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justaprogressive

(6,361 posts)
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 01:17 PM 19 hrs ago

Did anyone else get seriously involved with a book series??

Me:

John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee...21 books


Edgar Rice Burroughs The Martian Series (John Carter) 11 books!


E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensmen Series 7 books!


how about you?

41 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Did anyone else get seriously involved with a book series?? (Original Post) justaprogressive 19 hrs ago OP
Way too many to name SheltieLover 18 hrs ago #1
Ursula K. LeGuin, Earthsea series.... lastlib 18 hrs ago #2
Earth sea trilogy is seriously good. Also Orson Scott Card/alternate American history Alvin maker series cbabe 18 hrs ago #4
I, too, read those books LogDog75 6 hrs ago #38
James Lee Burke, Dick Francis, Louise Penny, cbabe 18 hrs ago #3
Harry Potter nt in2herbs 18 hrs ago #5
Loved Travis McGee. Ive read many series. Too many to list. Srkdqltr 18 hrs ago #6
Colleen Mccullough's Masters Of Rome series. Aristus 18 hrs ago #7
Thank you all for the recommendations. perfessor 18 hrs ago #8
Yes, I've read every Dune Book Coldwater 18 hrs ago #9
In high school I read the Dune books and The Sunset Warrior trilogy. Americanme 18 hrs ago #10
Yes, Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series. Think there's 20 of them. sinkingfeeling 18 hrs ago #11
Sue Grafton's alphabet series. MIButterfly 17 hrs ago #12
I liked those too, but at one novel per year... malthaussen 17 hrs ago #14
It's been a while, but I think her novels were all set in the 80s MIButterfly 17 hrs ago #15
my mom loved this series... da svenster 16 hrs ago #20
Sue Grafton came to the metro Detroit area on a book tour MIButterfly 15 hrs ago #23
Depends on what you mean by "involved" and what you mean by "series." malthaussen 17 hrs ago #13
discworld (sir terry pratchett) da svenster 16 hrs ago #16
Couple of problems with that, though... malthaussen 16 hrs ago #22
the first few books are not great da svenster 10 hrs ago #32
alan dean foster's flinx and pip series da svenster 16 hrs ago #17
musn't forget charlie stross' "laundry files" da svenster 16 hrs ago #18
"shorter" series da svenster 16 hrs ago #19
I am nearing the final book of Louise Penny's Gamache/Three Pines series. It's the best series I've ever read. Vinca 16 hrs ago #21
Patrick O'Brian rockyland 14 hrs ago #24
thank you justaprogressive. Yes, Outlander. I have read all 8 books in the series and I am waiting for the last book to debm55 12 hrs ago #25
The Brother Cadfael series. Lars39 12 hrs ago #26
Lord of the Rings surfered 12 hrs ago #27
I read constantly... buzzycrumbhunger 12 hrs ago #28
Several. patphil 12 hrs ago #29
Robert B. Parker Spenser series and Michael Connelly Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer (this a fun post. Thanks.) cbabe 11 hrs ago #30
Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody series, also the Vicky Bliss and the Jackie Kirby mysteries ms liberty 11 hrs ago #31
Guilty Pleasures Indeed unweird 10 hrs ago #33
I love Stone Barrington! Unwind Your Mind 9 hrs ago #37
The Women's Murder Club is great LogDog75 6 hrs ago #39
Dorothy Dunnett Easterncedar 9 hrs ago #34
I've been in a lifelong love affair with the Dune books and the Hobbit/LOR/Silmarillion. Solly Mack 9 hrs ago #35
Depends on what you consider a series Bayard 9 hrs ago #36
The Agent Pendergast series got into a little too much fantasy LogDog75 6 hrs ago #40
A couple of series LogDog75 6 hrs ago #41

SheltieLover

(77,370 posts)
1. Way too many to name
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 01:20 PM
18 hrs ago

I read 2-3 funny cozy mysteries per day. Nothing graphic & no thrillers.

I find fiction much less strange than what passes for truth these days.

