What are some good book sagas?

[vickie gee]

Stephen King's Dark Tower series is excellent, and his book The Stand is very good... It's not a saga, but it's long and involved enough that it could be. It's got to be longer than all the Twilight books put togehter. I did not really want to like Twilight, etc., but did (very simple writing but good story). The Stand and is very deep and with religious themes.
Another series that is good (I just finished) is Dean Koontz' Frankenstein ("the monster" is one of the series' heros!). There are 3 books, but supposedly he's coming out with a 4th this summer and there will be two more later. It was one I didn't expect to like, but really, really did. His Odd Thomas (4 books so far) and Chirstopher Snow (Fear Nothing and Sieze the Night) series are also good.

It's fun reading series or long books where you really get to know the characters

PS sort of off subject but as a long, long time huge Stephen King fan, I just about loose my mind with joy when in his books, he will mention characters (sort of as backgroud) from older books. It's like a quick peak at what they've been up to since you last read about them! Dean Koontz also does that, but not very often that I've noticed (a connection to Odd Thomas comes into the 3rd Frankenstein book.)

Hmmm. I listened to Odd Thomas on books on cd. I love to listen while I drive. Works so much better than reading for me...my attention span is not what it used to be

and reading makes me sleepy. I did not know there were sequels to Odd Thomas. I need to get back to this one!

 

[vickie gee]

Francine Rivers is an excellent writer. I have not read any of hers that are sequels although she does have some. I read a book of hers that I really do not remember the exact title...something like AND THE SHOFAR BLEW. It was awesome!!

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Oh yes, the Belgariad is wonderful! So is the Mallorean, also written by David and Leah Eddings.

lol check us out, we are all nerds here. lol

Double ditto on these! I have read and reread them so many times- it's like visiting old friends. Plus if you add Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara you actually have TWELVE books in the series.

Add to my favorites the Dragonriders of Pern series and the Harper Hall trilogy by Anne McCaffrey. More old friends. I prefer the first six books, I feel she really diverged in the last books and lost the feeling of the stories. It was when her son joined her in writing that the quality dropped...

lucy

 

[HorseMom]

I really have to recommend Marion Zimmer Bradley and her Avalon series. Just stunning. There's romance and magic, she puts it all together in such a way that you could really believe that all of that happened. Im re-reading all the Avalon books and I think I may start her Darkover stuff. After she died Diana Paxson took over the stories, she does a great job matching Bradley's works.

 

[Jill]

We have exactly the same taste in reading, Jill

Loved the Dean Koontz Frankenstein series and Odd Thomas. Love Dean Koontz period!

We have very good taste in books

Hmmm. I listened to Odd Thomas on books on cd. I love to listen while I drive. Works so much better than reading for me...my attention span is not what it used to be

and reading makes me sleepy. I did not know there were sequels to Odd Thomas. I need to get back to this one!

I do ALL my reading via audio books, too! Sometimes when I drive, but always before I go to bed at night or if I am feeling supremely lazy and indulging myself, during the day for awhile (this usually ends up causing a nap). I love unabridged audio books!!!

 

[Littleum]

Non fantasy is Jean M Auel's Earth Children series (Clan of the Cave Bear, Valley of the Horses, the Mammoth Hunters, Plains of Passage and Shelters of Stone) Plains of Passage is my favorite. Shelters of Stone is pretty much a soapbox but I waited 12 years for it so I read it. This is an adult read, by the way. It's not a "bodice ripper" romance novel, but well... do you blush easily?

There's also always the classic Heralds of Vladamar series from Mercedes Lackey. There are multiple series within the universe, although there is an overriding story arc as well.

There's also "The Unicorn Quest" series by John Lee. I think they're out of print, but if you like not-so-typical unicorn fantasy, good selection. Kind of dark.

And there's my favorite, "Hunnuli" series by Mary H Hebert. The two best books are the first two: Dark Horse and Lightenings Daughter. You can stop reading there, there are more books but they're increasingly awful. Winged Magic is pretty much unreadable, and I didn't even bother tyring to slog through Valorian's Children.

