8 Book Trilogies Where Every Novel Is a Masterpiece

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Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in The Hunger Games

Published Jul 15, 2026, 5:34 AM EDT

Remus is a writer, editor, journalist, and author with an eye for detail and an extremely active imagination. He is an enthusiast of everything to do with the graphic medium, whether it's Western comics and their adaptations or manga and anime. Remus is also the author of the sci-fantasy novel Once Upon a Time in Hyperspace and several works of short fiction in the mystery, comedy, and horror genres.

The idea of trilogies is as old as literature itself, but it’s fair to say The Lord of the Rings was a huge catalyst in popularizing the form in modern literature. Since that landmark release, the practice has become increasingly more prevalent in fantasy, sci-fi, and dystopian literature, with certain exceptions from other genres.

Providing a satisfying narrative, extended world-building, and character arcs spread across three volumes, book trilogies make for the most immersive reading, allowing a strong connection to form between the reader and the characters (and sometimes the writer, too). It’s not an easy feat to get it right, but when it works, it really works. From epic worlds of fantastical beings and sweeping romances to dark worlds of crime and grimy dystopias, here’s our selection of book trilogies where every novel is a masterpiece.

1 The Falconer (2013–2016)

Written by American author Elizabeth May, The Falconer is a trilogy of romance-fantasy adventure novels, beginning with The Falconer and followed by The Vanishing Throne and The Fallen Kingdom. Set in Victorian-era Scotland, the stories follow one continuous plot, centering on an 18-year-old woman named Aileana Kameron, who is a debutante by day and a monster hunter by night, killing faeries to avenge her mother’s death. What begins as a personal quest for revenge soon spirals into a fight for survival for both humans and the fae against warring magical factions and ancient curses.

A heady mix of hard magic, steampunk technology, Scottish myths, and 19th-century Victorian aesthetics, The Falconer trilogy has the power to keep fantasy fans engaged in every book. Even though the books never became a mainstream success, The Falconer has earned acclaim for its writing and world-building and is often compared to pop culture icons like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The original trilogy has since been reimagined and republished as a dark romance fantasy for adults, but the first editions of the three books remain the most popular among genre fans.

2 The Maze Runner (2009–2011)

Dylan O'Brien as Thomas in The Maze Runner

Written by James Dashner, The Maze Runner Trilogy consists of The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, and The Death Cure. Set in a world devastated by solar flares and coronal mass ejections, and a mind-controlling zombie virus called "the Flare," the stories revolve around a group of teenagers who are immune to the Flare. Presented in a non-chronological order, the trilogy explores how they become test subjects for an evil organization that puts them through dangerous obstacle courses to harvest their brain patterns and engineer a cure from the virus.

First published in 2009, The Maze Runner has since evolved into a major sci-fi dystopian novel series, spawning prequels, sequels, and companion books, not to mention film adaptations, but the first three books remain the best of the lot, with the first book winning the ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults Award and the Young Readers' Choice Award. Reviewers and readers have equally praised Dashner’s brilliant storytelling style with a fast-paced, action-driven narrative, though the second and third books have polarized reviews. But overall, The Maze Runner trilogy makes for a thrilling, unputdownable read that leaves the readers wanting more.

3 Divergent (2011–2013)

Theo James and Shailene Woodley in 'Divergent' 2014

A dystopian young adult fiction series by Veronica Roth, the Divergent trilogy is set in a post-apocalyptic Chicago, where society is divided into five virtue-based factions — Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite — that collectively remove the threat of anyone exercising independent will. Split into Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant, the books revolve around 16-year-old Beatrice “Tris” Prior from Abnegation, who possesses the traits of multiple factions, making her a Divergent whose genetic anomaly threatens her society. The trilogy follows Tris and her love interest, Tobias, as they work to save the Divergent from the corrupt faction leaders, igniting a high-stakes revolution.

Since they were first published in 2011, The Divergent novels have received critical acclaim and a huge fan following for their thrilling plot and fast pacing. The storytelling is an exciting blend of dark dystopia and teenage romance with edge-of-the-seat action scenes that make every book in the series a page-turner. The Divergent trilogy has also been adapted as films of the same name, with Shailene Woodley portraying Tris, but the films are distinctly more action-oriented than the books.