Enjoy!

lastlib

(27,649 posts)
2. Ursula K. LeGuin, Earthsea series....
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 01:22 PM
18 hrs ago

Arthur C. Clarke, Rama series.
Isaac Asimov, Foundation/Empire series.

cbabe

(6,293 posts)
4. Earth sea trilogy is seriously good. Also Orson Scott Card/alternate American history Alvin maker series
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 01:31 PM
18 hrs ago

LogDog75

(1,128 posts)
38. I, too, read those books
Thu Jan 22, 2026, 01:43 AM
6 hrs ago

Regarding the Rama novels. I was deployed to Zagreb, Croatia in 1995 and I took the Rama novels, which I had read before, with me. One of the guys in our unit had read them and we discussed them. We heard there was a book store that sold English books and we were told approximately where it was. When we found it the name of the store was Rama.

As for the Foundation/Empire novels, I read an interview of Asimov who said you need to also read the Robot, Galactic, and the Robot Detective series before reading the Foundation series. I, fortunately, have those books.

cbabe

(6,293 posts)
3. James Lee Burke, Dick Francis, Louise Penny,
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 01:28 PM
18 hrs ago

Tony Hillerman, Nevada Barr, William Kent Krueger, Robert Crais, John Sandford, Dana Stabenow, Thomas Perry, Lee Child … and John D Macdonald …

For starters. Read on!

Srkdqltr

(9,444 posts)
6. Loved Travis McGee. Ive read many series. Too many to list.
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 01:37 PM
18 hrs ago

Latest is Jodi Taylor's St. Mary's series. She has several series going, most are good.
I liked Dana Stabanaw's Kate Sugak series

Aristus

(71,778 posts)
7. Colleen Mccullough's Masters Of Rome series.
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 01:40 PM
18 hrs ago

Serious historical fiction. Exhaustively researched, densely detailed, riveting.

The First Man In Rome
The Grass Crown
Fortune’s Favorites
Caesar’s Women
Caesar
The October Horse
Antony And Cleopatra

Americanme

(398 posts)
10. In high school I read the Dune books and The Sunset Warrior trilogy.
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 02:05 PM
18 hrs ago

When my kids read the Harry Potter books, I read them too. And, not series, but I buy anything written by Jimmy Buffett and Willie Nelson.

MIButterfly

(2,214 posts)
12. Sue Grafton's alphabet series.
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 02:45 PM
17 hrs ago

Sadly, she passed away after Y.

I also like Michael Connelly's Bosch series and Haller series and Harlan Coben's Mickey Bolitar series.

Edited to add: Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware series.

malthaussen

(18,446 posts)
14. I liked those too, but at one novel per year...
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 02:59 PM
17 hrs ago

... Kinsey, who was born 5/5/55, should have been 62 years old in 2017. I lost track of the series around "M," though, so not sure how Sue Grafton handled this. Kinsey should have been over 40 already by "M" but clearly wasn't.

-- Mal

MIButterfly

(2,214 posts)
15. It's been a while, but I think her novels were all set in the 80s
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 03:05 PM
17 hrs ago

and Kinsey Milhone never aged. I think she was always in her 30s or thereabouts.

MIButterfly

(2,214 posts)
23. Sue Grafton came to the metro Detroit area on a book tour
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 04:24 PM
15 hrs ago

for "O is for Outlaw." I still have that book, along with other author-signed books, in my secretary desk.

malthaussen

(18,446 posts)
13. Depends on what you mean by "involved" and what you mean by "series."
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 02:47 PM
17 hrs ago

Let's look at Travis McGee. 21 books, as you say, all of which I've read multiple times and several of which I love. But is it really a "series," or just a barely-connected sequence of mostly-unrelated incidents? I tried to compile a timeline for Travis's career and ended up with the sad conclusion that there is virtually no real connection among the books. The exception being the last, written when he was checking out and he wanted to tie up the series for his fans (laudable decision by a dying man), and ended up a very touching last episode.

