Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
What we're reading

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

Original poster

can anyone recommend any good trilogies?

66 replies

fifitrixibell · 13/07/2012 00:02

book group reading over the summer is to be a trilogy of our own choice, so I'm looking for ideas! Thanks!

OP posts:
flubba · 15/07/2012 14:36

The Snow Child and The Kite Runner have both 'scored' well (I know it's strange to do, but somebody wanted to keep track...) :o

I think on the whole people found the story dragged, didn't really go anywhere and the characters were frustrating.

LadyWellian · 15/07/2012 13:21

I second His Dark Materials and Guy Gavriel Kay - the Summer Tree is the first book but the series is called The Fionavar Tapestry.

Also enjoyed the Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell books by Susanna Clarke.

Paul Auster's New York Trilogy is one of my all-time greats but it's cheating a bit as it's actually only one book and not a big one at that, so it wouldn't keep you occupied all summer.

I read Pat Barker's The Ghost Road not realising it was the last part of a trilogy - oops - and never got round to going back to the beginning.

Also Bernard Cornwell's King Arthur trilogy - Enemy of God, The Winter King and Excalibur. It's not at all sword and sorcery (which I do rather like) but is a really interesting and probably much more historically accurate take on the Arthur legend.

lilibet · 15/07/2012 13:10

Flubba I'm Shock, we all thought there was so much to discuss in it. Out of curiosity, what have you scored highly? We don't score, we're all nervous enough about recommending without being marked! Our other favourites have been Cold Comfort Famr, Rebecca, A Prayer for Owen Meaney, Woman in White and I Capture the Castle, I'm sure there are loads more but I can't bring them to mind at the moment.

Jux · 15/07/2012 11:39

Gormenghast, Titus Groan, Titus Alone - Mervyn Peake
The Deptford Trilogy, or The Salterton Trilogy or The Cornish trilogy - Robertson Davies

cheesymonster · 15/07/2012 11:19

The Roth trilogy by Andrew Taylor was amazing.

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 14/07/2012 22:36

I'd second Olivia Manning's Balkan and Levant trologies.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 14/07/2012 22:35

The L-shaped Room, The Backward Shadow, and Two is Lonely, by Lynn Reid Banks.

Tangointhenight · 14/07/2012 22:33

The Chemical Garden trilogy, though so far there are only 2 books! By Lauren Destefano. Really recommend them.

NicholasTeakozy · 14/07/2012 22:22

The Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy trilogy by Douglas Adams. If you want a trilogy in six parts. One of which is written by Eoin Colfer.

TheSpokenNerd · 14/07/2012 21:50

Marking place!

BertieBotts · 14/07/2012 21:49

His Dark Materials, definitely.

Call The Midwife? There are three in that series, CTM, Shadows of the Workhouse, and Farewell to the East End.

Recently enjoyed The Hunger Games.

I'm sure I know more than these Shock

Lucelulu · 14/07/2012 21:46

Richard Ford:
The sportswriter
Independence Day
The lay of the Land
John Updike:
Rabbit books (ok theres 4 of them)
Paul Auster:
New York Trilogy

Enjoyed them all thoroughly

sianc80 · 14/07/2012 20:51

The Quickening trilogy by Fiona MacIntosh - some of the best fantasy books IMHO.

I have read the Hunger Games recently and really enjoyed those too.

flubba · 14/07/2012 20:31

Loved the first two of Pullman's trilogy, but found the final one truly awful.

Lillibet ~ We've just read the soldier's return in our bookclub (I was recommended it on here) and it's been one of the worst scored Blush books from our group! Funny isn't it, how wildly different opinions can be! :)

SandStorm · 14/07/2012 20:21

The Otori Trilogy is fantastic. It's spawned a couple more books in the series now but the original three books staring with Across the Nightingale Floor, are just gripping reading.

BenderBendingRodriguez · 14/07/2012 20:19

His Dark Materials is indeed another awesome trilogy. I cried buckets when it ended Blush

lilibet · 14/07/2012 20:05

Anytime any one wants a recommendation for book group I suggest this

Melvyn Bragg which just happens to the the first of a trilogy. My book group has been meeting for almost nine years and it is generally accepted to be one of the best books we have read.

As far as I know, no one has ever taken my suggesstion Sad

StrawberrytallCAKE · 14/07/2012 20:05

So pleased to see people saying dark materials, I know they are more aimed at youngsters but I read them when I was 25 and they're my absolute favourite books. I would pick them to read again over anything. The film was a monumental disappointment though.

BenderBendingRodriguez · 14/07/2012 20:00

Gormenghast. Very wordy, but wonderful.

First three Song Of Ice And Fire books are an amazing trilogy.

Original poster
fifitrixibell · 14/07/2012 19:58

Thanks for all the suggestions - I'm having fun looking at them all but still haven't decided.

I've read the Regeneration trilogy - I really liked the first one but wasn't so keen on the other two.

OP posts:
NoraHelmer · 14/07/2012 12:56

Antonia White - Frost in May. This is the first novel in a quartet.

echt · 14/07/2012 09:19

The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies:1. Fifth Business 2. The Manticore

  1. The World of Wonders

I second Pat Barker's Regeneration trilogy: 1. Regeneration 2. The Eye in the Door 3. The Ghost Road

I envy anyone reading these for the first time. I return to them again and again.

Nigglenaggle · 13/07/2012 20:56

His Dark Materials. Best trilogy ever. Has the superficial appearance of a childrens book but definite layers :)

KurriKurri · 13/07/2012 19:24

Pat barker - Regeneration trilogy - brilliant.

DontEatTheVolesKids · 13/07/2012 14:08

White Cat/Red Glove/Black Heart.

Sort of Harry Potter meets The Godfather. Very funny, too.