I’m a big fan of book trilogies. They have a definite beginning, middle, and end. The author has come up with an idea for a story that they feel can be told throughout three separate novels – each with its own climax which leads into another journey.
There’s no stretching the story out, no wasted words, and no writing another novel featuring a recurring character simply because the author is under contract. They have a unique and original idea and present it over three books each with its own story, but all wrapped together beautifully.
Trilogies always give me such joy reading them, and then such sadness when they are over as it is always such a great journey.
Here are 5 excellent book trilogies that you can read one after the other without the need for a break – perfect binging material:
The Wayward Pines Trilogy by Blake Crouch
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Blake Crouch had been writing novels in the sci-fi and thriller genres for years but it was the Wayward Pines trilogy that moved him into the mainstream. The novels in this trilogy are Pines, Wayward, and the Last Town, and were influenced by the television show Twin Peaks.
The story starts out as a standard thriller; a secret service agent named Ethan Burke visits a small town called Wayward Pines in Idaho. Two federal agents have gone missing there, and he has driven here to seek answers. He ends up in a car accident which results in him having to go to the hospital. He wakes up and things seem a little off. He has no ID. No cell phone. He can’t seem to reach anyone outside of the town. People aren’t believing who he actually is. Then he explores the town and discovers that there is an electrified fence blocking people from going in or out.
Then? Well – expect to have your mind blown.
Wayward Pines was also made into a TV series that spanned two seasons. The first season stars Matt Dillon as Ethan Burke and is recommended to be watched. The second season? Not so much.
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Linwood Barclay was known as the Canadian master of the standalone thriller. He had been writing standalone thrillers for years with most of his novels very loosely connected within the community of Promise Falls. You didn’t have to read them in order or anything like that – but there was always a little added enjoyment with minor callbacks to characters in previous books.
In 2015, Linwood decided to write the Promise Falls Trilogy – three novels (and one novella) that are all tied together leading up to Memorial Day Weekend in Promise Falls. The books are Broken Promise, Far from True, and The Twenty-Three.
All three novels are tied together and feature characters from his previous novels. Each novel is swaddled with mystery and intrigue and is well worth reading back to back to get the full effect.
The Brilliance Trilogy by Marcus Sakey
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What if there were people among us who could be defined as “brilliant”? People with special skills are deemed abnormal. Who can sense stock market patterns to become billionaires. Who can essentially turn themselves invisible at will by always standing where no one is looking. Who can practically read your thoughts due to your body language.
This trilogy takes place in an alternative current day where 1% of the population are born as these “brilliant” people. The protagonist is Nick Cooper whose job it is, is to hunt “brilliant” terrorists. People who have the brilliant ability, and are using them for evil, including the Brilliant Terrorist John Smith. Smith launched a vicious attack on the streets of Washington, DC which resulted in the assassination of a U.S. Senator and over 70 innocent bystanders.
It’s not a unique plot by any means but the fresh take on it of “Brilliant” people really adds to it. This is just an incredible series of novels. As a cool side note; Marcus actually allowed Kindle Worlds to license the franchise. This means if you are sad the trilogy is over you can still read various fan fiction stories set within the same universe.
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(Editors Note: A fourth book in this series has now been released. Take an extra day on vacation and binge that as well!)
An interesting story about this one – it actually wasn’t planned as a trilogy. William wrote the first novel, One Second After, in 2009. It’s a post-apocalyptic thriller about what would happen if one day an EMP weapon was triggered, and wiped out power across the entire United States of America.
The first novel in the series featuring the protagonist John Matherson was all about survival, attempting to protect a town ready for anarchy, and then preparing themselves against the likes of looters. It was a New York Times bestseller and was even cited by the US Congress.
Everyone kept asking Forstchen “What happened next?” as it felt like the story was just beginning. It took six years before William revisited the world of Black Mountain in North Carolina, and the final two novels in the series, One Year After and The Final Day, were worth the wait.
The Lewis Trilogy by Peter May
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The Lewis Trilogy is an exceptional series of books written by Peter May. They take place on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. The novels in this trilogy are The Blackhouse, The Lewis Man, and The Chessmen.
While each novel is technically within the mystery genre, there is so much more to these novels. His descriptions of the landscapes of Lewis will have you planning your next vacation, and his character descriptions will have you wishing they were real people you could meet.
Each book in this series features its own separate mystery. There is no real overhanging story between the three – just relationships and characters that prosper from book to book. Web Story.