I’ve not read most on yours bar Piranesi which is genuinely wonderful. I really enjoyed that.
My wishlist is an absolute mess. Every time I finish a book, instead of removing one from my list, I find a new book and occasionally add to it. Here it is:
“Ocean At The End Of The Lane” by Neil Gayman
Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
A discovery of witches.
The witching hour.
The Circle
The god box
Project Hail Mary
Bloodsworn book 3 - when it’s released
I’ll pile in on what is already pretty well answered. I loved the entire series. The first book feels different to the remaining 3 but I did not find the remaining 3 lacking. By no means are they perfect but in some way, that’s better. As some other people have mentioned, there is some controversy surrounding the Endymion books but I found out after reading them which confirmed by suspicions after reading the books. Some politics definitely leaks in so you’ll have to make up your own mind on whether or not you’d like to partake.
In an attempt to answer your question though, yes, the sequels are worth reading in my opinion. No book is yet to replicate the scope of the world that is created in Hyperion. I love the lore that creeps in and the individuality of the characters which is best showcased in book 1 but is definitely present in book 2. The overall story is incredibly well told and satisfying. The end of book 2 was great, I did not realise until reading comments that others did not enjoy it as much as I did. Books 3 and 4 tell a different, yet related story, which is also genuinely wonderful. I was swept away in to the Hyperion universe by all of them.
If you do decide to read them, I hope you enjoy.
As a side note, the audiobooks are great but the narrator is not consistent with certain names and locations which is, to this day, one of my biggest pet peeves about audiobooks (albeit generally)
That’s right! You’ve made an excellent decision. I sound like a PR person for Lev Grossman at this point but those books are absolutely fantastic.
Another one to check out that is slightly more adult oriented are the Bloodsworn books by John Gwynn. Sadly, his daughter passed away so he hasn’t yet spoken of the release date but of the third book yet, though the name was released recently so I believe it is being worked on. It’s too be titled ‘Fury of the Gods’. From what I can tell, that couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy so it’s truly heartbreaking, but his literature is fantastic.
Second the Hyperion books, though they are a fair slog, but well worth it!!
I see a lot of recommendations for the deadly education series but I did not enjoy it at all. I finished the first book out of pure sunk cost, but I really did not like the book or the narration.
If you’re looking for less YA, you could try my favourite book series, The Magicians.
The worst book I’ve ever read has to be 1984. The book is excellent, but did not do good things for me so it goes down as the worst