Sci-fi/Fantasy series you actually finished

[Dan Reitemeier]

Just got done reading a thread of unfinished series...thought I'd start this one

I have read every pern book except the most recent...Of the 20 or so in print theres probably 12 or so i really really enjoyed, the others were ok.

The foundation series by Asimov IMHO was horrible. The initial trilogy was great but the sequels ruined the series. This series made me unwilling to read anything else by asimov.

The dresden files by Butcher. I read all but the most recent. Not the highest form of literature but I think they are fun to read.

The Ender saga by Card. Ender's game, Ender's shadow and speaker for the dead are magnificient...every other book in the series sucks...and I went up to shadow of the giant.

The Ringworld series by Niven. Ringworld was wonderful. The series continued to fall off with ringworld children being the worst.

The Lensmen saga by Smith. The first series I ever read and I still love it today. Not the best series in the world, but one of the first really good ones to ever be written (Smith predates everyone but Verne and Wells).

The Sword of Truth by Goodkind. Some truly execellent books in this series. Some really bad ones too (books 3,5, and 7 come to mind). Concluding trilogy was ok but I wasn't satisfied with the ending.

The Uplift War series by Brin The initial trilogy was great, but then brin refused to write about the best characters in the following trilogy.

The Runelords by Farland...this is an ok series. Nothing spectacular, but nothing out right horrible either.

Finally David webers Honor Harrington series. Overall a really fun series. The last 2 books have been filled with a lot of boring political stuff, but it appears he may be shifting the focus back to the war which would be good.

I'm sure I have forgotten some but thats all my brain will come up with right now.

[Randy Johnson]

James Patterson's Maximum Ride plus the two adult books he says are not part of the series. A group of kids gene-engineered with wings and able to fly. I think they fit into the SF/F mold. Simon R. Green's Hawk and Fisher series. Two police officers in a fantasy town that carry swords and axes. Burroughs' John Carter of Mars. Everyone knows that one.

[izanobu]

I just finished Butcher's most recent Dresden novel. Mmmm tasty.

Anyway, there are so many series that it's sort of hard to list them all... But here are some that are either epic in number or that I really loved and haven't been mentioned... (or both).

I've read all the Anita Blake books plus All the Merry Gentry books by Laurell K Hamilton.

I've read pretty much everything ever written by Robin McKinley (including the kids books) and by Margaret Atwood (ok, not a sci/fi author in her own mind, but plenty of her short fiction borders the speculative and Handmaid's Tale is totally soft sci/fi). Also, all of Lovecraft including the Nonfiction. Same with Tolkien, since he was an Old English scholar and actually a pretty good one. I wasn't able to find all his academic stuff, but re-reading his books after studying OE certainly clued me into a ton of in-jokes and details I'd never known were there.

Elizabeth Moon's Deed of Pakesnarrion and the related Gird books. Also her Planet Pirates series (with other authors) and I'm almost done with all the available Vatta books.

I've also just re-read all the Thieves World novels and collections. Whew.

Harry Harrisons' Stainless Steel Rat series.

Almost everything by David Eddings (there is a lot, and most of it has the same plot). (The Elenium is my favorite series of his).

Barbara Hambly's Sunwolf and Starhawk trilogy.

Andre Norton's Witchworld books.

Terry Brooks- All the Shannara books except the High Druid series (I'm on the second one now). All the Magic Kingdom for Sale books. The Word and the Void trilogy.

I'm sure there are many others I'm forgetting.

Personally, I think anyone who publishes more than one book in a series should then compile the whole thing in omnibus format. I like having the entire thing in one volume. (Get on that, Scalzi! ;) )

[Manzabar]

• Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan: Some were good and some I just slogged through as I wanted to finish the series. I'm kind of looking forward to the final book being written by Brandon Sanderson (with Jordan's notes).
• Narnia by CS Lewis: Yum.
• The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper: Double Yum.
• Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
• Incarnations of Immortality by Piers Anthony
• Magic Kingdom for Sale by Terry Brooks
• The Conqueror's Saga by Timothy Zahn
• Discworld by Terry Pratchett
• Dune by Frank Herbert: Dune was good, the sequels less so.
• Legends of Dune by Brian Herbert: Blah to meh.
• Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams
• Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
• Necroscope by Brian Lumley: Horror/sci-fi, only really liked the first one.
• Mary Stewart's Arthurian saga: Top notch
• Foundation by Issac Asimov
• The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson
• The Gap Cycle by Stephen R. Donaldson
• Mordant's Need by Stephen R. Donaldson
• Forever War/Peace/Free by Joe Haldeman
• Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
• Rose of the Prophet by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
• Blue Adept by Piers Anthony: Meh, I liked it when I was young but looking at it now I've no idea why.

Those are all I can remember off the top of my head, but I'm sure there are others. I moved a lot as a kid, so I frequently retreated into books and have always been a voracious reader

[adelheid]

Ender Quartet by Orson Scott Card
Incarnations of Immortality by Piers Anthony (although I think another one is coming out or came out that I haven't read)
Foundation series by Asimov
Ukiah Oregon series by Wen Spencer
Tinker duet by Wen Spencer

[Random Michelle]

Oooh! A much happier topic!

