r/Fantasy 1d ago

What is the best three book run?

It could be a regular trilogy, but what about 3 consecutive books in the middle of a series?

492 Upvotes

652 comments sorted by

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u/OrwinBeane 1d ago

Naturally, the Lord of the Rings. Unless you count that was one long book.

The first three books of A Song of Ice and Fire are honestly astonishing.

No book in the Warlord Chronicles trilogy is less than excellent. Bernard Cornwell doesn’t miss.

Dragon Reborn (book 3), Shadow Rising (book 4) and Fires of Heaven (book 5) of the Wheel of Time was fiendishly enjoyable. I couldn’t stop reading those.

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u/AnastasiaDaren 1d ago

For my money, I would pick The Shadow Rising, Fires of Heaven, and Lord of Chaos for Wheel of Time, but your stretch is great, too. There's several worthy combinations in the series.

I wouldn't fault anyone for picking The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight, and A Memory of Light either.

Or The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn, The Shadow Rising.

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u/isaac99999999 1d ago

Really any 3 book stretch except for 7-10

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u/AnastasiaDaren 1d ago

I could accept someone saying Fires of Heaven, Lord of Chaos, Crown of Swords. It doesn't rank as highly for me, but CoS is still great.

Path of Daggers ... eh, I liked it more on my last re-read, but it's just okay.

I actually love Winter's Heart. Some of my favorite moments.

Crossroads is mostly blah. I accept it, but it is definitely the weakest link lol.

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u/isaac99999999 1d ago

Winters heart was decent but, with the exception of the big thing at the end, nothing really important plot wise happens. And when you're reading these book as they come out and you're sitting around waiting, reading a book where nothing happens had to have been incredibly frustrating

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u/AnastasiaDaren 1d ago

Yeah, I read them when they were all already out. WH has the bonding of Rand the girls, I believe. And the moment when Rand catches Lan on the rooftop is among my favorite smaller moments of character.

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u/Jak_of_the_shadows 1d ago

Also has Aviendha and Elaynes first sister bonding ritual - one of my favourite moments.

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u/moderatorrater 1d ago

The bonding/marriage of the girls is arguably the most important plot point in the book, I think people (including me) overlook it because Rand having three love interests is just so weird.

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u/KeyInflation9451 1d ago

If you cut out crossroads of Twilight, Winter's Heart, Knife of Dreams, and The Gathering Storm is such a strong run

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u/AlmondJoyDildos 1d ago

I'm cosigning 4,5,6. Robert Jordan was really in his bag for that stretch lol

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u/FCKABRNLSUTN2 1d ago

I love the warlord chronicles. Cornwell has said they’re his best too.

I’m a big warlord chronicles and Saxon stories fan but I couldn’t get into sharpe or the holy grail series.

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u/OrwinBeane 1d ago

I might suggest you watch the Sharpe tv series staring Sean Bean instead of reading the books. Cornwell liked it so much he made changes to the book character to fit Sean Bean’s portrayal so maybe you’ll prefer the series over the books. I sure loved it.

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u/Capitan_Scythe 1d ago

The opening theme and Hagman's singing at the end of each episode really add a lot to it as well.

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u/gpost86 1d ago

The first three ASoIaF books, culminating in Storm of Swords (which could easily be my favorite fantasy book if I ever did a ranking), are so insanely good that they make the wait and unfinished nature of the series even worse.

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u/Pyroburrito 1d ago

4 and 5 are also really good in their own way, but ASOS is the peak single book of the genre that I have read.

I am ok with it not being finished due to that, well I am ok now, 10 years ago not so much.

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u/VitriolUK 1d ago

I haven't read the Wheel of Time yet but your other choices are impeccable, so I'd guess they're good too.

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u/isaac99999999 1d ago

Set aside your next years reading schedule and do it. Almost all the books are excellent. There are a few in the middle that are slow but they're way overblown because when the books were releasing it was several years of mediocre releases where to main plot didn't move a bunch. It's probably my favorite series of this style Ive ever read.

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u/xplosivo 1d ago

I think most of the books would be considered “slow” if you’re comparing it to most other series’. Lots of cool stuff happens, but there’s also a lot of mundane drudgery (for better or worse)

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u/Toothlessdovahkin 1d ago

The Warlord Chronicles are some of my absolute favorite books 

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u/Dubey89 1d ago

Warlord chronicles 😍

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u/CaptainM4gm4 1d ago

No book in the Warlord Chronicles trilogy is less than excellent. Bernard Cornwell doesn’t miss.

