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.

Step into the Cosmere... Listed in the order that Brandon Sanderson recommends to new readers of his work in 2024.

Whether it's sci-fi or fantasy, you like a big series. You love when a book says 1 of 5/10/50+. Is the reading order of the series hotly debated? Is there a wiki chart to show how the books connect? Even better. Come spend some time in these worlds.

An introduction to the Fantasy genre, these books are part of the cultural zeitgeist or the 'canon' that many would recognize. Look for more niche titles in later Starter Pack volumes.

A true knight never turns down a Quest. Explore Medieval Europe with these genre-spanning books and earn your grail. Some titles are set in the transitional time from the Medieval to Early Modern period.

For those ready to dive deeper into the genre, these books offer a range of authors and topics. Brand new to this genre? Check out Volume I for the most popular texts.

This Quest was inspired by the List "Black Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Speculative Fiction" created by heathersdesk, winner of Q1 2026 community voting.