If you can get your hands on them, try Meredith Ann Pierces "Firebringer" trilogy. More unicorns. They're classified as "young adult fiction" but there are some really, really dark themes. REALLY dark themes. Sigh... I love how some folks think just because it's about unicorns it's for kids...

And there's also the Dragons of Pern series, of course.

And if you can get them, Mary Stanton's "Heavenly Horse" duo: The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West and Piper At The Gate.

 

[Charley]

You might like the Catherine LeVendeur series by Sharan Newman. Some are a little hard to find, sometimes you can find them on eBay.

I also liked Pillars of the the Earth and World Without End by Ken Follett.

I loved both of these series.

 

[yankee_minis]

I've read the Belgariad series by David Eddings.

Loved Jean M. Auel's series.

Terry Brooks, Shanara series is awesome.

Terry Goodkind, the Sword of Truth series, incredible. I've read that at least 3 times.

Stephen King's The Gunslinger series

Just picked up The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson and I'm enjoying that very much.

Harry Potter of course.

Twilight of course

I have Ergaon somewhere here

And I started the Golden Compass book because I loved the movie.

***Added***

Just finished Mistborn series and LOVED it! I highly recommend it. Not boring, lots of action, well-rounded characters. Left me wanting to read more about it but the story was quite satisfying.

 

[KanoasDestiny]

Wow! I've never heard of most of these! You all are awesome! I work for the school district and once summer comes around, I have a couple months to just sit around the house and not do much. I usually go on a reading frenzy. Lol.

I just read about the (is it a kindle?) thing Sonya mentioned yesterday, but I think I'm still a bit confused by it? I've always wanted to get the audio books, but I've always had this fear that it wouldn't be the same as actually reading the book, or that it would put me to sleep in bed instead of peeking my interest? Brings back memories of my grandma playing me a "Garfield goes camping" story when I was in bed ready to sleep.

Do you guys get irritated when listening to them in your car and you have to keep stopping it during the good parts?

I was reading about "The mistborn" yesterday. Was it a good story? Also, how is the Golden Compass? Is it an easy to follow story? I have to be honest, I JUST now started reading the Twilight series and I'm reading "Twilight" and the draft of "Midnight Sun" at the same time, so that I can understand both sides. Such a shame that all the drama happened with that last book, as it does reveil alot of the questions of why Edward acts the way he does.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I second the Outlander series, I ADORE that author! I only found her a few years ago but plowed through the books like I was starving and am really excited to go to Scotland and visit some of the sights because her writing made them so real to me. If you aren't fond of books that involve bedroom scenes you might not like these though, she doesn't shy from the sensual side of life when it comes up in the course of the plot. Still, the premise is interesting and the characterization amazing; I'm more than half in love with her male lead. Some very deep stuff in these books on the choices we make, honor, family, love and motherhood. Lots of humor too.

My favorite author is Mercedes Lackey. I grew up on her Valdemar series and love those but she did a great job re-imagining dragons as a behavioral species in "Joust" and her Masters of the Elements series where each book follows the story line of a traditional fairy tale like Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty are extremely original and enjoyable. Her female leads are always strong but real, her horses and horse-like creatures a joy to read about and her villains are complex and well-motivated. I'm afraid her more recent books are definitely getting repetitive and losing their quality but the majority of her work is well worth reading.

Doranna Durgin is another amazing horse author and I especially recommend her "Changespell" series.

"The Ship Who..." books are good, so are the "Ender's Game" volumes. Narnia is a classic that I enjoyed as a teen.

Add to my favorites the Dragonriders of Pern series and the Harper Hall trilogy by Anne McCaffrey. More old friends. I prefer the first six books, I feel she really diverged in the last books and lost the feeling of the stories. It was when her son joined her in writing that the quality dropped...

Agreed, but the majority of the series was wonderful.

And if you can get them, Mary Stanton's "Heavenly Horse" duo: The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West and Piper At The Gate.

There was a second book from that line?!