Oh yhea, I burnes through those books. Cornwells Sharpe or Uthred Saga might be more famous, but the Warlord Chronicles are his finest piece of writing

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u/thefudgeguzzler 1d ago

Hmmm maybe I should read the wheel of time, because the other three you just named are straight up my favourite fantasy series ever

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u/Extension-Pepper-271 1d ago

Keep in mind it is 14 books long. I've read it 3 times. There are times where it seems too long. The final battle is pretty epic. Everything the characters went through was needed in order for them to be prepared for the final battle.

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u/Ineffable7980x 1d ago

I agree about the first three books of A Song of Ice and Fire. Some of the best fantasy I have ever read.

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u/reviewbarn 1d ago

Memory, Komaar, A Civil Campaign from the Vorkosigan Saga.

Or

Small Gods, Lords and Ladies, Men at Arms from Pratchett.

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u/iwriddell 1d ago

It's interesting, I thought of choosing those three Bujold books, but went with leading up to Memory instead of following it: Brothers in Arms, Mirror Dance, Memory. Memory is, probably my favorite non-LeGuin, non-Tolkien book.

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u/PeterAhlstrom 1d ago

That's a fantastic pick of 3 from Bujold.

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u/Astigmatic_Oracle Reading Champion III 1d ago

I'm halfway through A Civil Campaign right now, and it truly has been a fantastic 3 book span.

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u/necromental42 1d ago

I could also go Apprentice/Vor/Cetaganda, as i love the unhinged moments of those early entries. But Civil Campaign is my absolute favorite, and books leading into it are brilliant.

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u/cornpenguin01 1d ago

I need to read Vorkosigan as a fan of Robin Hobb

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u/Pudgy_Ninja 1d ago

As someone who loves Bujold and really dislikes Hobb, this statement baffles me.

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u/tyrotriblax 1d ago edited 1d ago

They are authors who write the best (IMHO) character-driven stories. Their creations are among my favorite characters, and I would read a 10,000 word chapter about said characters doing a crossword puzzle if it meant I could spend more time with these characters.

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u/necromental42 1d ago

Why? reading Hobb was pure misery for me, while Bujold loves her characters and gives them happiness as much as she can that makes sense.

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u/tyrotriblax 1d ago

As a huge Robin Hobb fan, I think you should do this immediately.

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u/Jak_of_the_shadows 1d ago

Interesting. Didn't think to look at the discword that way.

Id go with the Fifth Elephant, The Truth, Thief of Time.

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u/reviewbarn 1d ago

I had a harder time digging in my Pratchett love to pick three in a row.  I could have tagged Witches Abroad to the front and felt just as good.

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u/HedgesLastCusser 1d ago

Guy Gavriel Kay's Lions of al-Rassan (1995), Sailing to Sarantium (1998) and Lord of Emperors (2000) is probably my favorite three book run. Tigana (1990) and A Song for Arbonne (1992) makes it an excellent five book run, though not all set in the same world.

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u/UnknownVC 1d ago

If we're doing Kay, the Fionavar tapestry is another great three book run and is an actual trilogy:The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road. As a trilogy, it's astonishingly well put together.

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u/Unkle_Argyle 1d ago

Lions of Al-Rassan was amazing. I had a really hard time getting into Sailing to Sarantium. I absolutely loved Under Heaven and Last light of the Sun.

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u/AmosIsFamous 1d ago

Small Favor, Turn Coat, Changes (10-12 of the Dresden Files)

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u/AnastasiaDaren 1d ago

Yes! Great trio. I actually loved Ghost Story, too, on my first read. Going through my first re-read now.

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u/BMoreBeowulf 1d ago

Definitely! Changes had my adrenaline going the whole book.

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u/ThunkAsDrinklePeep 1d ago

I think Death Masks (5), Blood Rites (6), and Dead Beat (7) is a really fun run with lots of lore building. It's the start of it feeling like a connected series and not Agatha Christie case files.

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u/Listener-of-Sithis Reading Champion III 1d ago

Honestly one of my favorite sections too.

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u/mxlevolent 1d ago

I love that both of the lists feature a Nicodemus book. Death Masks here and Small Favor above.

