Posted on 06/16/2007 7:45:51 AM PDT by Tanniker Smith
The Free Republic Book Club is an informal gathering of readers and lovers of all genre of books, which meets on an irregular basis, which would whenever I remember to post something. The last meeting, Free Republic Book Club: (1/16/07) What's on Your Reading List for 2007? was quite a while ago. Sorry about that.
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This "week's" topic: What's your favorite Book Series?
For the sake of argument, let's define a "series" as any collection of books by an author (or authors) with the continuing characters or a continuing conflict/situation/whathaveyou that is longer than a trilogy.
I imagine that Harry Potter is either high on everyone's list or not on the list at all. But for those that like them, the wait for the last book is almost over.
I haven't read too many other fantasy *series* that I like. I have a "favorite author", but I've only read two of his books and those two weren't related at all.
Oddly enough, I can't think of any SF series off the top of my head, either, that I've read. There are enough of them out there. (I'm not counting the umpteen Star Trek book lines, which I stopped reading 20 years ago or so as I couldn't keep up with them -- and because so many of them were utter garbage.)
I've read a few of Sue Grafton's alphabet books (and heard a couple on cassette in the car) and I'll probably pick up a few more during the summer.
The Lemony Snicket series finally reached The End, but it was probably several books to late.
And I have a huge collection of Doc Savage books in my basement, but I haven't read them in ages because I've been trying to read books that I can get rid of and pass along.
Okay, your turn . . . .
I turn the floor over to . . .
I really enjoyed Stephen King’s Gunslinger series.
book club ping
20 years ago, Jerry Ahern's 'Survivalist' series, and the Mack Bolan/Stony Man books. 8~)
Since the books have the same protagonist, would the work of Tom Clancy be considered a series? If so, that’s my favorite. Tom writes with high granularity, ie, visualization-enhancing descriptive depth. It’s like a movie in your mind.
Oh - Also, Stephen Coonts’ Jake Grafton series, starting with ‘Flight of the Intruder’.
For me Dune is the best series, even the ones by Frank Herberts son are good.
Growing up I loved the Xanth series. I also liked Star Wars books even though most of them are hit and miss, I just like reading them and putting myself into the Star Wars universe.
I REALLY enjoyed “The Raj Quartet”, a four book historical fiction series by Paul Scott which focussed on the ending days of British rule in India. PBS produced a miniseries of the first book, “The Jewel in the Crown” back in the 80’s which was very well received.
Paul Scott is an EXTREMELY descriptive writer, and some may find his writing tedious, but I found it fascinating. Race relations of all types, not only white/Indian, but also between different factions, castes and religions of Indians are explored in great detail and are integral to the twists and turns of the plot line. The main story line centers on a forbidden romance between a young British woman and an Indian man (educated at all the best schools in England, yet not accepted by either the British or his own people).
The first book is a good story in itself and some may be satisfied with just that, but it leaves a lot of questions unanswered and I enjoyed the writing so much, I continued with the other three.
If not Harry Potter, I’d go with Asimov’s Foundation series.
Im re-reading the entire Hardy Boys Canon. I also just finished Pete Early’s book on Aldrich Ames..
OK. If we are talking even from our childhood I’ll go with the Beanie Malone books by Lenora Mattingly Weber. I’d love to have a copy of that series.
For the present, I’d like to list Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta, but I have to hold my nose when I read them because Cornwell has such an obvious homo agenda in her books.
In that case, I guess my most recent favorite is Vince Flynn. I love Mitch Rapp.
Sure, most of his books are continuous -- at least, I think they were. I stopped reading them some time back. I think "Without Remorse" was the last one I read.
I've also thoroughly enjoyed Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey-Maturin novels, and for non-fiction, Bruce Catton's Army of the Potomac trilogy and Douglas Southall Freeman's Lee's Lieutenants trilogy.
The Patrick O’Brian “Master and Commander” series of 20+ books is excellent. I was not too keen on the topic(British 19th naval)at first glance...but this was my incorrect bias. Now I love the topic.
Following Proust’s Lost Time the idea of a series or a set of parallel novels caught on in the realm of literature. Some sets ran to twenty-five novels with the same characters. But, the American West had its dime novels where the adventures of one or another western hero continued forever. The dime novels have disappeared, so if anybody has some of these in a trunk in tha attic it might be an opportunity.
Can’t beat Robert B. Parker’s Spenser & Hawk.
I read Foundation in high school, which is probably what put me off to it. I had difficulty getting through it. That said, I read Foundation's Edge and enjoyed it enough that I picked up Foundation and Earth, which I remember being disappointed by.
I forgot about John Carter of Mars. Love those. I've read about 4 or 5 of them. I have the set in a box in the basement, including one or two that were my older brother's and have a really cool old cover. The rest are from the late-1980s reprint line.
Most are about hunting dangerous game in Africa and the ones that were man-eaters.
He has a way of writing that puts you in right in the story of something that is likely going to kill you in the next paragraph.
“Death in the Silent Places” was a good one for that.
Anyone that likes suspense and being scared **itless by non fiction real stories should enjoy them.
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