Collider Exclusive · Middle-earth Quiz Which Lord of the Rings
Character Are You? One Quiz · Ten Questions · Your Fate Revealed

The road goes ever on. From the green hills of the Shire to the fires of Mount Doom, every soul in Middle-earth carries a destiny. Ten questions stand between you and the truth of who you are. Answer honestly — the One Ring has a way of revealing what we most want to hide.

💍Frodo

🌿Samwise

👑Aragorn

🔥Gandalf

🏹Legolas

⚒️Gimli

👁️Sauron

🪨Gollum

BEGIN YOUR QUEST →

You are handed a responsibility that could destroy you. What do you do? The weight of the world falls on unlikely shoulders.

AAccept it. Someone has to, and running changes nothing. BStay by the side of whoever carries it. They shouldn't go alone. CStep forward and lead. This is exactly what I was made for. DIt's mine now. I won't let anyone else have it.

NEXT QUESTION →

Your closest companion is heading into terrible danger. You: True loyalty is revealed not in comfort, but in crisis.

AFollow them without hesitation. I'd rather die beside them than live without them. BRally others and forge a plan to help — strength in numbers. COffer wisdom and guidance. My counsel may save them where swords cannot. DLet them go. Only the strong survive, and sentiment is a weakness.

NEXT QUESTION →

Enormous power is within your reach. Your instinct is: Power corrupts — but only those who reach for it.

ADestroy it. Nothing good comes from power this absolute. BUse it to protect those I love — just this once. CWield it wisely. I have the will and the knowledge to do good with it. DSeize it. I have waited long enough. It belongs to me.

NEXT QUESTION →

What does "home" mean to you? Where we long to return reveals who we truly are.

AA simple, peaceful place — green hills, good food, no adventure required. BWherever the people I love are. Home is a feeling, not a place. CA kingdom I must earn before I can truly claim it as mine. DI lost it long ago. That loss is what drives everything I do.

NEXT QUESTION →

When a battle is upon you, your approach is: War reveals what we are made of — whether we like it or not.

ASurvive by any means. I'm not a fighter — but I'll do what I must. BFight for the person beside me, not for glory or honour. CLead the charge. Nothing inspires an army like a king at the front. DStrike from range, fast and precise — never let them get close.

NEXT QUESTION →

Someone comes to you for advice in their darkest hour. You: Wisdom is not knowing all the answers — it's knowing which questions to ask.

AListen, then offer honest encouragement. Sometimes people just need belief. BGive them practical help — words are fine, but action is better. CSpeak carefully. I have seen much, and I know what counsel can cost. DTell them what they want to hear. Trust is a tool like any other.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you see yourself, honestly? Self-knowledge is the most dangerous kind.

ASmall and ordinary — but perhaps that's exactly why I was chosen. BDefined entirely by who I serve and love. I am nothing without them. CForged by hardship into something the world has not yet fully seen. DDiminished from what I once was — and consumed by the need to reclaim it.

NEXT QUESTION →

Which of these best describes your relationship with the natural world? Middle-earth speaks to those who know how to listen.

AI find peace in it — forests, rivers, open skies. Nature restores me. BI prefer the earth underfoot — stone, mines, solid and real things. CI have watched the world change for longer than most can comprehend. DNature offers hiding places, cold water, raw fish. That's enough for me.

NEXT QUESTION →

You encounter a wretched, pitiable creature who has done terrible things. You: How we treat the fallen reveals the height of our character.

AShow mercy. Even the most broken souls deserve a chance at redemption. BPity them — but never trust them. They made their choices. CSee them as a tool. Their knowledge or skills may still serve a purpose. DDestroy them before they can cause more harm. Mercy is a luxury we cannot afford.

NEXT QUESTION →

When the quest is over and the songs are sung, what do you hope they say about you? In the end, we are all just stories.

AThat an ordinary person did an extraordinary thing — and came home. BThat I never abandoned the person who needed me most. CThat I was worthy of the crown — and everything it demanded. DNothing. I don't need songs. I needed it, and now it's gone.

REVEAL MY FATE →

The Fellowship Has Spoken Your Place in Middle-earth

The scores below reveal your true character. Your highest number is your match. Even a tie tells a story — the Fellowship was never made of simple people.

