A collection of the pilot books for popular series, for those of us who love to follow a character's journey for as long as an author will let us! Some of the below series have heavily debated starting points and book read orders--in those cases the pilot was selected based on what seems to be the most popular approach.

Books that made it on the big screen

Subversive reads from authors unafraid to tackle taboos.

Gather in these hallowed halls

To be known and to know others.

The four books in Tolkien’s main Middle-earth saga + several other collections published posthumously.

Modern retellings of iconic, ancient tales