Top 7 Book Trilogies

I believe good things come in 3s, especially when it comes to book series. This fad which was started (I believe) by the box office success of The Lord of The Rings trilogy has opened opportunities for other books to have that winning formula: make a remarkable story and divide it into three major parts and create an unforgettable trilogy out of it.

 

Especially with the upcoming film adaptations of YA books, many of which are divided into 3 installments, book worms/freaks/lovers are gravitated by the strong pull of unique stories and plots delivered by book trilogies.

As one of the many fans of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (the book and the movie as well) here are my top 7 book trilogies. Some I finished reading and the rest I’m planning to start within the year or the next (I suppose).

The Hunger Games

photo: mediaroom.scholastic.com

Truth be told, I have never been so enthralled in a dystopian-themed series before. The Hunger Games was the first book I’ve read that depicts such genre. After finishing the book I cannot longer withhold the growing fascination I have with dystopian books. Thanks to Katniss Everdeen and her unwavering bravery, I now consider myself a believer of the latter genre. After the unprecedented success of the trilogy and the movie adaptation of The Hunger Games, the second installment of the popular series –Catching Fire will soon hit the big screen on November 11, 2013. 

 I assume every book lover has laid their hands on the books but for the others who haven’t read the famed trilogy, here’s a sneak peek.

The Hunger Games trilogy follows the story of Katniss Everdeen, a citizen of Panem coming from District 12 and the events that followed after volunteering herself as a tribute replacing her sister in the annual Hunger Games. 

The Hunger Games is a battle-to-death event participated by a pair of tributes (with ages ranging from 12 – 18) from the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol. To sum the story up the first book sees the trials faced by Katniss as she fights the oppression of the Capitol who tries to manipulate all of the 12 districts. And with her in the game she must strategize every possible way for her to survive the bloody game alongside Peeta Mellark.

In the next books a simple act of courage will spark an uprising that will soon create a ripple effect so strong that it will break the very foundation of the Capitol.

 

The Hunger Games trilogy is written by Suzanne Collins.

The Books: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. 

Divergent Series

photo: thedivergenttrilogy.com

 With the film adaptation of its first installment Divergent hitting the big screen soon, there is no stopping the trilogy from breaking records. Another thing to anticipate is the release of the last installment of the trilogy –Allegiant concludes the dystopian-themed adventure of Trish and Four.

 If you’re a fan of Katniss Everdeen and the Hunger Games series you will love this action-packed trilogy too. It has the same theme and target audience but with a different storyline nonetheless. 

Written by Veronica Roth, Divergent is the first installment of a trilogy following the story of Beatrice, set in a dystopian version of Chicago in the near future where society is divided into 5 major factions: Abnegation, Erudite, Dauntless, Candor and Amity. 

Beatrice Prior (Trish), born from an Abnegation family is torn between two life-changing options: to choose her family’s faction or to become a Dauntless, a group comprised of fearless people eager to fight and defend everyone they love. Not until the day when sixteen-year-olds are given the choice to choose the faction they want.

“One choice can transform you”, and this choice will later on affect Beatrice in ways she couldn’t imagine.

The other books from the series include Insurgent, and Allegiant.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth # 1

photo: jenniferrankinjohnson.blogspot.com

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a delightful and suspenseful read perfect for The Walking Dead fans. It is a post-apocalyptic story with the addition of a tragic love story. Published in 2009, TFOHAT follows the story of a dystopian community hidden within the woods. The village is surrounded by fences protecting its people from the threat of the undead also known as the Unconsecrated. 

The story starts with Mary narrating how her mother told her stories of the ocean and the life beyond the fences. And the story started gaining pace when one day her mother was bitten and turned.

Mary, who believes in the existence of the ocean and life beyond the forest filled with the Unconsecrated wishes to discover all of the answers to her questions. And she will find herself in a terrifying realization as secrets are revealed and events unravel to destroy the very foundation of their village.

Is there life beyond the Forest of Hands and Teeth? Will Mary discover that the stories of her mother were real or will she be enmeshed in an emotional turmoil if she finds out that everything was a lie – a myth to keep her going with her life and the life of other villagers surrounded by the threats of the undead?

Written by Carrie Ryan, TFOHAT is the first book of a zombie-themed trilogy including The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Dark and Hollow Spaces.

The Passage

photo: goodreads.com

 

I’ve started reading this gripping novel by Justin Cronin. It’s a bit lengthy if you may ask but a good story need not be long or short, as long as it maintains the interest of its readers from the first page until the last. Here’s the information I got from the internet regarding the first book of the trilogy:

The Passage begins in the near future and details an apocalyptic and, later, post-apocalyptic world that is overrun by vampire-like beings who are infected by a highly contagious virus. What begins as a project to develop a new immunity-boosting drug based on a virus carried by an unnamed species of bat in South America eventually becomes the virus that transforms the world. The novel begins in 2014 and spans more than ninety years, as colonies of humans attempt to live in a world filled with superhuman creatures who are continually on the hunt for fresh blood (wikipedia).

photo: www.cnn.com

The next book of the trilogy The Twelve tells the story of the survivors from the apocalypse in the The Passage. The third book The City of Mirrors is due to be released next year (2014).

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

photo: themarysue.com

Lisbeth Salander is a force to be reckoned with. Stieg Larsson’s female protagonist is so interesting that it got me reading the first crime-novel of the trilogy and then the next one, and so on.

Long before the American adaptation of the book and the film, the series has been successful in Sweden and other neighboring countries. I mean who doesn’t want a female lead with a past so bleak yet is ruthless, edgy, and kickass?  Everyone’s got to adore the cyber-hacker who is hard on the outside but soft on the inside.

No news yet for the film adaptation of the second book.

Book #2: The Girl Who Played with Fire

Book #3: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

Here are the other books that made it to the list (I haven’t read these yet so I got the synopsis from other sources):

 The Maze Runner by James Dashner

photo: bellaonbooks.wordpress.com

Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up to find himself in a world he does not remember. In fact, he only remembers his name. Everything else is blank. But he is not alone. There are hundreds of other boys there who welcome him to the Glade – which he discovers is an open space enclosed by high stone walls. Like him, the other boys remember nothing before they woke up in the Glade, and no one can tell him why or how they arrived there. All they know is that every 30 days a new boy appears. In the absence of adult society, these boys have created a society for themselves, including hunting, farming, etc. But, when Teresa, the first girl, appears, she has a message for them that will change everything. She warns them that the world outside is facing disaster and they have been placed here as part of a strange experiment. Thomas just might be the leader they need to get out of this horrible place (csmonitor).    

       The other books from the series are The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure.

 

     Delirium 

photo: laurenoliverbooks.com

 

"Delirium" follows a heroine who is paired with her future partner, only to fall in love with someone else. But the stakes are raised in this dystopian society. The government runs an operation that surgically removes the section of the brain responsible for falling in love, and requires that all its citizens have this operation when they turn 18, thus turning everyone into perfect citizens who willingly accept the laws that they are told are for their own benefit. Ninety-five days before her scheduled operation, Lena Holoway, who had eagerly anticipated the day when she would no longer suffer the pain of love, falls in love and suddenly she is not so sure she wants to give it up. She and her new love, Alex, decide to escape their society and make out for the "Wilds." But as we all know, dystopian societies do not take free thinkers lightly (csmonitor).

photo: booktopia.com.au

photo: seventeen.com

Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem are written by Lauren Oliver