I want a book that is part of a series, or is the start of a series but still basically stands on its own. Scifi/fantasy/fiction whatever. Preferably the series follows the progression of a single character but the book being part one doesn't just drop off being like "come back for part two" though it can still lead into the next ones, likewise wouldn't be bogged down by continuity so if its not the first chapter i shouldn't feel required.
examples:
Anne of Green Gables
Ancillary Justice (i feel part 1 really stood on its own and the sequels formed their own body)
Hyperion (though arguable a cliffhanger, i feel the same about this book as above it stands on its own)
Dune
The Hobbit
Ender's Game
not so much: (mainly because they are many separate stories in one shared setting)
Discworld
The Culture
non-applicable –part 1 is really just the intro:
The Blade Itself
Fellowship of the Ring
Harry Potter part 1
by ahmvvr
5 Comments
The Dublin Trilogy by Caimh McDonnell, except start with Angels in the Moonlight.
* Patricia McKillip: The Sorceress and the Cygnet (part 1 of a duology)
* Robert Harris’s Cicero trilogy – book 1 can be read as a standalone
the tensorate series has this sort of thing.
Could try Stephen king’s The Stand – it’s kinda a part of the dark tower series but also isn’t
* *Name of the Wind* by Patrick Rothfuss – follows one character, self-contained arc, satisfying ending even though it’s part of a trilogy
* *The Lies of Locke Lamora* by Scott Lynch – start of a series but works great as a standalone heist story with real weight
* *Old Man’s War* by John Scalzi – tight plot, clear ending, sequels expand but don’t dilute the first
* *Elantris* by Brandon Sanderson – technically in a shared universe, but fully self-contained with strong resolution
* *The Goblin Emperor* by Katherine Addison – court intrigue fantasy, standalone feel even though set in a broader world