anything by Traci Harding. Her first book was in the australian top 100 for years. Her first series was called The Ancient Future. Brilliant read and kept me interested all the time.

    • GiggidyGoo on 11/12/2013 - 14:10

      Thanks for the tip. Have rad some reviews on her latest book (Dreaming of Zhou Gong) and it has good feedback. Will give this one a go and if she likes it will get her the other earlier series.

      • earths_pacifist on 11/12/2013 - 17:08

        I have read all of them and in all honesty I would suggest starting with The Ancient Future Trilogy, then the Celestial Triad Trilogy, then the Triad of Being Trilogy and finally The Timekeepers. Each of these trilogies follow on from each other and while would still be a good read there will be many things that she won't understand or realise is happening. All 4 trilogies are heavily intertwined.

    • oringal on 11/12/2013 - 21:16
      +3

      also Matthew Reilly is good for fast paced action thrillers in a book.

  • SaberX on 11/12/2013 - 12:16
    +1

    Try reading david eddings series of books. there's 3 or 4 in the first original series (name forgotten) then it's carried on with anotehr 3 or 4 books in second part of series. some googling would easiyl tell you as it's quite well known.

    • Noblejoker on 11/12/2013 - 14:42

      Eddings is an all time fav

  • SaberX on 11/12/2013 - 12:17
    +3

    i also liked Raymond E Feist - great at fantasy, but yes abit more 'mature' in the language/more serious fantasy if you ask me? Still kept me enthralled :)

    • GiggidyGoo on 11/12/2013 - 13:04
      +1

      Yep we've been through a fair chunk of his series already. Good books.

  • doofus on 11/12/2013 - 12:18
    +1

    The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy?

    • scrimshaw on 11/12/2013 - 12:25

      Any book lover would've read that by now… that's a classic.

      • GiggidyGoo on 11/12/2013 - 13:03

        Agreed, although I think I'm due for re-reading that again. Thanks for the reminder. Xmas pressie for me 8 )

  • ESEMCE on 11/12/2013 - 14:36
    +5

    The Kingkiller Chronicles series by Patrick Rothfuss is excellent (Unfortunately, like the Song of Ice and Fire series, currently unfinished)

    • IanPlatypus on 11/12/2013 - 15:58

      3rd book supposed to be coming soon isn't it?

    • GiggidyGoo on 11/12/2013 - 16:49

      Wow, reading reviews, it is definitely a "love it or hate it" series. Will give it a crack though as it sounds promising. Thanks!

    • jmj102 on 11/12/2013 - 17:09
      +1

      These books are seriously amazing, especially The Name of the Wind, can't recommend it enough. Joe Abercrombie' First Law Trilogy is also really good.

    • Ultraman on 12/12/2013 - 16:17

      Name of the Wind was a breath of fresh air for me after having already read stuff like LOTR, Enders Game series, Thomas Convenent, Eddings, Fiest, Sanderson, Donaldson…….

      My next good read after Name of the Wind was the Lies of Locke Lamora:
      http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127455.The_Lies_of_Locke_…

  • ranmalynx on 11/12/2013 - 14:56
    +3

    Wheel of Time series. The series just completed this year so you won't be left hanging. 14 books (15 if you count the prequel) . More than 4 million words in total. More than 22 years in the making (first book came out in 1990).

    • Tycn on 11/12/2013 - 15:03
      +2

      That's a lot of pages of arm crossing and braid tugging.

      • Mossy on 11/12/2013 - 16:14
        +1

        Blood and bloody ashes!

    • blackfalcon53 on 11/12/2013 - 15:12
      +1

      WOT is a great series, but i must say i am struggling to finish book 14.

  • cannedhams on 11/12/2013 - 15:23

    If you get sick of sequelitis you can always read The Last Unicorn or The Worm Ouruboros.

  • teknohead on 11/12/2013 - 16:15

    Anything by Raymond E. Feist

  • dogboy on 11/12/2013 - 16:48

    New series by Brandon Sanderson is awesome - The Way of Kings is the first book.
    Also no one here has mentioned David Gemmell who has written some great books - notably the Rigante series (4 books) and the Drenai series (12 books?).

    The Lee Childs books are also very easy reading of a different genre (aka Jack Reacher novels) and my gf and mum love them. (Don't be put off by the movie - worst casting choice ever made was Tom Cruise in this)

    I recently did some googling on best fantasy books and award winners and found some gems amongst the lists I found online. 'A Cavern of Black Ice' was good as well as 'Black Company'. Both are pretty dark though…

    • GiggidyGoo on 11/12/2013 - 16:53

      David Gemmell was one of my first favorite writers so will agree with you there. Didn't consider Lee Childs, might look into it as well for the Mrs. Thanks, good advice.

  • highdealer on 11/12/2013 - 17:02

    If no one have already mention it, may try The Mortal Instrument series and Infernal Device from the same author.

  • meph3x6 on 11/12/2013 - 21:45

    Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan was quite an enjoyable read - though it's the first in a series, and the rest haven't been written yet. Next is expected out Feb 2014.

  • Tigi on 11/12/2013 - 22:25

    I'm a huge fan of Game of Thrones and Harry Potter books; these are my recommendations:

    1) Dark Swan Series by Richelle Mead (Fantasy). One of the best urban fantasy author, IMO.

