Fantasy Book Series You Won’t Be Able To Put Down
Hidden Gems To Devour During Quarantine
At the moment people are finding themselves with a bit more time on their hands — you have all the normal obligations, plus some extra ones to boot, but with social distancing in place we have to turn to other means of entertainment. While Netflix is always a popular choice, curling up with a good book can be just as good, if not better. With that in mind here are some fantasy series that you’ll want to binge read.
I decided to go with some lesser well-known series but trust me, they are definitely worth the read.
1. Study Series — Maria V Snyder
Maria V. Snyder has quite a few books under her belt, and a few series too, most of which take place within The Chronicles of Ixia. Her first books, The Study Series, are what drew in many readers in the first place and are arguably some of her best. In them we are introduced to some fascinating characters in a world we can’t wait to find out more about.
The series follows Yelena, a nineteen year old who has been given the death penalty for murder. (Don’t worry, no spoilers, we are introduced to the book with this premise). However, when she is offered the role of food taster for the Commander instead of death things really get interesting.
This is a series to read if you like castles, fantasy worlds, action, magic and a little romance.
2. Skulduggery Pleasant Series — Derek Landy
The multiple award winning Skulduggery Pleasant series takes place in our own world, mostly in Ireland, and follows young Stephanie Edgley, your normal, run-of-the-mill twelve year-old girl living a normal life. All of this changes one night however when she meets Skulduggery Pleasant, a sorcerer and detective whose a few hundred years old and also happens to be a skeleton — and an impeccably dressed skeleton at that. Stephanie’s world is turned upside down as she learns of the secret underworld of magic that exists all around her.
Landy’s talent for writing compelling and intriguing characters keeps us glued to the page, and his mastery of humour and wit often has us laughing out loud (this actually happened to me a number of times) — Skulduggery Pleasant is actually one of my favourite literary characters ever, which is saying something. Landy’s fight scenes (of which there are many) have this realistic quality to them, and he attributes this to the fact that he taught karate for ten years, and is a black belt himself. The books get more serious, darker and more compelling the further along you go (not unlike Harry Potter) yet never lose that magic that got us hooked in the first place.
I’ve also listened to this series on audiobook and it’s one of the best I’ve ever come across (although I personally think that no one can beat Stephen Fry narrating Harry Potter).
This is a series to read if you like detective stories/crime, humour, magic and action.
3. The Secrets Of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel — Michael Scott
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is made up of six books which were released between 2007 and 2012. In this series we follow twin brother and sister Sophie and Josh Newman, two seemingly ordinary teenagers — that is until one day a series of events occurs that completely changes their lives. Nick Fleming, the owner of the bookstore Josh is working in, reveals that he is actually the famous alchemyst Nicholas Flamel, and he needs Josh and Sophie’s help to prevent Dr. John Dee from completely damning the world. What’s more, he believes Josh and Sophie are destined to help and that they are the twins the old prophesy speaks of. From here we are launched into an epic adventure that takes us all across the globe, and we meet some characters the world thought were dead or just myth.
Michael Scott beautifully merges the world of today with the one of legend in a fantastic ‘end-of-the-world’ saga that addicts the reader. His imagination, world-within-a-world building and ability to intertwine history with the modern times makes for a truly enjoyable read.
This is a series to read if you like magic, history, myths and legends and action.
