My favorite book series

For my 8th Thursday 13 I’m listing some of my favorite book series. I enjoy following a good series through it’s installments. Some series are wrapped up in three books and others take 31 (and counting) books to tell the tale the author wishes to relate. One interesting thing I notice as I look over this list is that they are all Sci-Fi or Fantasy books (my secret is out!). So without further ado, in no particular order, here are my 13 favorite series.

1. Harry Potter – J.K. Rowling
Have you been living under a rock or on a desert island? No need for explanation here.

2. Xanth - Piers Anthony
31 and counting installments in this “trilogy”. I was given “A Spell for Chameleon” as a gift when I was 15 and I’ve been hooked since. Xanth is a magic world where Centaurs and Zombies abound, the residents perform magic routinely and from time to time they visit the very strange and boring land of Mundania.

3. Incarnations of Immortality – Piers Anthony
7 books follow the 5 Incarnations (Death, Time, War, Fate & Nature) and their interactions with good, evil and the world at large.

4. Dragonriders of Pern – Anne McCaffrey
A remote planet where Dragons are revered and necessary for the survival of humans.

5. Sword of Truth – Terry Goodkind
The common man turns savior, gets the girl, loses the girl, gets the girl, loses the girl… Another fantasy series set in a land torn apart by war, but alive with magical powers.

6. Wheel of Time – Robert Jordon
Once again the reluctant common man turns savior. Many, many plot threads and more characters than I can count. Again a land torn apart by greed and evil with magical powers available for our heroes and villains.

7. Dragon Prince – Melanie Rawn
An arranged marriage, a sudden ascent to the throne and the descent of a country into war. A fantasy world worth visiting.

8. Dune - Frank Herbert
Life on a planet with precious little water, giant worms, mysterious & important spice and the ever present underlying theme of war.

9. Inheritance - Christopher Paolini
Described by some as formulaic and simple, also compared (unfairly imho) to Lord of the Rings. I still enjoyed these books, but then I’m a sucker for dragons. Also keep in mind he was 17 when he wrote the first book… in other words WOW!

10. Legends of Camber of Culdi – Katherine Kurtz
A world where magic is performed only by those of a specific race. A world where discrimination and persecution of this race become common. A slow boiling civil war between the magical and non-magical races carries us through this series.

11. Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
Okay, how’s that desert island treating you and how are you accessing the internet and still know nothing of this series?

12. Memory, Sorrow and Thorn – Tad Williams
A world erupting into war, another reluctant and this time somewhat bumbling hero, a magician’s apprentice tries to save his world from evil.

13. Otherland - Tad Williams
A world where virtual reality is common place and people have jacks in their heads to connect to the Net directly. A “cyber-punk” adventure with many intriguing characters. Virtual reality gone bad, children in comas and heros trapped in virtual reality simulations.