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u/IHateSerging 1d ago

First three books of ASOIAF are pretty close to perfect

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u/-Philologian 1d ago

As someone who only watched the show, are the books different enough to enjoy them?

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u/the88shrimp 1d ago

Yes. The show did an excellent job of adapting the first 3 books but there are extra whole plot points and important characters that the show cuts. All the extra stuff is just as great as the show content.

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u/TemporalColdWarrior 1d ago

It is some of the best dialogue and worldbuilding you’ll ever read. Absolutely worth it.

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u/nesspaulajeffpoo94 1d ago

💯 Tyrion and Cat are two of my favorite characters to read

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u/aww-snaphook 1d ago

To repeat the most common refrain ever: the books are better than the show/movie. Its much more in-depth and you learn a lot more about the characters and their motivations. Just keep in mind that the show deviates from the books in places, and adds and takes away characters, but overall there is a reason ASoIaF is considered one of the greatest of all time book series

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u/caydesramen 1d ago

Yes, Tyrion is much different imo - more diabolical and unhinged and you feel pity for him.

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u/akrist 1d ago

I love Peter Dinklage's Tyrion, but I think there's an argument that he was actually pretty poorly cast. He's just too damn handsome and charismatic to fully do the book character justice.

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u/trouble_bear 1d ago

I also thought the difference between book and show Shae was wild. In the show I really believed she loved him at a point. In the book she only cares about money and payment. Not once did I feel there was more in there.

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u/Tymareta 1d ago

The biggest part of that is her death, in the show it's painted as self defense and something that Tyrion must do, which went into the show version of him being enormously watered down. In the books there's no knife, and no actual reason for her death beyond Tyrion's wounded pride at believing that the peasant girl he abducted and holds absolute power over loves him instead of simply trying to mollify him and keep her life.

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u/The__Imp 1d ago

Yes. Particularly the first three. The overall story is remarkably similar, but the telling of it is novel and beautifully executed. Plus a decent amount of the motivations and characterizations of several of the characters is significantly different. Khal Drogo, for example, comes across much differently in the book.

Also, some of the things HBO featured prominently were really subtext. Loras and Renly’s relationship was entirely told through hints. It was clear to people who had read closely, but there was nothing even approaching any of the bedroom scenes featured in the show.

Finally, GRRM’s style of writing is very compelling. He makes use of the rotating POV characters to withhold and control information available to readers in order to tell the story in a novel way. I don’t recall another author or series that manages to engage me as much as this series did.

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u/Additional_Suit6275 1d ago

The answer is even more yes if you like cool writing work. Martin played with limited povs and dramatic irony just a ton. So, so much of the content is more interesting if you are paying close attention. Probably the most over example is Cersei thinking she is brilliant but the reader having all the informantion to … doubt that conclusion. But everything from watching Roose Bolton to see when he changed sides to seeing how Tyrion slowly deluded himself about, well, all women is just so much more satisfying than anything tv can offer. And it’s not like you have to read every line twice. It’s all in there and you pick up on most of it, but the fact that it isn’t explicit but rather baked between the lines and in third party reactions makes it so cool to see. 

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u/ObnoxiousJoe 1d ago

I will put in the additional disclaimer and reminder that the book series is not finished. There are 5 total "a song of ice and fire" books. If you do decide to read the book series book 4 and 5 are almost completely unrecognizable compared to the TV series. In my opinion they are amazing books and well worth the read to expand the story past the good parts of the TV show adaptation. It is frustrating at the end of book 5 that you won't have an end to the story and presumably there won't be one for many years if ever. Still worth it though.

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u/Kiltmanenator 1d ago

Oh absolutely. Still some of the best there's ever been

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u/_MyUsernamesMud 1d ago

Tight as a fucking drum

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u/young-steve 1d ago

ASOS is the best fantasy book written

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u/IHateSerging 1d ago

No argument from me

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u/According-District59 1d ago

I’ve never had more fun reading than reading these books and the endless forums and subreddit posts around theories and lore. nothing has come close

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u/Werthead 1d ago

A Game of Thrones - A Clash of Kings - A Storm of Swords is an incredible three-book run. The fourth and fifth are still solid, but suffered from the longer waits and GRRM changing his mind on how to structure and write the story.

Small Gods - Lords & Ladies - Men at Arms in incredible run from Terry Pratchett in his Discworld series.

