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Sagas/trilogies - 5/3/2008 11:38:58 PM

Sumintelligentguy

Posts: 3603
Joined: 31/8/2006

Can anyone reccomend me a good saga or trilogy (preferably a saga - but im open to ideas) that i can get my teeth into - im getting kinda sick of 'one book then thats it'.

Ive read:

Harry Potter (who hasnt - shame on you)
Bond Saga - im in the middle of this but its not really a saga coz their quite self contained
His Dark Materials
LOTR - i tried this but just couldnt get into it.

so can anyone recommend me any?

And we might aswell start a discussion - Whats your favourite saga/trilogy?

< Message edited by Sumintelligentguy -- 1/9/2009 9:56:23 PM >

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RE: Sagas/trilogies - 6/3/2008 1:50:24 AM

ilovebeerme

Posts: 4531
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Magic Beans

Give 'Nights Dawn' trilogy by Peter F Hamilton a go if you like sci-fi. It starts with The Reality Dysfunction and is about 3500 pages in total so it should keep you going a while. It's got a kind of gothic horror slant to it and I really liked it. He also did Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained set in a different universe and also damn good. Again the books are about 1200 odd pages each so should keep you going.

Maybe try Mary Renaults Alexander trilogy (Fire from Heaven, Persian Boy and Funeral Games), base don the life of Alexander the Great. Fantastic read.

Iain m Banks 'Culture' novels are also excellent although they don't follow directly one to another, they are just set in the same universe.

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RE: Sagas/trilogies - 6/3/2008 5:01:01 AM

siegfried

Posts: 13274
Joined: 16/12/2007
From: Long ago and far away

Try Tales Of The Otori by Lian Hearn.
I'd also recommend the Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini. Only trouble there is that the third part of the trilogy wont be available until later this year. I'm waiting very impatiently for it. I'll probably have to reread Eragon and Eldest before I get to the third one.

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RE: Sagas/trilogies - 6/3/2008 9:03:17 AM

James2183

Posts: 10204
Joined: 30/9/2005

Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist.

Magician
Silverthorn
A Darkness at Sethanon

In my opinion the best trilogy within the fantasy genre.

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RE: Sagas/trilogies - 6/3/2008 9:16:38 AM

white mage

Posts: 180
Joined: 29/11/2007
From: Hollow Bastion

How about the Saga of Darren Shan or the Demonata
The Saga of Darren Shan is about vampires
The Demonata is about demons. This is pretty gory thruogh.

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RE: Sagas/trilogies - 6/3/2008 10:08:24 AM

Kilo_T_Mortal

Posts: 13521
Joined: 30/9/2005

quote:

ORIGINAL: James2183

Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist.

Magician
Silverthorn
A Darkness at Sethanon

In my opinion the best trilogy within the fantasy genre.

Be aware if you start reading Feist you can never stop.

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Post #: 6

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 6/3/2008 10:42:06 AM

Woger

Posts: 3733
Joined: 30/9/2005

The Dudley Smith trilogy by James Ellroy; The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential and White Jazz. The book of LA Confidential makes the film look like an Olsen twins film. His Lloyd Hopkins triology was nowhere near as good.

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RE: Sagas/trilogies - 6/3/2008 11:26:21 AM

Sumintelligentguy

Posts: 3603
Joined: 31/8/2006

quote:

ORIGINAL: siegfried

Try Tales Of The Otori by Lian Hearn.
I'd also recommend the Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini. Only trouble there is that the third part of the trilogy wont be available until later this year. I'm waiting very impatiently for it. I'll probably have to reread Eragon and Eldest before I get to the third one.

The Inheritance series, whats that about?

Ah, i havent anticipated a book since Harry Potter 7 really, so if i can get the first two inheritance books read, then it would give me yet another thing to look forward to

First - i have to finish:

Shantaram
Atonement
Shakespeare - Bryson
Hamlet
byt the latter two i can put off for a while...if the Inheritance series sounds good.

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Post #: 8

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 6/3/2008 11:27:13 AM

LiliBee

Posts: 1154
Joined: 10/10/2005
From: The nearest bar.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Kilo_T_Mortal

quote:

ORIGINAL: James2183

Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist.

Magician
Silverthorn
A Darkness at Sethanon

In my opinion the best trilogy within the fantasy genre.

Be aware if you start reading Feist you can never stop.