One of the problem long-running series have, especially mystery/thriller ones, is that they are written over a space of decades, and therefore the character who was young and capable in the first books should be an old, tottering incompetent by the time the last book is written. How old was Travis when he met Lois? How old when Jean shows up? John did occasionally reference these problems -- Travis makes occasional noises about "Birthdays with a Zero" and slowing down/needed more time to recover from adventures, but there's no way he ages 20 years between the first book and the last. Other authors have adopted different devices; one I know sets every book according to a strict timeline, which means books written in 2020 are set in 1990, making them a very odd sort of historical fiction.

That said, to address your question:

In addition to Travis McGee, I've become "involved" with so many series that they'd be impossible to list. Favorites include:

Flashman series by George MacDonald Fraser. Historical comedy with footnotes. Fraser was the most popular author in Britain for awhile before Terry Pratchett overtook him.
Discworld series by that selfsame Terry Pratchett. Not really a connected "series" at all, but several sequences involving particular casts of characters who all exist in a (very) loose timeframe on the Discworld.
Black Company series by Glen Cook. The long story of a company of quasi-mediaeval/fantasy mercenaries who start out in the service of the bad guys, and go downhill from there. Revolutionary for the genre for many reasons. Mr Cook is considered the father of the gritty, realistic sort of fantasy that GRR Martin has made bank on.
Dread Empire series by ditto. This is fantasy on a higher plane than the Black Company, at the level of the clash of empires rather than the day-to-day struggles of a group of grunts trying to stay alive. Unlike, say, the Silmarillion, though, it does have viewpoints from the individual level which drive the narrative, so it is not a "fantasy history" like that book.
Garrett, P.I. series by ditto. And now for something completely different: a genre-blending series that combines a fantasy setting with a noir P.I. protagonist. A tribute to John D. MacDonald in that all the books have titles with metals in them: eg, Sweet Silver Blues, Cold Copper Tears. Also intended to be humorous, if the combination of elves and Sam Spade didn't make that obvious.
The Chronicles of Amber, by Roger Zelazny. In two five-book arcs, a fantasy series that also adopts a kind of gritty, noir approach, and also has echoes of John D. MacDonald (whom Roger directly references in one book). Another parallel with MacDonald is that Roger wrote the last volume of the series literally on his deathbed, in an attempt to tie up all the loose ends for his fans. In justice, he fails and it is unsatisfactory, but as he was busy dying at the time, one can hardly hold it against him.
The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold. Space-opera sci-fi with a unique protagonist. Bujold won the Hugo four times for novels in the series, and I personally believe it was only four times because the Hugo committee didn't want to break Robert Heinlein's record. Lots of comic elements in the series, and my favorite novel of the whole 17 or so is A Civil Campaign which is outright subtitled "A comedy of manners."
The Baroque Cycle + Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson. Not strictly a series, a long trilogy with a fourth volume that is closely related to the trilogy. Stephenson combines history, philosophy, fantasy, and information science in a strange brew which is definitely not everybody's cup of tea, but since I am on a first-name basis with many of the historical characters he references (Leibniz, Newton, Hooke, eg), I love it to pieces.

There are many more examples that could be cited, but this post is already threatening to become longer than the subject matter, so I'll stop here.

-- Mal

da svenster

(86 posts)
16. discworld (sir terry pratchett)
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 03:20 PM
16 hrs ago

saw you had him listed in here so i'm kinda seconding it. i've re-read the entire series (up to raising steam which i just couldn't finish).

i do consider the discworld books a series in the traditional sense, in the same way i consider david brin's uplift books to be a series even though the central characters and locations change a lot over the course (it's also "only" 6 books in length so it isn't anywhere near the collections listed here).

malthaussen

(18,446 posts)
22. Couple of problems with that, though...
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 04:02 PM
16 hrs ago

... in particular, Equal Rites, which kind of stands out as a sore thumb in the Discworld mythos.

