4.03 avg rating — 1,618,628 ratings

"His Dark Materials Book 1 in a Series (People say that this book might be anti-religious. I don't believe that. If anything it, like many YA books, it's about learning not to follow people or ideology blindly. It's about learning what's right for you. It's about a world not unlike our own. It's about growth.)"

3.98 avg rating — 83,336 ratings

"The Chronicles of Prydain Book 1 (Remember that Disney movie The Black Cauldron (it probably made you cry)? This is the source material. FYI get the tissues ready when the last book comes around.)"

4.25 avg rating — 273,913 ratings

"Neil Gaiman's The Sandman Book 1 in a Series (I like to say that this book series made me a Fantasy fan. While that might not be wholly true it did open me up to reading more fantastical stories and it helped me form all sorts of thought, when I was just a wee lad. It's about dreams and it's not. It's about people and it's not. It's about you and it's not. Read it!)"

4.03 avg rating — 64,828 ratings

"The Oxford Time Travel Series Book 1 (Imagine if time travel were possible but even if you tried to change things it really doesn't work. Then imagine that history nerds decide to use this power to check out 'what really happened when...' And bring a tissue box, this book and the WWII books will require it... 'cause you can't change time.)"

3.74 avg rating — 20,197 ratings

"The Unwritten Book 1 in a Series (This is a series for people who love to read. If you have read a lot of books, like Harry Potter, Frankenstein, Dracula and Moby Dick you will absolutely love these books. If not you can still get a lot out of the books as most of the classics [and not so classic] are in the collective media-sphere we call the world. You may not even know that you know about Drac or that fishy tale but you probably do. Once you're on board with that [with books] you will be swept away. Personally this might be my favorite comic book series of all time. It's a book for book people!)"

4.05 avg rating — 15,982 ratings

"The Flashman Papers Book 1 (Not for kids or people who cannot understand social satire... the reviews are littered with those folks. The main character is a villain and a coward he might not be as bad as some but he is not a good dude... if you think he is not... well then you don't get it either.)"

4.24 avg rating — 29,318 ratings

"Alan Moore's Saga of the Swamp Thing Book 1 in a Series (You like horror and you haven't read Swamp Thing. You don't know horror yet, this series is written by a guy who legit thinks he is a Wizard. Legit!)"

4.22 avg rating — 2,017,528 ratings

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series Book 1 (Social Satire that doesn't ruffle that many feathers but will a few. If you want something counterculture then this is it. Forget the movie and the mini-series this will make you laugh as you think, 'humans are the worst' but then they're all we got so until something better comes along might as well go with how ridiculous it all is.)"

4.12 avg rating — 10,454 ratings

"Astro City Book 1 in a Series (Do you like super heroes? Do you wish they were a little more realistic but don't know where to look for that, it's here! That IS here! And it's amazing!)"

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 507,996 ratings

"The Hercule Poirot Mystery Series Book 1 (I mean this is the guy who solved the Murder on the Orient Express or the Calais Coach depending on what side of the Atlantic you're on, 'nuff said.)"

3.77 avg rating — 30,370 ratings

"The Sally Lockhart Mysteries Series Book 1 (You will not be disappointed with this YA mystery, read the first chapter if you don't believe me, it'll have you in short order. Trust me!) "

3.66 avg rating — 7,521 ratings

"The Famous Lensman Series Book 1 (That's what the book jacket called it. And famous or not it's a great time. FYI DC comics stole the Green Lantern from this book series except the Lensmen are way more badass.)"

4.11 avg rating — 14,067 ratings

"Lucifer Book 1 in a Series (For those interested in history and mythologies and not afraid to get into it with christian stories... Just don't start a war on Heaven in the end?!)"

4.26 avg rating — 58,904 ratings

"The Harper Hall Trilogy Book 1 (This is a YA series tangentially connected to the Dragonriders series. It takes place on a world were there are dragons but those are not so important. What is are the Harpers, a group and singers, players, teachers who have kept a world, ravaged again and again over time by natural disaster, together and a people educated. But yeah there are dragons both big and small.) "

3.80 avg rating — 303,916 ratings

"Southern Reach Series Book 1 (The movie will pale in comparison.) "

4.18 avg rating — 19,311 ratings

"The Horatio Hornblower Series Book 1 (It about a guy who gets sea sick that joins the navel and has some great adventures in the Napoleonic Wars. If that sound like great fun, well give it a try.)"

4.20 avg rating — 1,713 ratings

"Starman Book 1 in a Series (This is about legacies. About father's and sons. It's, hands down, the best thing Robinson has ever done. And it's epic... even if it got canceled before it was supposed to be it isn't unsatisfying in any way!)"

3.92 avg rating — 1,358,249 ratings

"Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children Book 1 (Weird but engrossing.)"

4.17 avg rating — 21,741 ratings

"Prefect Dreyfus Emergency Series Book 1 (This might be better than the Revelation Space series it spun off of, if only because the last book in that series was very unsatisfying.) "

4.02 avg rating — 557,051 ratings

"The All Souls Series Book 1 (Okay it is a vampire soap opera but it's very cleverly done and the cliffhanger is epic... Book 2 might be my favorite of the first three but the fourth is my favorite, so far. FYI, if you liked the TV series you will love the books they are 1000 times better!)"

3.82 avg rating — 1,257 ratings

"The ROBOTECH Saga Book 1 (Do you like anime but which is were more americanized... you are in luck. Back in the dark times [the 80s] some guy loved anime so much he got a studio to pick up his favorite show, MACROSS, but they would only do it if there were more episodes [it's all about money to them] so he got the rights to THREE series by the same studio which had a lot of themes and action in common. He then wrote a story that interwove those other two series as sequels to the one he liked. It became popular then a third guy [well two because there is no Jack McKinney] was asked to novelize it... confused? You won't be if you read these books... This is space opera at it's best. It's got it all from peaceniks who become soldiers to alien soldiers who have never heard of peace or music... and the Earth will never be the same. The first six books follow, what is termed, The First Generation.)"

4.05 avg rating — 4,900 ratings

"BPRD Book 1 in a Series (Imagine if those Hellboy movies where like a billion times better but also there was no Hellboy [he's gone off to find himself or whatever... who cares he's got his books you got this]. The BPRD fights monsters and they are monsters... both can be true. And it's more than that, they lose A LOT of the time... and wow you think Infinity War was dark. This is part horror part action part hero part adventure story... and it's always compelling. Come on and watch the world end with BPRD.) "

3.72 avg rating — 45,215 ratings

"The Agatha Raisin Mystery Series Book 1 (Whimsical with decently done mysteries and lots of fun character not to mention Aggie.)"

4.47 avg rating — 11,425,757 ratings

"The Harry Potter Series Book 1 (Well, you know why...)"