Yup, and I blame that there Mr 2183 for making me start too. Although on the plus side, it does mean that I don't have to buy any of the books myself, just steal his copies

Anyhoo, if you want something non-fantasy, you could try Bernard Cornwell (yes, him who wrote the Sharpe books). I'm currently in the middle of his 'King Arthur' trilogy (The Winter King, Enemy of God, and Excalibur) and it's very good, a very interesting (and probably somewhat more accurate than normal) take on ancient Britain post-Romans and before the Saxons took over - still fictional though, they're not history books! Lots of fighting and stuff. He's also written another series set slightly later, from the perspective of the Saxons after they'd successfully taken over most of England.

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Post #: 9

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 6/3/2008 11:38:12 AM

Felix

Posts: 15691
Joined: 29/9/2005
From: Brighton

Dragonlance Chronicles

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Post #: 10

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 6/3/2008 2:52:13 PM

Sumintelligentguy

Posts: 3603
Joined: 31/8/2006

In heritance cyle - ive just looked it up - ive got til september to wait, loads of time to finish the books i have to read, and eragon and eldest

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quote:

ORIGINAL: BatFan

You're just a cunt. If i'm gonna get a ban then fine. Ever since I joined this forum I thought you were a massive cunt. Feels good to say it.

R.I.P. Punchy

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Post #: 11

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 6/3/2008 3:14:58 PM

Helen OHara

Posts: 3477
Joined: 15/9/2005

I'll second or third Raymond E. Feist (especially the Empire trilogy with janny Wurts) and Iain M. Banks and the Otori, and add the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (assuming his literary heir finishes it) and for a really brainless pleasure try the Belgariad and Mallorean by David Eddings but stop reading him after that.You could try the early Vampire books by Anne Rice if you've got a high tolerance for Gothic stylings, but stop after Queen of the Damned and never look back, and I highly, highly recommend Dan Simmons' Hyperion and Endymion set. Just. Awesome.

Could probably think of more but I should really be working. Honest.

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Post #: 12

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 6/3/2008 5:15:04 PM

kaner316

Posts: 1778
Joined: 18/8/2006
From: Not Wales !!!

Stephen King's 7 book Dark Tower cycle. wild west meets medieval lore meets apocalyptic fantasy. I'm re-reading it for about the 5th time.

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Post #: 13

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 6/3/2008 11:15:18 PM

Funkyrae

Posts: 20306
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Just stick a pin in a map

quote:

ORIGINAL: LiliBee

quote:

ORIGINAL: Kilo_T_Mortal

quote:

ORIGINAL: James2183

Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist.

Magician
Silverthorn
A Darkness at Sethanon

In my opinion the best trilogy within the fantasy genre.

Be aware if you start reading Feist you can never stop.

Yup, and I blame that there Mr 2183 for making me start too. Although on the plus side, it does mean that I don't have to buy any of the books myself, just steal his copies

Anyhoo, if you want something non-fantasy, you could try Bernard Cornwell (yes, him who wrote the Sharpe books). I'm currently in the middle of his 'King Arthur' trilogy (The Winter King, Enemy of God, and Excalibur) and it's very good, a very interesting (and probably somewhat more accurate than normal) take on ancient Britain post-Romans and before the Saxons took over - still fictional though, they're not history books! Lots of fighting and stuff. He's also written another series set slightly later, from the perspective of the Saxons after they'd successfully taken over most of England.

I was going to suggest those ones too. Absolutely fantastic un-put-downable reading. Although I'm also in the Feist camp.

Other than that, the series I read a while ago that keeps catching my eye again is the Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake.

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RE: Sagas/trilogies - 7/3/2008 2:19:10 AM

ilovebeerme

Posts: 4531
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Magic Beans

Got to second Helen's suggestion of Dan Simmons. The Hyperion/Endymion series is brilliant and Ilium was pretty good too.

Feist is also good, although the Magician series gets a little thin the longer it's spun out. Like butter scraped over too much bread. Still enjoyable though.

George RR Martin!! The Song of Fire and Ice series is just superb but he is taking his sweet time with the next bloody book! Read them before the tv show comes out and you have to buy copies with 'Now a Major TV Series' on the front

.

The Liveship series by Robin Hobb was also a lot of fun and very original.

Also consider Weaveworld by Clive Barker, which is only one book but it's wonderful. If you like the historical setting then Valerio Massimo Manfredi's 'Alexander' series is ok (not as good as Renault's though) as is David Gemmell's Lion of Macedon and Dark Prince. Christian Jacq's Ramses series is also worth a look.

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RE: Sagas/trilogies - 7/3/2008 1:11:23 PM

MOTH

Posts: 3171
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: Sittin' on the dock of the bay

quote:

ORIGINAL: Woger

The Dudley Smith trilogy by James Ellroy; The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential and White Jazz. The book of LA Confidential makes the film look like an Olsen twins film. His Lloyd Hopkins triology was nowhere near as good.