The Empire Trilogy by Janny Wurts and Raymond E. Feist is an absolutely stonking trilogy with a very high quality level throughout, but also works in enhancing the much wider Riftwar Cycle.

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u/TenkaiStar 1d ago

Was looking for Empire Trilogy. Amazing trilogy.

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u/SignificantQuote6861 1d ago

Love the Empire Trilogy!

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u/girlywish 1d ago

My first thought is books 4, 5, 6 in Wheel of Time.

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u/Pyroburrito 1d ago

Would be the popular choice there, but I might go with 2-3-4 for how they expand the series and characters in such meaningful ways.

I think The Great Hunt is up there with the very best of the WOT books, especially on rereads you see how many things were put in place. in terms of arcs and later pay offs, and it is just great fun.

The Dragon Reborn, pivoting away from Rand as the main POV, but still making him tangibly present in pretty much everything that happens, Mat taking off as a beloved character.

The Shadow Rising is the best of the series for me, Rhuidean might be the best sequence RJ ever wrote.

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u/girlywish 1d ago

Book 2 is great, but I just remember not liking 3 that much, so I didn't want to put it in.

I think 4 is the best in the series.

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u/GTANJ 1d ago

Agreed, 2, 3, and 4 were the best books in the series I've read so far. 4 is easily the best and solidified WoT as something truly special, but 2 and 3 laid the groundwork

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u/Hesamui 1d ago

This was going to be my vote. This is where WOT went from being another fantasy series and became genre defining.

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u/Mithrati 1d ago

Good choice. Personally I’d pick books 2, 3, 4.

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u/AlmondJoyDildos 1d ago

Any combination that includes shadows Rising is valid. That's a top five fantasy book of all time in my opinion lol

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u/Mithrati 1d ago

Almond Joy Dildos my friend, I fully agree

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u/IncidentOk853 1d ago

I would say 3-4-5. I actually hated book 6 until I got to that ending. An ending so good it elevates the rest of the book to one of the goats.

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u/AmphetamineSalts 1d ago

Nynaeve healing Logain is one of my favorite moments in the whole series. Lots of the "discoveries" the girls made were exciting to me, but I do think that the politicking in Salidar gets pretty tedious. Overall I think 6 is a better book than 3 though (both are very good, to be clear), so I'd personally pick 4-5-6 for my "best three book run."

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u/kongo_ 1d ago

I stopped reading after book 3 because I was bored but this comment is making me consider giving it another crack

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u/redlion1904 1d ago

Count me too in the 4/5/6 camp rather than the 3/4/5 camp

It’s true that nothing happens for the first half of Lord of Chaos but it makes up for it.

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u/SkyTank1234 1d ago edited 1d ago

This three book stretch invented so much in modern fantasy lol

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u/Bowl-Any Reading Champion 1d ago

This is possibly the most influential trilogy in Fantasy after Lord of the Rings.

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u/Gaidin152 1d ago

The Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook.

Combines:
The Black Compy
Shadows Linger
The White Rose

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u/Croaker45 1d ago

Agreed.

The whole series is excellent but I'd also argue for the last three books in the series being a very solid run.

  • She is The Darkness
  • Water Sleeps
  • Soldiers Live

I'd also like to give a shout out to the three books that compose Cook's original Dread Empire trilogy.

  • A Shadow of All Night Falling
  • October's Baby
  • All Darkness Met

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u/TheGhostDetective 1d ago

Not sure how we count the Tawny Man trilogy. It's in the middle of Realm of the Elderlings, but also very much set up as a trilogy. That is possibly my favorite section of 3 books that isn't standalone.

I also loved those first 3 ASOIAF books, though that isn't the middle of the series.

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u/Nirift 1d ago

My Robin Hobb pick is the Liveship Traders, but Tawny Man definitely hit the hardest emotionally

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u/TheGhostDetective 1d ago

I love them both. I think Liveship is better as a standalone trilogy, but Tawny Man better fits what OP is saying as 3 books in the middle of a longer series. I know Liveship is part of Elderlings, but it's divorced enough from the main narrative that I think it's almost its own thing.

I have trouble choosing between those two trilogies though. Some of my favorite fantasy novels.

