Getting your hands on a fantasy book series with plenty of twists and turns in the plot is enthralling. So, drag yourself away from your smartphone and stop doing the doom, scroll through the timeline on your social media pages, and get invested in a good fantasy book series that you can sink your teeth into. Reading fantasy books packed to the brim with magic, spells, adventure, mysterious alternative universes, and interesting characters is a great way to fuel your creativity and imagination. Are you going through a particularly tricky time in your private life at the moment? Then starting to read a fantasy book series is a beautiful escape and a great way to give yourself some peace and keep your mind off the difficult things going on in your life. To discover more, read our guide on five-book series fantasy fans must-read.
Harry Potter
The Harry Potter series is the highest-selling book series ever of any genre. Since the first book Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was released in November 2001 by the author J.K Rowling, over 500 million copies of books in the Harry Potter series have been sold worldwide. In addition, the movies have also been smash hits with global audiences. In total, the movie series earned billions and billions of dollars, as people of all ages lined up at movie cinemas across the world to watch the collection of classic magical films. Not to mention how much was then made through DVD sales, merchandise, and so on. Harry Potter books remain valuable collectors’ items today. In December 2021, the first 1997 British edition of the Philosopher’s Stone sold for $471,000 at an auction in the USA.
So, why is the book series quite so popular? The author came from humble beginnings and endured poverty while taking care of her daughter as a single mother as she wrote the series. She left all her imagination, creativity, and emotions on the page. Rowling created fantastic original concepts, like the Hogwarts and a school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and famous spells with origins in ancient languages such as Avada Kedavra (Aramaic) for the killing curse, and Wingardium Leviosa to make objects levitate (a combination of English and Latin). Quite simply, the world Rowling came up with through the Harry Potter book series is exciting, imaginative, and always leaves the reader keen to read more. If it weren’t for Rowling’s genius ideas and storytelling capabilities, the book and movie series would not have enjoyed as much success as they did.
Lord using a cycle of the Rings
The three Lord of the Rings books, The Fellowship of the Ring, the Two Towers, and The Return of the King, were written by J.R.R. Tolkien as sequels to the Hobbit, released in 1937. The series plunges readers into Middle-Earth, following the trials and tribulations of a Hobbit and his eight brave companions in their quest to destroy the powerful ‘Ring’ to save the planet from the Dark Lord Sauron, who rules Mordor and has keen ambitions to rule all of Middle-Earth. The books are long yet real epic page-turners that fans of fantasy books just won’t be able to put down once they have started reading them.
The movie trilogy also enjoyed a great deal of success, managing to gross around three billion US dollars in total in cinemas worldwide. The movies became well-known for their groundbreaking special effects and stunning cinematography. Many of the stunning scenes in the Lord of the Rings trilogy were filmed in New Zealand. Andy Serkis’s fantastic eerie depiction of Gollum has gone down in folklore with Lord of the Rings fans.
Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia are a collection of spell-binding children’s fantasy books written by author and theologian C.S. Lewis where siblings manage to unveil a new world through the back of their wardrobe at home. The series of novels remain highly popular today. They are widely thought to teach children important, valuable life messages about how to look out for good and evil in the world and greed being a vice that you should try and steer yourself away from.
A Song of Ice and Fire
A Song of Ice and Fire is an epic fantasy book series written by novelist and screenwriter George R.R. Martin. The books are based on events in Westeros and Essos, fictitious areas that Martin created. The TV show, currently shown in HBO max, has become one of the most-watched TV series ever in recent years. So, what makes the narrative so gripping? Why have some many people got themselves engrossed in the books and movies? Some scientists have attributed its widespread popularity to the way that the audience is able to digest the story through the lens of a long list of different characters. For example, in the books, the chapters alternate between the perspectives of eight different characters.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
This fantasy book series follows the adventures of teenager Percy Jackson, son of the Greek god Poseidon. The series has been one of the best-selling children’s fantasy book series in the past decade. It’s one you should check out.
So, despite the rise of the internet and instant gratification in the digital age, reading fantasy novels still offers some unbeatable escapism. Getting immersed in a fantasy book series can be a breathtaking experience.
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