    2) The Sookie Stackhouse Novels (Fantasy) - what True Blood is loosely based on. 12 book series finished series. I think the first half of the series was brilliant; the next half not so.

    3) The Cousins' War Series by Philippa Gregory (Historical Fiction)

    4) Vampire Academy Series and Bloodlines Series by Richelle Mead(Young Adult Fantasy)- don't let the title put you off, it's nothing like Twilight

    5) Tales of Dunk and Egg series by GRR Martin; a few short stories set a few hundread years before GOT also in Westeros. Finding a hard copies of these might be hard though, they're mostly on ebook format.

  • tabz on 12/12/2013 - 09:05
    +1

    Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series.

  • daleyboy79 on 12/12/2013 - 10:10

    Joe Abercrombie - First Law trilogy (also has a couple of standalone books which are all good)
    Peter V Brett - The Demon Cycle is another good series; and
    Patrick Rothfuss - The Kingkiller Chronicles

  • easternbluecut on 12/12/2013 - 10:21

    Agree with oringal that Matt Reilly is a great read. If she likes the whole Indiana Jones adventure action type then Andy McDermott's Wilde & Chase series is also a great read (currently reading at the moment). If she hasn't done Enders Game then that is a great read (the rest of the series is pretty different though and I gave up about halfway into the series but then I'm not a huge scifi buff.

    Michael Crichton is also a great read though aside from Jurassic Park most of his books stand alone.

    Also thumbs up for Wheel of Time although around book 9-10 it becomes insane as to how little time passes considering how huge the books are.

    And finally Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle is a good read.

  • GiggidyGoo on 12/12/2013 - 12:07

    This community blows my mind. Looks like I have a big list of new books to buy now! Should keep me going until 2030… Thanks to everyone for their ideas. Not closing off the discussion by any means, just wanted to say thanks.

    • heartychat on 13/12/2013 - 09:34

      In the theme of the ones that you mentioned maybe the Dune series and the Narnia Chronicles

  • VeronaCoffee on 12/12/2013 - 14:16

    DETECTIVE CRIME
    Michael Connelly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Connelly)
    - Hary Bosch series
    - Mickey Haller series
    (In fact, read every single book of his, in chronological order.)

    HEROIC FANTASY
    David Gemmell (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gemmell)
    - Troy series of 3 books.
    - Rigante series of 4 books

    While i have no doubt that the books and series that people have mentioned above are good, the authors i have noted are pure brilliance. Connelly is possibily the biggest in the world in his genre for a reason. Gemmell was a genius of characterisation - so much emotion.

    • carlJack on 12/12/2013 - 16:48
      +1

      +1 for Harry Bosch series. Simply outstanding. Amazing how Michael Connelly can keep up his standards for so many books. Mickey haller series is also very good.

  • blighst on 12/12/2013 - 16:31
    +1

    John Grisham's books (even though they're not a series each one has similar elements and all are gripping)

  • Ultraman on 12/12/2013 - 17:10

    Oh yeah also John Scalzi - Old Man's War!

    http://www.goodreads.com/series/40789-old-man-s-war

  • carlJack on 12/12/2013 - 18:09

    International espionage:
    Daniel Silva- Gabriel Allon series
    Vince Flynn - Mitch Rapp Series

    Police procedurals
    Michael Connelly - Harry Bosch series
    Jo Nesbo - Harry Hole series
    ( these two are absolutely fantastic)

    Private investigators:
    Robert Crais - Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series

    Crime/mystery
    Steve Hamilton - Alex McKnight series
    Harlem Coben - Myron Bolitar
    Lee child - Jack Reacher

    Science fiction
    Patrick Lee - Travis Chase ( Breach series )

    Court room drama
    Michael Connelly - Mickey Haller series
    William Lashner- Victor Carl series

  • kat123 on 12/12/2013 - 23:42

    pop into your local library and have a chat with a librarian!

  • DrStinge on 13/12/2013 - 20:02
    +1

    Pillars of the Earth is a great read

    • ESEMCE on 23/12/2013 - 09:28

      The followup, The Ends of the Earth (I think) is EXACTLY THE SAME STORY though… very disappointing.

  • fruxo on 13/12/2013 - 21:09

    Buy her the first three books of The Wheel of Time. They are the best and she can stop reading the series after those books if they are not for her. It does start to drag a bit after that, but still a worthwhile read. Especially now that the series is (finally!) finished and you don't have to wait for years in between books.

    Or you can go for broke and just buy the whole set, should be some nice and impressing box sets I'd suspect :)

    EDIT: if she likes sci fi (which she does by the sound of it) and doesn't mind some really thick books (which she might not like though if she likes series such as the hunger games) then anything really by Peter F Hamilton is amazing in my opinion. Recommendations include "The Reality Dysfunction" (that's the name of the first book, can't remember trilogy name) and "Pandoras Star" (that's the name of the first of two books). The later one is definitely an easier read, and would probably be better suited, but both are great.

  • Wiggleh on 13/12/2013 - 21:11

    She'd probably like the Kushiels Dart series by Jacqueline Carey from the sounds of it. Fantasy series, wonderfully written characters

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