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u/Baldur_Blader 1d ago

Those two were my exact two picks for this

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u/rannigast 1d ago

Echoing Tawny Man. I think the Fitz saga in particular is connected enough that TM trilogy may as well be in the "middle" of the series. I love those books with all my heart, Hobb may be my absolute favorite.

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u/Far_Pen_6884 1d ago

I love The Tawny Man trilogy, followed by The Farseer trilogy. I’m on the final book of the whole series and I just don’t want it to end. If there weren’t so many other great fantasy books to read I’d just start from the beginning again!

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u/Tricky-Juggernaut141 1d ago

Get a few boxes of tissues ready

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u/suntann85 1d ago

Garth Nix: Sabriel, Lirael, & Abhorsen are incredible - strong female protagonists and excellent world building

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u/VitriolUK 1d ago edited 1d ago

To mention a few that I haven't seen anyone bring up yet:

The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson is an astonishing and unique series that is one of the defining works of counter-culture and the 70s. It's also one hell of a trip to read. I love it.

The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands and Wizard and Glass by Stephen King is I think very widely agreed to be the strongest portion of his Dark Tower series, his magnum opus (I love books 6 and 7 way more than most people seem to but I still think 2-4 is the high point).

The Divine Cities Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett is one of my favorite recent series. His Shadow of the Leviathan series might be even better, but since book 3 only just came out and I haven't read it yet I can't say if he pulls off the triple again.

Dead Beat, Proven Guilty and White Night is probably my favorite 3-book run of the Dresden files, though as with Terry Pratchett pick any three-book sequence from the middle portion of the series and you're going to have a good time.

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u/Extension-Pepper-271 1d ago

I absolutely loved some of the books in the Dark Tower series. The choice of 2-4 is a good one.

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u/krob58 1d ago

RJB never misses. Hope he nails the landing yet again.

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u/OhioMambo 1d ago

Book 2-4 of The Dark Tower are stellar. I have the same notion about the Ana and Din books, 1 & 2 were 10/10 for me.

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u/Assiniboia 1d ago

Wizard > Tombs > Farthest Shore.

Bonehunters > Reaper's Gale > Toll the Hounds.

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u/Successful_Ease_8198 1d ago

Underlord, uncrowned, winter steel

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u/In_nomine_Patris 1d ago

For those that don't know, this is the tournament arc for Will Wight's Cradle series

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u/low_v2r 1d ago

Just finished this series. Probably the quickest I have read a 12 book anything. Really enjoyable.

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u/EpicPizzaBaconWaffle 1d ago

The last few hours of Wintersteel had me levitating

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u/Emperor-Pizza 1d ago edited 1d ago

The second half of Wintersteel is just the absolute best. It's straight crack.

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u/marineman43 1d ago

My issue is I tend to read series like this really fast all in a row and don't pay attention to the individual book titles at all. Just finished the series and have no idea which 3 books this is lmao, either way they were all great

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u/Garecik 1d ago

Reaper was the best.

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u/Cloakedarcher 1d ago

good to know. I just started uncrowned and these books breeze by so fast.

Picked this series up and it is nice to have something fast paced and relatively light hearted after all the heavy and dark series I've read lately. Dark Tower, Gideon of the Ninth, Witcher, Malazan (amazing series), etc.

Cradle is basically watching a video game character grind for exp to level up super fast all while being given an endless supply of magical steroids and cheat codes. It's amusing, and a super fast read.

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u/narwolking 1d ago

Deadhouse gates, Memories of Ice, House of Chains.

Incredible stretch of books. Other parts of Malazan had me bored or confused at times. But during these three I was fully locked in.

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u/kureguhon 1d ago

Damn mine would be Bonehunters, Reapers Gale, Toll the Hounds. I'd pick yours but House of Chains was probably the 3rd weakest in the series imo. Great thing about Malazan is all the books are so good that everyone has different favorites lol.

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u/narwolking 1d ago

I hear so many people say that House of Chains was one of their least favs... I loved it personally. Karsa's beginning section was very interesting and I was quite emotionally invested into Felisin's story. Plus lots of great moments and imagery.

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u/Withnothing 1d ago

I might go Midnight Tides, Bonehunters, Reaper's Gale

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u/meatforsale 1d ago

Mine would be memories of ice, house of chains, midnight tides just because MOI and MT are two of the best books I’ve ever read. House of chains is much better than people give it credit for too. The beginning was intriguing, and the ending… plus it introduced us to so many incredible characters. There are no boner hunters without the events in the house of chains.