Yep - i'll second that. For me, The Big Nowhere is the standout, but only by reading all 3 do you get a measure of what an utter bastard Dudley Smith is.

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Post #: 16

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 7/3/2008 4:50:58 PM

BigKovacs

Posts: 3143
Joined: 6/4/2006
From: Textile Street.

The Dune Sagas champion although none of the sequals quite live up to the original. The prequals written by his son and Kevin J. Anderson start okay and go down the pan very quickly, it's nice to see what the Herbert snr. may have had in mind at the start of his brilliant universe.

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Post #: 17

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 7/3/2008 7:41:16 PM

Sumintelligentguy

Posts: 3603
Joined: 31/8/2006

quote:

ORIGINAL: James2183

Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist.

Magician
Silverthorn
A Darkness at Sethanon

In my opinion the best trilogy within the fantasy genre.

i was in Borders today and saw this (well seeked it out) but it says in the inside cover that it is the revised version - shud i get the old ones(if i can) or the revised versions?

_____________________________

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quote:

ORIGINAL: BatFan

You're just a cunt. If i'm gonna get a ban then fine. Ever since I joined this forum I thought you were a massive cunt. Feels good to say it.

R.I.P. Punchy

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Post #: 18

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 8/3/2008 12:59:13 AM

Woger

Posts: 3733
Joined: 30/9/2005

quote:

ORIGINAL: MOTH

quote:

ORIGINAL: Woger

The Dudley Smith trilogy by James Ellroy; The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential and White Jazz. The book of LA Confidential makes the film look like an Olsen twins film. His Lloyd Hopkins triology was nowhere near as good.

Yep - i'll second that. For me, The Big Nowhere is the standout, but only by reading all 3 do you get a measure of what an utter bastard Dudley Smith is.

Hard to pick one personally, but i'd probably go for LA Confidential because the way it was even mor elayered than the film. I thought I wasn't going to like White Jazz because of the slang but ended up loving it.

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Post #: 19

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 8/3/2008 8:40:27 AM

Tech_Noir

Posts: 20203
Joined: 12/10/2005

Hmm, lemme think.

When I was into Star Wars I read the Thrawn trilogy and the Corellian trilogy (that one had Han Solo's evil cousin).

Since then I've read the Odyssey series from Arthur C Clarke, as well as the Rama series (fantastic). Also read the Mars trilogy (Red, Green and Blue).

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Post #: 20

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 8/3/2008 10:33:13 AM

James2183

Posts: 10204
Joined: 30/9/2005

quote:

ORIGINAL: Sumintelligentguy

quote:

ORIGINAL: James2183

Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist.

Magician
Silverthorn
A Darkness at Sethanon

In my opinion the best trilogy within the fantasy genre.

i was in Borders today and saw this (well seeked it out) but it says in the inside cover that it is the revised version - shud i get the old ones(if i can) or the revised versions?

The revised version of Magician? To be honest you can't really tell between the two so don't worry and just get it bought

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Post #: 21

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 8/3/2008 11:50:48 AM

Helen OHara

Posts: 3477
Joined: 15/9/2005

quote:

ORIGINAL: ilovebeerme

Got to second Helen's suggestion of Dan Simmons. The Hyperion/Endymion series is brilliant and Ilium was pretty good too.

Feist is also good, although the Magician series gets a little thin the longer it's spun out. Like butter scraped over too much bread. Still enjoyable though.

George RR Martin!! The Song of Fire and Ice series is just superb but he is taking his sweet time with the next bloody book! Read them before the tv show comes out and you have to buy copies with 'Now a Major TV Series' on the front .

The Liveship series by Robin Hobb was also a lot of fun and very original.

Also consider Weaveworld by Clive Barker, which is only one book but it's wonderful. If you like the historical setting then Valerio Massimo Manfredi's 'Alexander' series is ok (not as good as Renault's though) as is David Gemmell's Lion of Macedon and Dark Prince. Christian Jacq's Ramses series is also worth a look.

Can't believe I forgot Martin! Although he appears to have forgotten us (sniff!), writing bloody short stories when he should be concentrating on Ice and Fire. I'm terrified he's going to do a Jordan on us.

Would second Gemmell's Alexander books. And I love the sneaky Rings reference in there. Feist does lose something after the first generation start dying - although that said I've recently been enjoying the Conclave of Shadows set. Skipped those Krondor ones though.

Rama's a good call too, although I prefer Clarke's short stories to anything else he ever wrote. The Nine Billion Names of God is awesome, and there's one about a supercomputer that's small but perfectly formed.