-- Mal

da svenster

(86 posts)
32. the first few books are not great
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 09:40 PM
10 hrs ago

i consider mort to be his first "good" book - one that felt like what was to become sir terry. i mean, it's ok, and gets a callback in i shall wear midnight but the earlier books are kind of a collection of jokes strung together.

sourcery is also kinda weak for me but after that, the series takes off. and with

da svenster

(86 posts)
17. alan dean foster's flinx and pip series
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 03:25 PM
16 hrs ago

... last i checked it was around 15 books long. started back in the early 70s although i'm not sure bloodhype was ever meant to be the beginning of anything. i think the first book in that series i read was a paperback of orphan star

da svenster

(86 posts)
18. musn't forget charlie stross' "laundry files"
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 03:30 PM
16 hrs ago

if you're not familiar, think 007 meets lovecraft (with a dash of dilbert before scott adams went off the deep end)

currently around 13ish books long

da svenster

(86 posts)
19. "shorter" series
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 03:40 PM
16 hrs ago

david brin's uplift series - 6 books

dan wells' john wayne cleaver (i'm not a serial killer) books - 6 books

jk rowling's harry potter - 7 books. still enjoyed them in spite of the author (kinda like the buffy movie and TV series, problematic creator, amazing creation)

laurell k hamilton's anita blake - this has got to be close to 30 books but i stopped reading them around 10 books ago.

Vinca

(53,429 posts)
21. I am nearing the final book of Louise Penny's Gamache/Three Pines series. It's the best series I've ever read.
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 03:52 PM
16 hrs ago

I might start reading it all over again immediately. The characters are amazing and I want to live in Three Pines.

debm55

(56,690 posts)
25. thank you justaprogressive. Yes, Outlander. I have read all 8 books in the series and I am waiting for the last book to
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 07:38 PM
12 hrs ago

come out. I have also streamed the series on Netflix.

Lars39

(26,499 posts)
26. The Brother Cadfael series.
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 07:42 PM
12 hrs ago

I bought them all for my kindle. The paper books has the tiniest font. Digital allowed me to actually read them without a magnifying glass.

buzzycrumbhunger

(1,687 posts)
28. I read constantly...
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 07:59 PM
12 hrs ago

… and because I’m poor, I tend to lean toward freebie book lists. I’ll read Tolkien endlessly but will also do mysteries, sci-fi, even silly romance crap (prefer historical but will stoop to anything from modern crap to ridiculous alien hookups). Have stumbled into lots of surprisingly good stuff but off the top of my head, one of my faves is a series (or all of them) by Wendy Vella. Her Sinclair and Raven series (two odd families bound together by extrasensory abilities—in Regency-era England) is fun, often hysterical, and always fascinating. Sometimes, I have to just go with whatever’s free but there are quite a few authors that really make my day.

Biggest disappointment: Game of Thrones. Gods, that drug out so horribly that I couldn’t even care enough to finish the series. So much repetition and dragging out the story… Even worse than the way Robert Jordan floundered around with Wheel of Time—which was only salvaged because he died and Brandon Sanderson had to finish the last two books--which was soooo good, I’m also a Brandon Sanderson fan forevermore. Add any and all Sanderson series to my all-time faves—from Mistborn to even his YA books.

patphil

(8,757 posts)
29. Several.
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 08:11 PM
12 hrs ago

I read the complete "The Lensman" series.
Also, about the first 6 books of Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time". I could see it wasn't getting anywhere, and dropped it.
I also read "The Lord of the Rings" books, including the first book of "The Silmarillion". The Silmarillion series was totally unnecessary.
I also read Roger Zelazney's "Nine Princes in Amber"; at least the first several books. As usual it became a lifelong read, so I dropped that.
Frank Herbert's Dune series also slogged on and on, so I dropped that after "God Emperor of Dune".
As you can see I like Science Fiction but, I've always wanted to know that there was a beginning, middle, and end of a series before I committed my time to reading an open ended time suck.
I should also add the Harry Potter series which I read to completion, and saw all of the movies.

cbabe

(6,293 posts)
30. Robert B. Parker Spenser series and Michael Connelly Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer (this a fun post. Thanks.)
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 08:30 PM
11 hrs ago

ms liberty

(11,008 posts)
31. Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody series, also the Vicky Bliss and the Jackie Kirby mysteries
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 08:33 PM
11 hrs ago