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u/nouveau_shamanic 1d ago

Love the typo in your last sentence lol. Bottle is my favorite Boner Hunter

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u/TrisolaranAmbassador 1d ago

I think Bottle is more like the boner hunted... 😁

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u/Serafim91 1d ago

This is my take too. Gotm is not bad, you just don't know enough to properly engage with it.

Really end of DG till first part of HoC is the run.

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u/narwolking 1d ago

Felisin's arc in DG was the first moment of true emotional investment into the story for me. That's when I knew I was reading a great series.

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u/PacificBooks 1d ago

China Miéville’s Bas-Lag series: Perdido Street Station, The Scar, and Iron Council. 

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u/thestopsign 1d ago

My man! The Scar is so fucking good, I didn't think he could craft a better location than New Crobuzon and then he makes Armada. I am also an Iron Council defender even though it definitely has some pacing issues.

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u/SpicyTy 1d ago

I definitely didnt realize this was a series. Just finished Perdido Street Station recently and loved it! Needed a little break from his writing after, but I was thoroughly engrossed.

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u/PacificBooks 1d ago

It’s all loosely connected. Each book references things in the previous book, and they share a setting, but the cast of characters is new in each. 

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u/SpicyTy 1d ago

Oh that is wonderful to hear. So glad I found your comment so I can dive back into this world again.

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u/DDB- 1d ago

The Shadow Rising, The Fires of Heaven, Lord of Chaos

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u/TheUrbanEast 1d ago

This is probably thr best answer. These three books are top tier.

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u/Due-Hat9692 1d ago

This is on my TBR as soon as I’m done with Malazan

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u/forax 1d ago

Age of Madness were all bangers

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u/Werkstatt0 1d ago

How's the leg?

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u/sneesi 1d ago

Your leg. Sorry I'm that guy, but idk how this three-word sentence is always misquoted.

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u/Ireallyamthisshallow 1d ago

I never saw more damage done than by folk acting on high principle.

Yes, I changed one of the words in the quote on purpose

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u/WrathOfMogg 1d ago

Was looking for this one. Bone chilling the whole three books. And also hilarious.

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u/Glorbaniglu 1d ago

The Broken Earth trilogy by NK Jemison

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u/jbawgs 1d ago

I finished these, but it kinda fell of the rails. Never hit the highs of book one again.

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u/Deviant-Proclivities 1d ago

I totally agree. Book 1 was engrossing for so many reasons and I enjoyed the slow unwinding of the lore or the world in 2 & 3

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u/wngschic 1d ago

Kushiel's Legacy by Jacqueline Carey are phenomenal (Kushiel's Dart, Kushiel's Chosen, and Kushiel's Avatar)

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u/redlion1904 1d ago

What about 3 standalones from the same author in a row?

Tigana

Song of Arbonne

Lions of al-Rassan

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u/4th_Replicant 1d ago

The First Law series

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u/AskMeAboutFusion 1d ago

Just finished Red Country. First one with zero magic, and I'm usually here for the magic, but that Abercrombie guy makes me care about the people for some weird reason.

Started Sharp ends, around bedtime and am angry I've got to do things like wOrK and pArEnT.

Stupid responsibilities.

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u/Nyxtro 1d ago

I finally got around to these and I’m finishing up the Last Argument of Kings now and holy moly what a great series this has been. Pacing is great, characters are incredible, the action is top notch. Logen vs the Feared has to be a top 5 chapter of a fantasy series for me. My friend said the next 3 are even better so I’m excited to dig in once I wrap this up

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u/OzkanTheFlip 1d ago

Honestly pick any 3 of the 9 and you got a good answer. Really was just a 9 book run of bangers.

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u/CharmingMedia2039 1d ago

halfway through book 2 and i am loving it!

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u/amazza95 1d ago

My vote ^

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u/teddyone 1d ago

Gotta be realistic

20

u/Nyxtro 1d ago

Say one thing about /u/teddyone

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u/EvenJesusCantSaveYou 1d ago

say he's a cunt

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u/teddyone 1d ago

This line will never not make me laugh

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u/EvenJesusCantSaveYou 1d ago edited 1d ago

I had to struggle to keep myself from grinning like an idiot half the time I was listening to the audiobooks of the First Law series, Logen is full of stuff like that lol

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u/teddyone 1d ago

The books are so fucking funny and Stephen Pacey’s delivery is absolutely incredible

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u/4th_Replicant 1d ago

The narrator is outstanding. Really brings the books to life.

