The seven-book, eight-film epic that is the Harry Potter series ended last July 14. If you're one of those headless chickens running around and fretting about the end of your childhood, you might want to check these books out - Harry Potter wasn't the only published character in the past fifteen years he's reigned the Bestsellers' list.
1. Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
To kick things off, we have the grandfather of the grandfather of the grandfather of the fantasy novel. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King) and the prequel The Hobbit had all the elements that'd pop into your head when you hear "magic": wizards, witches, spells, potions, dwarves, elves, average joes with great destinies, mortals (read: slightly more average than the average joe, but still ordinary humans) with awesome fighting skills, dragons, cauldrons, and the quintessential good vs evil fight.
Read this: No ifs. Trust me, the films' couldn't capture Tolkien's Middle Earth.
2. The Chronicles of Narnia, CS Lewis
Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! Each book, from The Magician's Nephew to The Last Battle pulls you right through the wardrobe door and into a whole other world. There's no magical-kingdom-smack-dab-in-the-middle-of-reality; Narnia is this 'somewhere else' reachable through good ol' Earth, but only if you still believe in it. Here, animals talk, wood and water nymphs dance, and though you're a perfectly ordinary kid, you can be someone special.
Read this: It's another seven-part series! And the best thing is, you can read the seven books two ways - published or (internal) chronological order.
3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Rick Riordan
Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Aphrodite, Hera, Apollo and all the Greek gods and goddesses have moved Olympus to the Empire State Building in New York and brought with them a new flock of demigods - half-human, half-god, but not necessarily all-hero. Percy Jackson narrates this series, and let's just say he's an unconventional narrator, protagonist, hero.
Read this: If you love waiting (with impatience!) for the next book in a series to come out, and if you want some wise-cracking, hotshot kid to be your eyes.
4. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Read this: If you want to relieve the book-adapting-to-film process. Book purists are at it again!
5. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
As good as Harry Potter is, Artemis Fowl is not. A twelve year old criminal mastermind bored with the easy pickings of the mortal world, Artemis decides to trifle with a different species entirely: elves, dwarves, goblins, pixies - fairies, in short.
Read this: If you're looking for a character that's a bit more morally ambigous.
1. Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
To kick things off, we have the grandfather of the grandfather of the grandfather of the fantasy novel. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King) and the prequel The Hobbit had all the elements that'd pop into your head when you hear "magic": wizards, witches, spells, potions, dwarves, elves, average joes with great destinies, mortals (read: slightly more average than the average joe, but still ordinary humans) with awesome fighting skills, dragons, cauldrons, and the quintessential good vs evil fight.
2. The Chronicles of Narnia, CS Lewis
Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! Each book, from The Magician's Nephew to The Last Battle pulls you right through the wardrobe door and into a whole other world. There's no magical-kingdom-smack-dab-in-the-middle-of-reality; Narnia is this 'somewhere else' reachable through good ol' Earth, but only if you still believe in it. Here, animals talk, wood and water nymphs dance, and though you're a perfectly ordinary kid, you can be someone special.
Read this: It's another seven-part series! And the best thing is, you can read the seven books two ways - published or (internal) chronological order.3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Rick Riordan
Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Aphrodite, Hera, Apollo and all the Greek gods and goddesses have moved Olympus to the Empire State Building in New York and brought with them a new flock of demigods - half-human, half-god, but not necessarily all-hero. Percy Jackson narrates this series, and let's just say he's an unconventional narrator, protagonist, hero.
Read this: If you love waiting (with impatience!) for the next book in a series to come out, and if you want some wise-cracking, hotshot kid to be your eyes.4. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Take the shock of Cedric Diggory's death, the loss of Sirius Black, and the death of the invincible Albus Dumbledore and stretch that over three books. There's no magic here, just the gritty details of 24 children forced into an arena to fight, until only remains alive. The books are still appropriate, but at the same time, there's no sugar-coating and sweetness - just the reality of life.
Read this: If you want to relieve the book-adapting-to-film process. Book purists are at it again!5. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
As good as Harry Potter is, Artemis Fowl is not. A twelve year old criminal mastermind bored with the easy pickings of the mortal world, Artemis decides to trifle with a different species entirely: elves, dwarves, goblins, pixies - fairies, in short.
Read this: If you're looking for a character that's a bit more morally ambigous.
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