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Post #: 22

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 8/3/2008 12:00:32 PM

James2183

Posts: 10204
Joined: 30/9/2005

quote:

ORIGINAL: Helen OHara
Skipped those Krondor ones though.

If only I could go back and stop myself from reading them! They were rubbish and barely added anything to future storylines which they were meant to be written for.

_____________________________

Hey bub, I aint finished with you yet!

"We do not beat the reaper by living longer. We beat the reaper by living well and living fully" - Randy Pausch

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Post #: 23

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 8/3/2008 12:09:50 PM

Sumintelligentguy

Posts: 3603
Joined: 31/8/2006

A song of fire and ice saga...

shud i read the prequels first (coz i think their only short stories) then go onto A game of thrones... or read the novels first then the prequels.

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quote:

ORIGINAL: BatFan

You're just a cunt. If i'm gonna get a ban then fine. Ever since I joined this forum I thought you were a massive cunt. Feels good to say it.

R.I.P. Punchy

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Post #: 24

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 8/3/2008 12:12:03 PM

Helen OHara

Posts: 3477
Joined: 15/9/2005

I haven't read the prequels, but my instinct would be to jump straight into the main saga. Same with Jordan - the prequels are sometimes meant to be read later.

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Post #: 25

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 8/3/2008 12:14:08 PM

homersimpson_esq

Posts: 19969
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Springfield

Fantasy

I'll second, or third, or whatever The Belgariad and The Mallorean. The subsequent tomes Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress are a bit self-indulgent, but pass the time. They're utterly brainless, but thoroughly enjoyable. I'm still waiting for the adaptations...! I want to see Silk and Barak on the big screen. Steve Buscemi for Silk, anyone?

Also Stephen Lawhead wiles away the time admirably. His Silver Hand trilogy is great fun, as is his Pendragon cycle - Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur (although I'd give Grail and Pendragon a miss as they were written considerably later than the original trilogy).

Finally, Stephen Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant are breath-taking. There are two complete trilogies (The Chronicles... and The Second Chronicles...) He's currently released two books of The Final Chronicles... He makes up words that just work so well. Thomas Covenant is one of the most fascinating characters. His internal battles are as thrilling as the external ones. The only criticism I can level at the series is having an important mystical character called Kevin... Still, don't let that detract you from an awesome series.

In terms of science-fiction, I'd highly, highly recommend (and have in the past as well) Stephen Donaldson's Gap Series. Excellent 5-book series that expands to a huge universe and a brilliant story. I quite fancy re-reading the gap series when I finish my exams.

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Post #: 26

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 8/3/2008 12:35:36 PM

Struie

Posts: 15
Joined: 11/1/2006

The Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan

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Post #: 27

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 8/3/2008 11:05:29 PM

kathryn2

Posts: 1479
Joined: 24/4/2006

I think must of the really common ones have been mentioned now (I'll add my vote for Robert Jordan, Feist, Belgariad/Mallorean, and Robin Hobb), so I'll recommend some more obscure authors:

Lynn Flewelling - Bone Doll's Twin, Hidden Warrior, Oracle's Queen.

Lois Mcmaster Bujold - The Vorkosigan series (sci-fi), starting with either Warrior's Apprentice or Cordelia's Honor and going on from there (another author who, once you start them, you just have to read them all). She's a genius.

Jasper Fforde - The Thursday Next books, starting with The Eyre Affair.

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Post #: 28

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 8/3/2008 11:46:24 PM

boaby

Posts: 2786
Joined: 29/12/2006
From: Aberdeenshire

Tim Severin's "Viking" Trilogy is cracking.

David Gemmell's (sp) Troy trilogy is also brilliant.

Also Ian Rankin's Rebus novels, though individual stories, involve enough character development and progression to possibly be called a Saga. Maybe.

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Post #: 29

RE: Sagas/trilogies - 9/3/2008 12:33:09 PM

Helen OHara

Posts: 3477
Joined: 15/9/2005

quote:

ORIGINAL: kathryn2

Lois Mcmaster Bujold - The Vorkosigan series (sci-fi), starting with either Warrior's Apprentice or Cordelia's Honor and going on from there (another author who, once you start them, you just have to read them all). She's a genius.

TOTALLY! Can't believe i forgot her. Her fantasy's not too shabby either.

_____________________________

"I never understood drinking. It isn't good for your looks, and it cuts down on what you are. I never wanted to cut down on what I am." - Mae West

"Movies are forever, and sex doesn't last" - Mae West.

(in reply to kathryn2)

Post #: 30