Good Fiction Series Recommendations - Books

[chris-red]

Today I finished The Harry Potter Books for the first time since they came out.

I forgot/didn't realise how fantastic well written they are it's weird I don't remember reading a fiction book before that would make me smile from a clever turn of phrase or the choice of descriptive words. Often I find myself noticing authors relying on the same descriptive words and other instances of awkward writing it will nag at me.

There are plenty of great stories out there but for me it is rare to be captivated by the writing if you get my meaning. I also feel slightly deflated now I have finished it, I'm after something as well written.

I feel most of the books I've enjoys have had great stories with OK writing. HP as really raised the bar as both writing and story were brilliant.

Any suggestions? I like series' created universes and many books following the same characters. Something I can work through, below should give you an idea for the back story.

LoTR - I enjoyed the Hobbit and started fellowship but found it slow, I wasn't being 'grabbed'.

GoT - I think I read the first 4/5 of them the last one I read fully was a bit naff and the next one didn't start well.

Enders Game - Very good, however went a bit weird in the later books, got fed up with the character. Enjoyed the 'Bean' stories though.

Dark Tower - I liked these but found they dragged in parts, I think I gave up about halfway through the 3rd where it seemed like I'd read 1/2 the book and fuck all had happened.

Sharpe - Pretty good, but very repetitive
Jack Reacher - Same

Warhammer - Can't remember the book but it was part of a trilogy that was recommended to me as one of the best books they released I know the universe vaguely as a kid, but for the book very laconic and a chore.

Star Wars - I've read and awful lot of the SWEU, there are some truly great books however I feel that is mostly because I love the universe.

Discword, I read the first 2 and found them amusing, but forgettable. I don't really think I'm a fan of comic stories.

I read a lot of Comics/Graphic Novels too, as I feel they are great at building/worlds/universes but I'm after a 'proper' book here. Have read Saga/Crossed/Preacher/Sin City/The Boys/HellBlazer + others.
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[Pjay]

If you like kids books, I'd stick with those.
I found the Harry Potter books terribly written, but then I read a lot.

[Derivative]

Frau Derivative has a thing for China Mieville.

I struggle with fiction but I've been enjoying the Penguin Great Ideas books.

Pessoa's "The Book of Disquiet" is bonkers enough that it may as well be fiction. The guy invented 20 pseudonyms for himself.

Haven't been reading enough as of late though.

[Skudd]

If it is fiction you want, with murder, sex, drug taking and the like try the Bible.
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[Matt B]

Fiction or science fiction? Always a bit of a minefield recommending books but if you do like SF then you could try the series of Culture novels by Iain M Banks, starts with Consider Phlebas. Or I just finished the series of Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. These are highly descriptive novels and a bit less science more fiction than the Banks stuff.
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[stinkwheel]

"Magician" by Raymond E Feist. You will not be sorry you tried it.

It's the first of 20-odd high fantasy books spanning 10 generations and multiple worlds. Don't forget the paralell empire trilogy Jenny Wurtz.

Have you read Dune? Compelling read if you are prepared to work at it. Do not bother with the sequels.

I really enjoyed a trilogy by Michael Scott Rohan called Winter of the World. Starts with a book called "The Anvil of Ice."
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[Pjay]

[hedgehugger]

Joe Abercrombie has a few books set in the same world.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Joe-Abercrombie/e/B001JP7WJC


If you don't mind Zombies n stuff then Jonathan Maberry writes a good tale too.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jonathan-Maberry/e/B001JSF8TK

I've read most of their stuff over the last couple of years and liked it all.

They both write a YA series and more 'adult' stuff, so whatever floats your boat.

[chris-red]

[dydey90]

Give Discworld more of a go, I'm a huge fan and I'd say that the first two books aren't definitely the weakest. The whole series isn't about Rincewind, he only features in a few books. Book three is about witches, book four is about Death (like the grim reaper) and is generally accepted as one of Pratchett's finest works.

The wheel of time series is worth a read but I really mean it when I say the author can waffle. Was meant to be a trilogy and ended up being 14 books and the original author snuffed it before he finished and somebody else wrapped it up from his notes. Probably for the best or it'd have ended up as 25 books.

Robin Hobb has a couple of trilogies set in the same universe which are really good. I'm currently re-reading the first one, The Farseer Trilogy.

Also I'd always recommend The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. Only two books of the trilogy have been released, with the last promised since 2011. Author must be a master of procrastination but spins a good tale.
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[wodge]

Magician and the sequals are a good read.

If you read Dune you may not realise that there is a dictionary of terms in the back of the book and also some background information you may want to read first.

I have been reading a series on Kindle called Spinward Fringe. The first book is free so worth a try.

Enjoy reading..
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[Flatbadger]

If you like a good writing style, try P.G. Wodehouse. The stories are all pretty much about upper class toffs getting into scrapes much like the Jeeves and Wooster series, but the way he puts down words is genius.
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[The Shaggy D.A.]

I enjoyed alot of the books you've mentioned, so I'll recommend The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson. In fact looking that up, I've just learned that he's written "The Last Chronicles" too, so that's on my list to read soon

His two part "Mordant's Need" is good too, as is his "Reave the Just and Other Tales" short stories.

[edit] Try the two books in Mordant's Need first, and see if you like his style of writing before diving in to the Chronicles
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[Aff]

All the Joe Abercrombie and Brandon Sanderson stuff is good.

Especially the Mistborn Series and the First Law Series (and the 3 extras set in the same world).
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[Rogerborg]

[Pete.]

I like science/space fiction so my votes go to:

Anne McCaffery Pern series - I like the development of the world from technologically-dependant colonists to agrarian culture self-dependants then very quickly back into technological/industrial development, and all the familiar problems from Earth's history that they encounter.

I also enjoyed her 'Talent' series, "To Ride Pegasus" was the first book of hers that I read.

The reading order can be found here:

https://mccaffrey.srellim.org/biblioseries.htm

I'm also a huge fan of almost everything written by David Gemmell. His heroes are usually hard men of uncompromising values who invariably come to terms with (or at least come to understand) the flaws in their own character and I think that has a great appear especially to the male readership. I bought "The Complete Chronicles of the Jerusalem Man" when it was first published in 1995 and was annoyed at my brother when he told me that he dropped in the water whilst reading it in the bath.

Like McCaffery's books I find the mirroring of our historical events in his novels very appealing and often very insightful. I like the Drenai and stones of Power books, but my wife prefers the Rigante.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gemmell
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[Going]

Old mans war series by John Scalzi. It's more military science fiction for the first book then gets more political with the others.

[TheSmiler]

I'd recommend this series below gets a bit repetitive but I've read the whole series about 4 times now. Shame you can't really get the books mainly it's pdf.
https://www.williamjohnstone.net/WWJ/Ashes.html
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[chris-red]

[chris-red]

[Feasty]

I like sci-fi/fantasy/horror style books and have read tons of books, mostly on my phone or pc.

I take a slightly different approach though, I use Amazon Books. I break them down by genre until the option to 'sort' appears and then sort by price. There's loads of free books to download then, saves the annoying thing happening of paying for a book and then 3 pages in hating it and feeling you've wasted your money.

The best series I've read so far (and still free) is 'The Breakers' series by Edward W. Robertson, I think it's excellent and kept me fully engrossed.

Other than that, Discworld has to be one of my fave paper books I've read. I've gone past all that now but years ago I really got into it and had a large collection of all the Discworld books.
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[Pjay]

[colink98]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers_of_London_(novel)

The wife and I both enjoyed the series of books.
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