11 Must-Read Sagas
Classic popular sagas we couldn't not have on the list!
New sagas that you will want to explore!
What makes book series a “saga”?
Is it the characters and plot? What genre the book falls under? Or is it simply the number of books in the series? While definitions may vary, agreed-upon characteristics include stories spanning generations or following a group of people over the years as the world around them changes based on their decisions and actions.
Sagas are expansive narratives that span multiple volumes. The plot weaves across each book, creating a series of interconnected events that drive the story forward, raising the stakes as readers creep toward the finale. This results in detailed worlds, rich stories, and memorable characters.
Despite its length, every must-read saga has two important pieces to hook readers in for the journey: character growth and complex themes. Sagas have the time to explore themes of power, ambition, and destiny. They showcase a world where every decision a character makes ripples through the narrative, significantly affecting the course of events and forcing characters to change alongside them.
Many of the most popular sagas fall into the fantasy and science fiction genre. Classics include Tolkien's work, Lord of the Rings, and accompanying works, The Witcher Saga by Andrzej Sapkowski, and LeGuin’s The Earthsea Cycle. More modern sagas, such as Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer, are starting to push the boundaries of what is a saga. Today, someone could argue that a series like Bridgerton is a saga.
If you want rich, complicated, and engaging series, these must-read sagas are a great place to start. Each saga has complex characters whose victories you’ll celebrate and losses you’ll mourn. They are all set in a world with a rich history waiting to be unveiled. All offer an experience you’ll become emotionally invested in as a reader.
The 11 New and Old Must-Read Sagas:
The Eye of the World: Book One of the Wheel of Time
by Robert Jordan
The Wheel of Time is now an original series on Prime Video, starring Rosamund Pike as Moiraine!
The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.
Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time(R) has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. The last six books in series were all instant #1 New York Times bestsellers, and The Eye of the World was named one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.
More on A Wheel of Time:
This fantasy series was first published by Robert Jordan in 1990. Originally planned as a six-book series, it now consists of fourteen novels. In 2007, Jordan passed away before completing the series but left extensive notes about the story's final parts, allowing author Brandon Sanderson to write the final three books. Now is a great time to start this epic saga because you can enjoy the new Amazon Prime “Wheel of Time” series spoiler-free.
The Poppy War
by R F Kuang
A Library Journal, Paste Magazine, Vulture, BookBub, and ENTROPY Best Books pick!
Washington Post "5 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novel" pick! A Bustle "30 Best Fiction Books" pick!
A brilliantly imaginative talent makes her exciting debut with this epic historical military fantasy, inspired by the bloody history of China's twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic, in the tradition of Ken Liu's Grace of Kings and N.K. Jemisin's Inheritance Trilogy.
When Rin aced the Keju--the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies--it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn't believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin's guardians, who believed they'd finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard--the most elite military school in Nikan--was even more surprising.
More on The Poppy War:
The shortest of the must-read sagas, this three-part story is heavily inspired by the 1937 Nanjing Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War in China. While this story is in a fantasy world, it heavily resembles mid-20th-Century China with a Song dynasty atmosphere. It follows Rin, a young woman whose actions during the war will shape both her world and the spirit world forever.
Battlefield Earth: Saga of the Year 3000
(Sponsored)
by L Ron Hubbard
Sadistic Aliens loom… Noble humans rise… Is it the end or a new beginning?
“One of my favorite works of science fiction ever. Brilliant.” —Hugh Howey
“Pulse-pounding mile-a-minute sci-fi action adventure that does not stop.” —Brandon Sanderson
Battlefield Earth is an enormous epic of adventure set in the year 3000, when the future survival of what's left of the human race is at stake. When Jonnie Goodboy Tyler decides to venture out of the small and dwindling community of humans barely surviving in their Rocky Mountain retreat, he has no thought of challenging the order that for a thousand years has held the earth prisoner to the oppressive alien race of the Psychlos.
More on Battlefield Earth:
In the year 3000, Earth has been conquered by nine-foot-tall, gas-breathing alien invaders called Psychlos. The few surviving humans are hunted for sport by the sadistic aliens. But a small band of rebel humans, led by Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, vow to fight back against impossible odds and reclaim their planet. Discover this classic sci-fi epic that Neil Gaiman called “unputdownable!”
