What are your favorite serial book series?

[Joe Washington]

Book series with storylines that go beyond the one book. Which of them are your favorite? What makes them your favorite?

 

[Lt. Brannigan]

My first thought was the S.M. Stirling Terminator novels, the first two are great but the third seems rushed.

Then I can't leave without mentioning The Williams Shatner Star Trek Books.

 

[Warp Coil]

- The Dresden Files - the "A" plot tends to change with each novel but there are several on-going storylines and characters that weave through the series
- Harry Potter - I'm nearly done with book 5 ("The Order of the Phoenix") and I'm excited about where the last two books will go
- ST: DS9 relaunch novels

 

[Shurik]

A Song Of Ice And Fire by G.R.R. Martin.

 

[Mike Farley]

THE DRESDEN FILES by Jim Butcher
REPAIRMAN JACK series by F. Paul Wilson (part of the greater Adversary Cycle)
ANITA BLAKE series by Laurell Hamilton - until they devolved into porn

 

[flipjack]

When I was a kid I really like Jack L. Chalker's "Rings of the Master" and "Well World" series. And of course Stephen King's Gunslinger series.

 

[Lookingglassman]

The Zone by James Rouch - It is an old series of books dealing with a team of American and British Soldiers fighting in World War III.

 

[Admiral Shran]

Horatio Hornblower

 

[JiNX-01]

Foundation
Harry Potter
Enterprise relaunch

 

[ebusinesstutor]

Harry Turtledove: World at War/Colonization Series (lizardlike aliens invade during World War ii) and his Fox series

Elizabeth Moon's Seranno/Suiza and Vatta series

Lois McMaster Bujold's Vokosigan, Sharing Knife and Chalion series.

Katherine Rusch's Retreival Artist and Fey series.

Mercedes Lackey Valdemar series.

 

[Nerys Myk]

SHARPE series by Bernard Cornwell

SONG OF FIRE AND ICE by G R. R. Martin

WARLORD CHRONICLES by Bernard Cornwell

DARK TOWER by Stephen King

 

[Skywalker]

Currently, Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files. Harry Dresden is one of my favorite characters ever.

Props also go to Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels. I wish he'd write another one, there's room for at least one or two more adventures in there.

 

[Starbreaker]

Really like Dune. The first four books form a nice quartet.
Harry Potter

I don't really read a whole lot of series because I never can really get into the first book of one.

 

[flipjack]

Oh I forgot Dune. I also forgot Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonriders of Pern."

 

[Caliburn24]

I don't know about my favorite series, too many choices. But the two series I'm most anticipating being completed are the Wheel of Time and A Song of Ice and Fire.

Whether or not those two series rank at the top will of course depend on how they end.

 

[ToddPence]

Simon Hawke's "Time Wars" series. I reread this every couple of years or so.

 

[Marten]

I have a fondness for The Belgariad and Malloreon, inspite it's flaws.

 

[Colonel Midnight]

A Song of Ice and Fire, as previously mentioned.

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, by Stephen R. Donaldson.

Also, the loosely-tied together (IMO) "Asian Saga" by James Clavell, i.e. Shogun, Taipan, King Rat, Noble House, Whirlwind, and Gaijin.

Cheers,
-CM-

 

[Mistral]

Simon Hawke's "Time Wars" series. I reread this every couple of years or so.

I found these amateurish and overly convoluted but to each their own.

Richard C Meredith's Krith series is awesome. Poul Anderson's Mauri series is great. Love Turltedove's World War/Colonization series, Brin's Uplift saga rocks but I think my favorite is either Heinlein's Future History, Piper's Little Fuzzy series or Steele's Inner Space series. On the other hand, The Wizardry series by Rick Cook is delightful, Farmer's Riverworld novels are astounding and Resnick's Democracy series is really tight. The Stainless Steel Rat also comes to mind, as well as the BOLO series. Then, of course, there's Stirling's Draka series-which is amazing in a sick sort of way. Truthfully, picking one is just wrong-they all have moments and things that make them fun.

 

[Deckerd]

I like James Lee Burke's Robichaux novels although you can't really call them a series. They are serial of course, since you can say that about any author who writes more than one book about the same person. So in that mood, I also have to say Martin Cruz Smith's Renko novels rank highly on my bookshelves.