I always enjoyed "The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West" but I never knew there was another one! *runs for Amazon*

Leia

 

[billiethekid40]

I second (third?) the Jean Auel's Earths Children Series. I'm reading it now for the first time and I'm a bit more than half way through The Plains Of Passage. Really enjoyable series so far, but I do agree about not wanting anyone reading over my shoulder during certain parts to see why I'm blushing LOL

My absolute favorite series though (or rather series of series is the best way to describe it) is the Farseer Trilogy, the Liveship Trader trilogy and the Tawny Man trilogy, though they read like a nine book series. I just read online tonight that the author, Robin Hobb has writen two new books to continue the story and let me tell you- I'm heading to the book store in the morning! I'm currently also just starting to read the Soldier Son trilogy to my husband and we are both enjoying it so far.

 

[Littleum]

And if you can get them, Mary Stanton's "Heavenly Horse" duo: The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West and Piper At The Gate.

There was a second book from that line?!

I always enjoyed "The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West" but I never knew there was another one! *runs for Amazon*

Yes! It's been out of print for years, but you can get it on Ebay usually. It's called "Piper At the Gate"- the Aussie edition was called "Piper At the Gates of Dawn" You are only the third person I've EVER met who knows those books.

There are all kinds of continuity errors- good for a laugh! Looks like Stanton had a "OH! That's SO much better! I like THAT idea" moment or two while writing Piper and changed the fiction from the first! I had to go back and go "What? That's not what happened!" I can't believe her editor let her get away with it. I'm kind of depressed as well we never find out what happens to Daisy, and there's never any clarification on just who/what "Fox" was (no spoilers for folks who haven't read Heavenly!) The book kind of gives the feel that there would be a 3rd...

If you like that universe, get the anthology "Horse Fantastic". There are 2 Stanton stories in there- "Pidgeons for Passangers"and "The Horse Boy". There's also a Mercedes Lackey story that tells how Alhreich gets out of Karse and becomes a Herald.

 

[Mominis]

And if you can get them, Mary Stanton's "Heavenly Horse" duo: The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West and Piper At The Gate.

There was a second book from that line?!

I always enjoyed "The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West" but I never knew there was another one! *runs for Amazon*

Yes! It's been out of print for years, but you can get it on Ebay usually. It's called "Piper At the Gate"- the Aussie edition was called "Piper At the Gates of Dawn" You are only the third person I've EVER met who knows those books.

There are all kinds of continuity errors- good for a laugh! Looks like Stanton had a "OH! That's SO much better! I like THAT idea" moment or two while writing Piper and changed the fiction from the first! I had to go back and go "What? That's not what happened!" I can't believe her editor let her get away with it. I'm kind of depressed as well we never find out what happens to Daisy, and there's never any clarification on just who/what "Fox" was (no spoilers for folks who haven't read Heavenly!) The book kind of gives the feel that there would be a 3rd...

If you like that universe, get the anthology "Horse Fantastic". There are 2 Stanton stories in there- "Pidgeons for Passangers"and "The Horse Boy". There's also a Mercedes Lackey story that tells how Alhreich gets out of Karse and becomes a Herald.

Ooooh! I'm going to try those two books. I love horse fiction. One of my favorites, though not a saga, is a book from the late 70's/early 80's called Riders by Jilly Cooper. It's tough to find, but it is a great read. It's about showjumpers in the UK. Really sensational.

 

[MiniDashofBlue]

I will second Terry Goodkind, the Sword of Truth series (7 books I think) its big on the fantasy with magic, and Eragon (3 with one more coming) lots of dragons, magic, and forrest/war type settings. Also George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire (5 or 6 books) very mideival/renaissance with some magic and sorcery, focuses more on the war and tactics, it sometimes gave me a headache as they are big books.

 

[RobinRTrueJoy]

There is a series of books by Tim Lahaye... The first book is called left behind, there are about 10 books and it is fabulous!

Robin

 

[Charley]

Yes, I agree with Robin, I have read the Left Behind series too. They were a very good read and hard to put down.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Yes! It's been out of print for years, but you can get it on Ebay usually. It's called "Piper At the Gate"- the Aussie edition was called "Piper At the Gates of Dawn" You are only the third person I've EVER met who knows those books.
There are all kinds of continuity errors- good for a laugh! Looks like Stanton had a "OH! That's SO much better! I like THAT idea" moment or two while writing Piper and changed the fiction from the first! I had to go back and go "What? That's not what happened!" I can't believe her editor let her get away with it. I'm kind of depressed as well we never find out what happens to Daisy, and there's never any clarification on just who/what "Fox" was (no spoilers for folks who haven't read Heavenly!) The book kind of gives the feel that there would be a 3rd...