A Wizard of Earthsea, 1
by Ursula K Le Guin
Ged was the greatest sorcerer in Earthsea, but in his youth he was the reckless Sparrowhawk. In his hunger for power and knowledge, he tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world.
This is the tumultuous tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.
Dune
by Frank Herbert
In 1965, after being rejected by more than a dozen publishing houses, a book called "Dune" was brought out by the Chilton Book Company. Its respected author, journalist Frank Herbert, had written "Dune" with nothing more in mind than to entertain his readers with the telling of a particularly complex story, one which had occupied his thoughts for more than six years. No one - not Herbert, not Chilton, not the science fiction community at the time - had any idea that "Dune" would be adopted and read by successive generations with a fervor bordering on cult worship. Or that it would prove to be merely the first of what have now become five international bestsellers about a desert world of the future - the planet Arrakis, called Dune.
More on Dune:
This classic science fiction series inspired other epic stories, like Star Wars. The six-book series led to the creation of two miniseries and a 1984 film. However, modern readers will recognize it as the source material for the 2021 and 2024 Timothee Chalamet films.
A Game of Thrones
by George R R Martin
Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. To the south, the king's powers are failing: his most trusted advisor dead under mysterious circumstances and his enemies emerging from the shadows of the throne. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the frozen land they were born to.
More on A Game of Thrones:
A must-read saga list wouldn’t be complete without one of today's most popular fantasy sagas. Inspiring the hit show “Game of Thrones,” many are familiar with this series. It is a master class in weaving together character stories to create a larger narrative. While many sagas allow readers to invest in characters throughout the series, these books might be the exception.
A Darker Shade of Magic
by V E Schwab
"Addictive and immersive, this series is a must-read." --Entertainment Weekly
Kell is one of the last Antari--magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.
Kell was raised in Arnes--Red London--and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.
More on Shades of Magic:
The Shades of Magic trilogy, published between 2015 and 2017, was considered complete. The characters had come to their inevitable finale. However, in 2023, V.E. Schwab published The Fragile Threads of Power, the first book in a Shades of Magic “spinoff series” that just happens to follow all of the same characters as the original series. While this “spinoff series” introduces a handful of great new characters, fans of the original trilogy will find it comforting to be back in the minds of their favorite characters. More books are yet to come for this saga.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book One: The Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan
The #1 New York Times Bestseller Now a series on Disney+
12-year-old Percy Jackson discovers he is the son of Poseidon in the opener to the hilarious, fast-paced adventure fantasy series for young readers ages 10 and up
Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school again--he can't seem to stay out of trouble. Is he supposed to stand by while a bully picks on his scrawny best friend? Or not defend himself when his teacher turns into a monster and tries to kill him?
Mythical creatures seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. What's worse, he's angered a few of them: Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.
The Last Wish: Introducing the Witcher
by Andrzej Sapkowski - Danusia Stok
Geralt the Witcher--revered and hated--holds the line against the monsters plaguing humanity in this collection of adventures, the first chapter in Andrzej Sapkowski's groundbreaking epic fantasy series that inspired the hit Netflix show and the blockbuster video games.
Geralt is a Witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless hunter. Yet he is no ordinary killer. His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world.
But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good . . . and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.
Twilight
by Stephenie Meyer
Fall in love with the addictive, suspenseful love story between a teenage girl and a vampire with the book that sparked a "literary phenomenon" and redefined romance for a generation (New York Times).
Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn.
Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.
Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.
The Fellowship of the Ring: The Lord of the Rings: Part One
by J R R Tolkien
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
A rare recording featuring Tolkien himself reading exciting selections and singing enchanting songs from the awesome trilogy of books whose literary light will never fade away.
Our must-read sagas are a great way to dive into captivating reads full of intricate plots, detailed worlds, and complicated characters. They will capture your imagination and take you on an amazing journey.
*Also, with so many books in each saga, they will help you get that much closer to your end-of-the-year reading goal!