The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling will forever be my favorite book series/reading experience I'll ever have. Ever. But that's obvious, so to give other great fictional series a chance, I'm excluding Harry from this list for others to see the limelight. For more on Harry Potter, please refer to my earlier post, Finding Harry.
Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I wrote a review for the first book of the Outlander series but haven't yet for the entire series. The last book is still in the writing stages, so this is based on the 7 books I've read so far. My final review will come after reading the last book. Anyway, I knew of Outlander's existence for several years before I decided to actually pick it up and give it a try. The tv show on STARZ had started, and people were talking about it, but for some (really odd) reason, I didn't feel the need to give it a try until two years ago. Don't make my mistake, this series is amazing and, admittedly, up to par with Harry Potter. The series is based in the genres of romance, fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction, following the life of Claire Randall, a British World War II nurse who gets transported back in time to the year of 1743, in Scotland. If you love strong, female protagonists, this is your series. Claire is resourceful, smart, and her vast knowledge on herbal medicine and healing is fascinating (fun fact, I actually plan to have my garden stocked with plants Claire uses throughout the series). She uses her skills and wits to survive and prosper during a time when women were submissive, and most of all, property to men. Not only is Claire a fun protagonist to follow, but there's a love interest, and his name is Jaime. And that is all I can say on that subject before I go too far and spoil the books. My final reason that you should give this series a try is Gabaldon's mastery of plot. Like Rowling, Gabaldon will give the reader very discreet, and seemingly unimportant clues throughout the books that all of the sudden show up and...for Harry Potter fans, think of Scabbers and his missing finger. This series is full of plot twists, surprises, and keeps you trying to guess where Gabaldon will take you next. And like mentioned before, this series is also based in historical fiction, therefore, you never know who you'll see as well. It's an adventure reading this series, and the characters quickly become like family to you.
The Dragon Riders of Pern series, by the Hugo award-winning writer, Anne McCaffrey. I started reading this science fiction series in middle school, it being introduced to me by my Aunt Cheryl (another avid reader), and ever since, I've been hooked. Anne McCaffrey started the series in the late 1960s after asking herself the question: "what if dragons were the good guys?", and today, there are over 25 books on Pern. The books take place on a faraway planet named Pern, a place of hope and a new beginning for wandering colonists looking for a different way of life from their former home, the overpopulated, and over industrialized Earth. Like a shining jewel in the blackness of space, Pern seemed like the ideal new beginning--with lush vegetation, vast oceans, and resources to thrive on, it was too good to be true. And as it quickly turned out, Pern was too good to be true, for after a short period on the planet, it was discovered to have a parasite raining down from the skies, later called Thread, that devoured all organic material in its path--including people. Spanning hundreds of years (approximately 450) and following a wide cast of characters from landing to the pre-industrialized society it later became, you see the evolution of telepathic, fire-breathing dragons from winged lizards, animals from Earth adapting to their new world (talking dolphins!), and the epic battles of the Pernese against the ever-present threat of Thread. This series is amazing, for it has elements of fantasy (despite everything having scientific explanation behind it, such as the existence of fire-breathing dragons), mystery, romance, and tragedy. If you, like me, enjoy science fiction, give this series a try if you haven't already, especially before any movies are made.
The Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (a.k.a. J.K. Rowling). If I didn't know that Robert Galbraith was an alias of J.K. Rowling, I would've never realized The Cuckoos Calling (the first of the series) was her book. This is a feat in itself: to completely change your style of writing, your voice, and the genre of your writing to a different one, that to me shows the prowess and mastery an author could achieve. I'm not sure if I've ever seen this before, but if you have, please message me an author who has successfully changed genres--especially one as drastic as going from a children/young adult series to an adult mystery/thriller series. Anyway, Harry Potter and Cormoran Strike are as different as night and day, and unlike Harry Potter, the Cormoran Strike series is not a series you want your small children to read. Dark, grisly, and full of antagonists that will make your skin crawl, this series is the best mystery series I've ever read. And I grew up reading Sherlock Holmes. There's no cheap red-herrings, no gimmicks to throw you off the scent, the conclusions make sense and and you'll love the characters. The series takes place in modern day London, and the titular character, Cormoran Strike, is no warm and fuzzy feeling guy--he's gruff, one-legged, and has a no-bullsh*t type of attitude towards life. Robin, his assistant, is new to the scene of solving murders, but although many doubt her abilities, she quickly proves herself an important asset to Strike. Andrew recommended the series to me after reading the first one, and now, we read the books together. If you enjoy reading J.K. Rowling, if you enjoy really good mysteries, and if you want a series with engaging and dynamic characters, you must give this series a try.
I hope this list of fiction series encourages you to pick up one of these books whenever you find yourself lacking a good book. They're all different from each other, but each one offers an adventure you won't ever forget. If you ever decide to read any of these series, please let me know what you think!
Comments