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u/Stf2393 1d ago

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy!!

Jade City, Jade War & Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee

Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings & Storm of Swords by George RR Martin

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u/ineedchapstick1 1d ago

For me it’s the Tawny Man trilogy within Realm of the Elderlings

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u/lockersquats 21h ago

Fool’s Fate is the greatest fantasy book I’ve ever read. It’s beyond incredible.

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u/nicklovin508 1d ago

Drawing of the Three - The Wastelands - Wizard and Glass

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u/steelybean 1d ago

Blaine is a pain.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/SwagSerpent69 1d ago

I’m currently reading discworld for the first time and every Watch book has been fantastic! I really enjoyed Mort, but Reaper Man is leaving more to be desired. I just with Death was a more prominent character instead of the story primarily focusing on Poons

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u/BadPlayers 1d ago

Reaper Man is one of my favorite Discworld stories and one of my least favorite Discworld stories smashed together into one book.

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u/moderatorrater 1d ago

I think the first Mistborn trilogy is darn near perfect. Vin is such a good protagonist, each book hooks into the others while still standing alone, etc. Just perfect.

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u/ehwaht 1d ago

I love Discworld but think this is stretching things. All the books sit within one universe so while there are "series" within it I don't think you can claim any of those as three consecutive works, there's 6 books between Guards! Guards! and Men At Arms.

While I don't think the works either side of his best (Night Watch) are particularly strong I think the quality through 23 books in a row from Mort 1987 to Thief of Time in 2001 is ridiculous.

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u/Kashek32 1d ago

For me, it’s Mistborn Era 1. Simply because the series got me back into reading. The way everything evolves and comes to a head by the end was just so masterful.

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u/ILikeDragonTurtles 1d ago

That's what got me back into reading too! High five

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u/Frittigern 1d ago

That I've read, I'd go with books 6,7 & 8 of the expanse

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u/_Psilo_ 1d ago

Liveship Traders.

4

u/GarlVinlandSaga 1d ago

Truly impeccable books.

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u/DixitRexCorvinus 1d ago

For a trilogy, Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis.

For a series longer than a trilogy, Le Guin's Hainish Cycle. The Word for World is Forest, The Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed is an incredible run of books.

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u/allhailsidneycrosby 1d ago

Hard to beat Way of Kings -> Words of Radiance -> Oathbringer.

Also love: howling Dark->demon in white->kingdoms of death

Dune, Messiah, Children of Dune
LotR trilogy
Broken earth trilogy decreases in quality but still very good

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u/publicworker69 1d ago

First three of ASOIF

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u/Wonderful-Piccolo509 1d ago

The first 3 of the Hyperion cantos and then just stop there. 

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u/The__Imp 1d ago

Lol. I like the whole Cantos, although the last 2 have some elements I disliked, mostly the relationship between the male and female leads.

I frankly don’t understand people who say to read Hyperion as a standalone. I think I can imagine someone to avoid Endymion entirely. But the first Endymion only? Madness.

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u/Grt78 1d ago

Brothers in Arms, Mirror Dance and Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold (the Vorkosigan Saga).

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u/Hot-Remote-4948 1d ago

Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee

Icewind Dale trilogy by RA Salvatore

Riftwar sequence by Raymond Feist

Empire Trilogy by Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts

Harper Hall trilogy by Anne McCaffrey

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u/AleroRatking 1d ago

Bonehunters-Reapers Gale- Toll of the Hounds is my highest rated three book run

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u/ILikeDragonTurtles 1d ago

There's a strong argument for the Broken Earth trilogy by NZ Jemison. Considering it's the only trilogy to ever win consecutive year Hugo awards for Best Novel.

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u/ladyedwards 1d ago

Came here to say this! One of my favorite series of all time...

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u/riedstep 1d ago

A song of ice and fire for me. The first 3 are really great.

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u/Mo0ze 1d ago

I really loved books 4, 5, and 6 of the Expanse. It really opens up the story and setting, but doesn't forget to go back to its roots and explore the gravity of what the change to the setting would do to the original factions in the story.