If you like that universe, get the anthology "Horse Fantastic". There are 2 Stanton stories in there- "Pidgeons for Passangers"and "The Horse Boy". There's also a Mercedes Lackey story that tells how Alberich gets out of Karse and becomes a Herald.

Been there, read those along with Cat Fantastic!

I actually remember "Pigeons for Passengers" although I hadn't paid attention to who the author was when reading it as a teenager. We've got a lot of odd animal fiction from the 70's and 80's on our shelves and I grew up reading those old books.

Leia

 

[FairytailGlennMinis]

Mercedes Lackey, Mercedes Lackey, Mercedes Lackey!!! Can you tell who my favorite author is???? She has such a broad variety of book series, something for any mood I am in, but all of them have to do with magic.

The Valdemar series:

start with The Black Griffin and move forward through the Herard books --30something of them in trilogies--you will LOVE the characters!! A lot of people prefer to start with the first real Herald books--the Last Herald Mage trilogy, starting with Magic's Pawn. These characters become beloved friends....trust me...you'll see!!!

The Obsidian trilogy--a bit dark, but good books.

The Dragon Jousters: I can't say enough good about this set!!

The Fairytale series:start with The Fairy Godmother and you will be hooked. These are more lighthearted, fun, magic/lore based romances. I LOVE them! Easy reads...good bedside reading when you just want something fun. Great humor in these!!

The Bardic series: if you are in the mood for some dark and sometimes very disturbing stories that still have deep characters and a touch of humor. This set got a bit too dark for me and I had to leave them be. SCARY! Jill would love these!

The Halfblood Chronicals--start with Elvenbane

umm...there is another series about Magicians...can't remember the same of the set....deals with elemental magics. Great variety and characters....good stories! The Wizard of London is one of them...Gates of Sleep....Serpents SHadow....

 

[HorseMom]

I've read most of Mercedes Lackey books. I have to say Alberich is my favorite character. I like my fantasy very dark, epic, and with minimal magic so I quickly tired of them. Just not epic enough for me. I tired reading them again but just couldn't do it, so I handed them off to my younger sister who adores them.

There is also the Green Rider fantasy series that was pretty good by Kristen Britain. The characters were paired with a special horse, and they worked as a team. The horses didn't talk to their riders, just a very strong bond. Only problem is that she's very slow to get the next book out. I waited a couple years between book one and book two. Three is out now, but I haven't gotten around to picking it up yet.

Also I really have to say you need to pick up Horse Play by Judy Singer. I laughed so hard through most of the book. It's a quick read, I finished it in a day. Everyone should read it, you all will love it.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

And if you can get them, Mary Stanton's "Heavenly Horse" duo: The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West and Piper At The Gate.

There was a second book from that line?!

I always enjoyed "The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West" but I never knew there was another one! *runs for Amazon*

Yes! It's been out of print for years, but you can get it on Ebay usually. It's called "Piper At the Gate"- the Aussie edition was called "Piper At the Gates of Dawn" You are only the third person I've EVER met who knows those books.

There are all kinds of continuity errors- good for a laugh! Looks like Stanton had a "OH! That's SO much better! I like THAT idea" moment or two while writing Piper and changed the fiction from the first! I had to go back and go "What? That's not what happened!" I can't believe her editor let her get away with it. I'm kind of depressed as well we never find out what happens to Daisy, and there's never any clarification on just who/what "Fox" was (no spoilers for folks who haven't read Heavenly!) The book kind of gives the feel that there would be a 3rd...

If you like that universe, get the anthology "Horse Fantastic". There are 2 Stanton stories in there- "Pidgeons for Passangers"and "The Horse Boy". There's also a Mercedes Lackey story that tells how Alhreich gets out of Karse and becomes a Herald.

I read them eons ago... I didn't like them. *shrugs* I don't remember why. Maybe if I read them again I'd like them better, but I think I lent them out and never got them back, or I donated them to our local library... hmmm....

Lucy