Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants need to list their top series that they need to catch up on. I felt this was a very interesting list to get involved with, as there are several awesome series out there that I’ve partially read, or whose authors I’m already familiar with that I need to read more from. I ended up coming up with 10 excellent entries for this list, as well as some great honourable mentions. I honestly really need to explore each of these series a lot more and hopefully including them here will inspire me. So let us see what made the cut.
Honourable Mentions:
Empire series by Anthony Riches
An exciting and well-written historical fiction series set in ancient Rome. I’ve read a few books in this series, including the 11th book River of Gold, but I’ll probably jump back to the start and read the series in its entirety.
A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin
A big series with a lot of baggage around it. I’ve already read A Game of Thrones, but I really need to read all the other book, especially as I’m curious about how the show diverged from the book plot. The size of these books and how long they will take me to read them are generally the main reason I haven’t dived into this series yet, although I would probably try if the next book in the series ever gets released.
Flavia Albia/Falco series by Lindsey Davis
I’ve currently a few books behind on the Flavia Albia series, which I hope to catch up to at some point. I also really need to read Davis’ original Falco series set before it.
Warhammer: The Horus Heresy by various authors
An incredibly complex and elaborate Warhammer series that serves as an extended origin story for the current Warhammer 40,000 canon. I’ve so far only touched the edges of this combined series, and I hope to take the time and probably read the entire thing at some point (although it’s another major time investment).
Top Ten List:
The Powder Mage trilogy by Brian McClellan
First on this list we have the very awesome Powder Mage trilogy by Brian McClellan. An exceptional fantasy series that follows revolution and civil war involving gunpowder snorting mages, The Powder Mage trilogy is a major series with some epic action behind it. I’ve already started this series by powering through the first book, Promise of Blood, which was an outstanding five-star read. However, I never got the chance to dive into the rest of the books, which is something I’ve really regretted. I fully intend to read the rest of The Powder Mage novels at some point, and this will probably lead me to the sequel Gods of Blood and Powder trilogy. An excellent first entry for this list, and one which is a real reading priority for me.
Warhammer 40,000: Gaunt’s Ghosts series by Dan Abnett
In this next entry we have a series that I’ve already made a fair bit of progress with, the Gaunt’s Ghosts series by Dan Abnett. One of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 series, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books follow the exploits of a regiment of regular human soldiers, attempting to survive in the grimdark Warhammer universe. I have had an exceptional time with this series, which has featured some amazing books like First and Only, Necropolis, The Guns of Tanith and Straight Silver. I have so far read seven Gaunt’s Ghosts books, but stopped after Sabbat Martyr, which served as a the end point for an arc within the series. I honestly needed a break after some key deaths in the last few Gaunt’s Ghosts books, and I’ve been distracted with some other Warhammer novels the last few years. I will hopefully start diving into this series again soon, as it is a key series that any Warhammer fan really needs to check out, and I cannot wait to see how it all comes together.
Infinite Timeline by Jeremy Robinson
One of the more unique series on this list is the elaborate Infinite Timeline series by science fiction thriller author Jeremy Robinson. Initially made up of several seemingly standalone novels with unique storylines, Robinson sought to make a connected universe, when the protagonists of each book eventually interacting and working together to face a larger threat. I managed to read several books in this series, including Tribe, The Dark and Mind Bullet, but due to coming in a little late, I never got the chance to really sink my teeth into it. I’m hoping to go back and read more from this series in the future, although Robinson is keeping me distracted with some of his more recent releases. Overall, though, this was a very cool series concept, and I hope I get the chance to read all the thrilling stories within, especially the awesome sounding Khaos.
The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson
One of the big fantasy series I really need to continue is the iconic The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. One of the author’s biggest series (literally), The Stormlight Archives follows several unique characters in a ravaged fantasy realm of spirits and complex magical items. I really enjoyed the first book in the series, The Way of Kings, which does a wonderful job of setting up the series and which remains the longest audiobook I have ever listened to. However, the insane length of each book in the series is a major reason why I haven’t had the time to keep going with this series. I’m hoping to eventually scratch together some time to listen to The Stormlight Archive, and I’m very curious to see how this series continues. I’m also keen to check out Sanderson’s Mistborn series at some point, as I’ve heard it’s exceptional.