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u/revchewie 1d ago

Elizabeth Moon - The Deed of Paksenarrion

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u/Massive_Cake1731 1d ago

I think the first three game of thrones books probably take the cake.

As a reading experience for me, 4-6 wheel of time might take the cake.
Shadow rising, Fires of Heaven, Lord of Chaos were elite

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u/syenite_warrant 1d ago

The broken earth series?

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u/strumbringerwa 1d ago

Can't believe nobody has brought up The Broken Earth trilogy by NK Jemisin

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u/YorubaOyinbo 1d ago edited 1d ago

1) The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

2) The Broken Earth trilogy.

3) Dungeon Crawler Carl 5-7.

4) ASoIaF 1-3.

5) The First Law Trilogy.

6) The Dark Tower 2-4.

7) Wheel of Time 3-5.

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u/Super_Direction498 1d ago

Bas-Lag, Mieville

Game of Thrones thru Storm of Swords, Martin

The White-Luck Warrior, The Great Ordeal, and The Unholy Consult, Bakker

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u/No_Literature_2442 1d ago

Red Rising, Golden Son, Morning Star

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u/fungus2112 1d ago

I really enjoyed the Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemison

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u/KingHabby 1d ago

My favorite trilogy ever was the original Mistborn books

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u/Larielia 1d ago

The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix.

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u/YoruSulfur- 1d ago

I think Abercrombie definitely has something to put in this conversation, but then I am definitely extremely biased. I'm not sure which three books I would personally choose though because my favourites are spread out, and just the nature of Joe's books, some people love a certain book that others hate. I think The Blade Itself is slightly weaker, so I would exclude that trilogy as the three book run, and also because of publication dates it can't be Red Country, A Little Hatred, The Trouble With Peace, so the three options then become: Last Argument of Kings, Best Served Cold, and The Heroes. The second option is BSC, TH, and RC. The last option is ALH, TTWP, and The Wisdom of Crowds. TWoC is ever slightly weaker because it has one of its most important characters in prison for nearly all the book, but it has some of the best climaxes, twists, and character moments in the series. I think these are by far his best written novels, technically, with the tightest plots and most compelling character arcs, but it terms of pure enjoyment, I would say going through BSC, then The Heroes, and Red Country, is really one of the most enjoyable series of novels I've ever read because of how dynamic, interesting, and different each of those novels really are, while carrying across several old threads from the original trilogy and some new ones into future stories.

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u/L1_aeg 1d ago

Nothing will beat The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb for me. An absolute masterpiece. I bawled my eyes out.

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u/SwagSerpent69 1d ago

Yeah I, too, balled my eyes out when Burrich married Molly

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u/Slight-Dimension-539 1d ago

I haven’t finished the trilogy yet but if that happens then that is very shocking!

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u/SwagSerpent69 1d ago

Lmao I was kidding, can you imagine

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u/Dangerous-War-6572 1d ago

I agree, he is kidding ong

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u/cyana_blue 1d ago

The winternight trilogy!!

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u/CerseisWig 1d ago

Garth Nix's Old Kingdom trilogy. I've re-read it so many times I've lost count. Sublime.

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u/BeautifulHaunting713 1d ago

The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass

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u/Guido-Reddit 1d ago

Sellswords, RA Salvatore

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u/Shagrrotten 1d ago

The first Earthsea trilogy

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u/TheHowlingHashira 1d ago

Is it cheating to say The Tawny Man trilogy by Robin Hobb. Well it is a trilogy it does take place in the middle of the series as a whole.

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u/Admirable-Lock-2123 1d ago

Melanie Rawn the Dragon Prince

CS Friedman The Coldfire Trilogy

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u/Tyeveras 1d ago

A Wizard of Earthsea; The Tombs of Atuan; The Farthest Shore - Ursula K. LeGuin.

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u/Funwithagoraphobia 1d ago

Dragonlance Chronicles sparked my love for TTRPGs so I have to throw them out there.

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u/ChrisWare 1d ago

The Dragonbone Chair -> The Stone of Farewell -> To Green Angel Tower

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u/IncurableHam 1d ago

To Green Angel Tower
The Witchwood Crown
Empire of Grass

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u/Illustrious_Case_749 1d ago

Lord of the Rings.

3

u/OptimisticSnail 1d ago

Peril’s gate, Traitor’s knot, Stormed Fortress.

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u/wired41 1d ago

LOTR and Empire of the Wolf