Must Listens: First In A Sci-Fi or Fantasy Series April 5, 2017

For those of us looking to break out of the everyday reading/listening funk, check out these awesome first-in-a-series sci-fi picks to get you going. So, skip the Netflix and try out these binge-worthy sci-fi audios.

Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Book One in the Foundation Trilogy

Science fiction at its best. Isaac Asimov began his Foundation series at the age of twenty-one, not realizing it would one day be considered a cornerstone of science fiction. For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future—to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save mankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls this sanctuary the Foundation.

Star Wars Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn
Book One of the Thrawn Trilogy

This is the #1 New York Times bestselling novel—unabridged for the first time—that reignited the Star Wars publishing phenomenon. The biggest event in the history of Star Wars books, Heir to the Empire follows the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia after they led the Rebel Alliance to victory in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.

 

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
Book One of the Themis Files

A girl named Rose is riding her new bike near her home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand.  Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artifact remains unsolved—its origins, architects, and purpose unknown. Its carbon dating defies belief; military reports are redacted; theories are floated, then rejected.  But some can never stop searching for answers.

The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams
Book One of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn

A war fueled by the dark powers of sorcery is about to engulf the peaceful land of OstenArd, for Prester John, the High King, slayer of the dread dragon Shurakai, lies dying. And with his death, an ancient evil will at last be unleashed, as the Storm King, undead ruler of the elvish-like Siti, seeks to regain his lost realm through a pact with one of human royal blood. Then, driven by spell-inspired jealousy and hate, prince will fight prince, while around them the very land begins to die. Only a small scattered group, the League of the Scroll, recognizes the true danger awaiting OstenArd. And to Simon—a castle scullion unknowingly apprenticed to a member of this League—will go the task of spearheading the quest for the solution to a riddle of long-lost swords of power…and a quest that will see him fleeing and facing enemies straight out of a legend-maker’s worst nightmares.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Book One of the Maze Runner Series

Perfect for fans of Divergent and The Hunger Games, this special movie tie-in edition of the New York Times bestseller The Maze Runner features an eight-page full-color insert with photos from the film. The first and second books, The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials, are now major motion pictures featuring the star of MTV’s Teen Wolf, Dylan O’Brien, as Thomas; Kaya Scodelario as Teresa; Aml Ameen as Alby; Will Poulter as Gally; and Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Newt. Also look for James Dashner’s newest novel, The Eye of Minds, Book One in the Mortality Doctrine series.