David Eddings, The Belgariad and The Mallorean
Raymond Feist, Magician series
Anne McCaffrey, Pern


unweird

(3,279 posts)
33. Guilty Pleasures Indeed
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 09:43 PM
10 hrs ago

I started with the James Patterson series on Alex Cross. I’ve read 29 of 31 novels in the series so far. Then last year I read the 66 Stone Barrington novels by Stuart Woods. I’m currently reading Patterson’s “Women’s Murder Club” series. They conveniently include a numeric in the titles to aid in consecutive consumption.
1st to Die
2nd Chance
3rd Degree
4th of July
The 5th Horseman
The 6th Target
7th Heaven
The 8th Confession
The 9th Judgment
10th Anniversary
11th Hour
12th of Never
Unlucky 13
14th Deadly Sin
15th Affair
16th Seduction
17th Suspect
18th Abduction
19th Christmas
20th Victim
21st Birthday
22 Seconds
23rd Midnight
The 24th Hour
25 Alive

Unwind Your Mind

(2,326 posts)
37. I love Stone Barrington!
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 11:13 PM
9 hrs ago

I think I’ve read everything Stuart Woods ever wrote

I read the women’s murder club up to a point, about 15 I think

I’m reading more lately because real world is so hideous

Currently on book 21 of J.A. Jance’s J.P. Beaumont series

Thanks everyone for all the good recommendations in this thread

LogDog75

(1,128 posts)
39. The Women's Murder Club is great
Thu Jan 22, 2026, 01:47 AM
6 hrs ago

I look forward to each new book in the series when it comes out.

Easterncedar

(5,629 posts)
34. Dorothy Dunnett
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 10:25 PM
9 hrs ago

Historical fiction: Game of Kings/Lymond Chronicles and House of Niccolo. Both very dense and full of detail - picaresque, swashbuckling, great way to inhabit history, beautiful scenery, tragic battles, witty dialogue and twisty plots.

Also her John Johnson mystery adventure series, lots of fun, wonderful "modern" locations, sailing, spies, international intrigue and the very best chase sequences.

Bayard

(28,800 posts)
36. Depends on what you consider a series
Wed Jan 21, 2026, 11:07 PM
9 hrs ago

There are some authors that get a whole bookshelf to themselves--Stephen King, Dean Koontz, John Sandford, David Baldacci, James Patterson, Tony Hillerman, Preston & Child. Actually, Stephen gets 2 shelves in my library.

As far as a series, I would consider the Agent Pendergast books of Preston & Child. I have almost all of those. I think I have all of the Leaphorn and Jim Chee books of Tony Hillerman.

I usually go through a couple books a week, just reading in the evening. I like hardbacks that I can actually hold in my hands.

LogDog75

(1,128 posts)
40. The Agent Pendergast series got into a little too much fantasy
Thu Jan 22, 2026, 01:55 AM
6 hrs ago

His ward, Constance Greene, is over 100 years old but remains a young woman. Kinda of ruins the story line for me.

I do like the character police Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta.

LogDog75

(1,128 posts)
41. A couple of series
Thu Jan 22, 2026, 02:10 AM
6 hrs ago

The Lucas Davenport novels by John Sandford.
Lucas Davenport is the Assistant Chief of Police in Minneapolis. While in college, he was into board games and developed his own games. While a beat cop, he designed and sold a video police training program making him wealthy. He started his own video game business and sold it for $40 million. He remained a cop and takes on the most difficult cases in the city.

The Kendra Michaels series by Iris Johansen. Kendra was born blind and when she was a teenager her mother, a professor at UC Dan Diego, was able to get Kendra into a stem cell test program, in England, which gave her her vision. Kendra's new vision led her to a hedonistic lifestyle but after a couple of years she obtained a degree in psychology. What sets her apart is Kendra sees things others miss and as a result the police asks her to help them with their cases. During an investigation, she meets an FBI agent and slowly they fall in love. This is a crime mystery series and Kendra's abilities makes for humorous and insightful observations.

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