Batman by Tom King
I don’t have a lot of unfinished comic series on my lists, but one I definitely still need to finish off is Tom King’s run on Batman. An extended run of 85 issues, King stewardship of Batman produced some particularly powerful storylines that really dove into the character of Batman and the minds of his damaged rogue’s gallery. I loved every volume of this series I have so far read, although I haven’t had the chance to get into some of the later volumes. This is a mistake I really must fix, especially as these remaining volumes feature some key moments in the wider Batman mythos.
Warhammer Fantasy: Gotrek and Felix series
Probably one of the most iconic series released in the wider Warhammer universe, are the fantasy Gotrek and Felix books. Following a doomed dwarf slayer, determined to find death in glorious battle, and his human companion as they adventure across the cursed Warhammer Fantasy realm, the Gotrek and Felix books are a fantastic series I had an amazing time getting into. I’m currently about seven books into this series, having powered through great entries like Trollslayer, Skavenslayer, Daemonslayer, Dragonslayer, Beastslayer, Vampireslayer and Giantslayer. I’ve stalled a little with the series because Giantslayer was the last Gotrek and Felix book written by original author William King. I’ve heard that the rest of the series is pretty awesome, and I need to make the jump into the next arc written by Nathan Long.
The Great Leveller Trilogy (The First Law series) by Joe Abercrombie
Regular readers of this blog will know that I am massive fan of Joe Abercrombie and his extended First Law series, including the books in the Age of Madness trilogy (A Little Hatred, The Trouble With Peace and The Wisdom of Crowds). However, I have consistently failed to read the loosely connected Great Leveller trilogy that sits between the original First Law trilogy and the later Age of Madness trilogy. Made up of three standalone books, Best Served Cold, The Heroes and Red Country, this trilogy is apparently some of Abercrombie’s best writing and I’ve always kicked myself for not reading it sooner.
Forsaken trilogy by R. J. Barker
One of the series I haven’t quite started but need to get into is the Forsaken series by R. J. Barker. Barker is a very talented author who has been writing some amazing and varied series over the last few years, including his Wounded Kingdom (Age of Assassins, Blood of Assassins and King of Assassins) and Tide Child trilogies (The Bone Ships, Call of the Bone Ships and The Bone Ship’s Wake). I’m also currently nearing the end of his latest novel, Mortedant’s Peril, which is so damn good and is really convincing me to read more of Barker’s work. As such, I feel that I need to mention the Forsaken books here, which is a series that I completely failed to read, despite having every intention to check out. Filled with heroes, gods, failed prophecies and continuous winter, all three Forsaken books sounded incredible, but I never had the time to read them. This is something I need to fix, and this entire trilogy is very high of my must-read list, especially as everything Barker writes is so damn addictive and complex.
Sigma Force by James Rollins
Years ago, I had the pleasure of reading some of the earlier books in James Rollins’ Sigma Force series. A fun thriller series that followed a secretive special forces team as they investigate several unusual events around the world; the Sigma Force books are a major action series with some very crazy cases. I have long meant to get back into the Sigma Force books, and I really want to start from the beginning and follow it through to some of it’s outrageous sounding latest entries. I have a feeling that I will have an exceptional time starting this series again, and I’m curious to see just how weird things get in the Sigma Force books.
The Buccaneers trilogy by R. A. Salvatore
I’m currently behind on a couple of series and trilogies released by legendary fantasy author R. A. Salvatore, but the one I most want to check out is The Buccaneers. A compelling series set in Salvatore’s Corona universe, The Buccaneers trilogy serves as a both a continuation of some storylines started in the classic Demon War Saga, as well as the more recent The Coven trilogy (Child of a Mad God, Reckoning of Fallen Gods and Song of the Risen God). I’m very curious to check out this more nautical themed fantasy series, and it will be interest to see how Salvatore’s awesome overarching narratives continue. A fantastic series that serves as an excellent final entry for this list.
Well, that’s the end of this latest list. As you can see, there are some amazing series out there that I need to get back into. I’m pretty happy with how this list came together, and hopefully I will be able to find the time to go back and read this series soon. Let me know what series and authors you need to catch up on in the comments below.