Series I've finished:

Harry Potter
David Eddings' Belgariad and Mallorean (I read the Ellenium but just couldn't get into it.)
Thieves' World, which required me to search used book stores near and far to complete the series
Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series -- at least what's out in paperback
Simon Green's Nightside series -- again with the paperback
Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series, The Khaavren Romances , The Viscount of Adrilankha, and pretty much anything he has ever written
Charles de Lint's Newfoed series -- I think. Though I may have missed a book somewhere
The Deathgate Cycle by Weis and Hickman
Anything written by Sean Russell or Guy Gavriel Kay
Dennis McKiernan's Mithgar series
PN Elrod's Vampire Files
Bruce Aleander's John Fielding series
Kate Ross' Julian Kestrel series (possibly the best mystery series I have ever read)
Ian Flemming's James Bond series (so fun! I'd love to read them again but the books are falling apart)
Christopher Fowler's Bryant & May series
Patricia Briggs
Sarah Zettel's Camelot series
Sandman - Neil Gaiman
Rising Stars - J. Michael Straczynski
Fables - Bill Willingham
Runaways - Brian K Vaughan & now Joss Whedon
Ex Machina - Brian K Vaughan

There are lots of other series I pre-order right now, but I'm not sure there have been enough books that the quality will remain high. That's be Kat Richardson, Carrie Vaughan, Liz Williams, Rob Thurman, Mark del Franco, Michelle Sagara. And more so I should probably shut up already!

[Phil]

Hmm... Let's see. Really, there's very few series I won't continue to the bitter end.

• Rowling: Harry Potter
• Simon R. Green: Nightside series(all of the issued paperbacks), Hawk and Fisher series (incl. the "prequel" Blue Moon Rising, and the end (endquel?) book Beyond the Blue Moon)
• Terry Prachett: I have and have read every Discworld book up to the latest hardcover (Making Money)
• Jim Butcher: Entire Dresden Files series to date (include the one just released), all Codex Alera to date
• RA Salvatore: All the Drizzt (Gesundheit!) books, and the Entreri/Jarlaxe spinoffs, but I think I'm about done with this one
• Tad Williams: Otherland and Memory, Sorrow & Thorn
• Peter F Hamilton: Night's Dawn Trilogy, and pretty much everything else except the Greg Mandel series (urrk!)
• Tolkein: Everything he (JRR) published including his Middle English poem translations. Not the corpse raping books put out by Christopher.
• David Gemmell: Stones of Power Cycle, The Drenai Saga, The Rigante, Troy series
• Michael Moorcock: Every Elric book, Prince Corum, Hawkmoon books, Count Brass (really more Hawkmoon), Von Bek series, Prince with the Silver Hand (another Corum series), Cornelius novels.
• Brian Lumley: Necroscope, Vampire World Trilogy, E-Branch Trilogy, Titus Crow, New Adventures in H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands, House of Doors series (really only two books there), Psychomech series
• Ian Douglas: Heritage Trilogy, Inheritance Trilogy
• F. Paul Wilson: Adversary Cycle, Repairman Jack series
• Julian May: Saga of the Exiles
• CS Friedman: Coldfire trilogy (love those Michael Whelan covers)
• Raymond E. Feist: Riftwar, Kelewan series (with Janey Wurts),Serpentwar, Riftware Legacy, Conclave of Shadows, Darkwar Saga
• David Drake/S.M. Stirling/Eric Flint: Belasarius Saga, Raj Whitehall Series
• David Weber/John Ringo: Prince Roger Series
• David Weber: Dahak Series, Honor Harrington
• John Ringo: Polseen War, Looking Glass, Council Wars
• Eric Flint: Ring of Fire/Assiti Shards (they keep changing the damn name of the series...)
• James P. Hogan: Giants Novels
• Glen Cook: Black Company, Instrumentalities of the Night, The Dread Empire, Garret novels
• Steven Brust: Vlad Taltos, Viscount of Adrilankha, Pheonix Guards series (what a hoot those two were)
• L.E. Modesett, Jr.: Recluce Saga, Forever Hero, Ghosts Trilogy, Ecolitan Matter, Timegod
• Neal Asher: Ian Cormac/Polity Series

That's off the top of my head. I'm sure there's more...

Oh, yeah, the OMW books :)

[ilyusha]

Short of repeating the entries found in previous posts (Tolkien, Rowling, Jordan, Pratchett, Adams, etc.), here are a couple that has not been:

George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire - it's ongoing, with at least three more books until the conclusion.
Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders and other trilogies - I expressly admire an author that does not demand my attention for a decade to finish the story...

[willywoollove]

I completed Tolkiens Rings Trilogy(even delved deep into lost tails)
Harry Pottter
Star Wars Expanded Universe(still reading new releases but never read young adult or comic books)
R.A. Salvatore (can't remember title but one of his early trilogys)
Timothy Zahn (some Space Trilogy)
Pierce Anthony ( xanth series and the series where dude becomes president of the galaxy)
John Varley's Red Thunder trilogy
Dan simmons Hyperion series(in the process of finishing)
Probably read more but for the life of me I can't remember. I'll add em as I do Remember.

I plan on finally reading Adams Hitchhiker series soon.