💍 Frodo

🌿 Samwise

👑 Aragorn

🔥 Gandalf

🏹 Legolas

⚒️ Gimli

👁️ Sauron

🪨 Gollum

You carry something heavy — and you carry it alone, even when you don't have to. You were not born for greatness, and that is precisely why greatness chose you. Your courage is not the roaring, sword-swinging kind; it is quiet, stubborn, and terrifying in its refusal to quit. The Ring weighs on you more than anyone can see, and still you walk toward the fire. That is not weakness. That is the rarest kind of strength there is.

You are, without question, the best of them. Not the most powerful, not the most celebrated — but the most essential. Your loyalty is not a trait; it is a force of nature. You would carry the person you love up the slopes of Mount Doom if it came to that, and we both know you'd do it without being asked. The world needs more people like you, and the world is lucky it has even one.

You were born to lead, and you have spent years running from it. The crown is yours by right, but you know better than anyone that right means nothing without the will and the worthiness to back it up. You are tempered by loss, shaped by long roads, and defined by a code of honour you hold to even when no one is watching. When you finally step forward, the world shifts. Because it was always waiting for you.

You have seen more than you let on, and you say less than you know — which is exactly as it should be. You are a catalyst: you do not fight the battles yourself, you ignite the people who can. Your wisdom comes not from books but from an age of watching what happens when it is ignored. You arrive precisely when you mean to, and your presence alone changes what is possible. A wizard is never late.

Graceful, perceptive, and almost preternaturally calm under pressure — you see things others miss and act before others react. You do not need to make a scene to be remarkable; your presence speaks for itself. You are loyal to those you choose to stand beside, and that choice is not made lightly. You have lived long enough to know that the most beautiful things in this world are also the most fragile, and that is why you fight to protect them.

You are loud, proud, and absolutely formidable — and beneath all of that is one of the most fiercely loyal hearts in Middle-earth. You don't do anything by half measures. Your friendships are forged like iron, your grudges run as deep as mines, and your courage in battle is the kind that makes legends. You came into this fellowship suspicious of everyone and ended it willing to die for an elf. That is not a small thing. That is everything.

You think in centuries and act in absolutes. Order, dominion, control — not because you are cruel by nature, but because you have decided that the world left to itself always falls apart, and you are the only one with the vision and the will to hold it together. You were not always this. Something was lost, or taken, or betrayed, and the version of you that stands now is the answer to that wound. The tragedy is that you're not entirely wrong — just entirely too far gone to course-correct.

You are a study in contradiction — pitiable and dangerous, cunning and broken, capable of both cruelty and something that once resembled love. You are defined by loss: of innocence, of self, of the one thing that gave your existence meaning. Two voices war inside you constantly, and the tragedy is that the better one sometimes wins, just not often enough, and never at the right moment. You are a warning, yes — but also a mirror. We are all a little Gollum, given the right ring and enough time.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

4 Mistborn: Era One (2006–2008)

A set of three epic dark fantasy novels by Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn: Era One is the first era of the Mistborn book series, consisting of The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages, and is followed by Era Two, consisting of four detective novels, with more to follow. The trilogy is set in a dystopian world covered by mist and ash, and controlled by a tyrannical dark lord. The books chronicle the efforts of a group of secret rebels who devise a plan to overthrow the immortal ruler but accidentally unleash an ancient force of destruction.

Ever since they were first published, the Mistborn novels have been critically acclaimed and bestsellers, evolving into a foundational modern fantasy series and often cited as one of the greatest fantasy novels of the century. With its brilliant writing style and holistic combination of hard magic, politics, love, and loyalty, every story in the Mistborn: Era One trilogy is thrilling and engrossing. After getting several game adaptations and audiobooks, the Mistborn books are set to be adapted for the screen by Apple TV, with Sanderson penning the first screenplay.

5 Millennium (2005–2007)

A crime novel series by Swedish author Stieg Larsson, the Millennium trilogy comprises the first three books by Larsson: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. The stories center on two key characters: Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist and publisher of the titular magazine, and Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant but troubled computer hacker with a photographic memory. The three books follow their endeavors to investigate brutal murders, expose corruption, and deal with rogue government forces.

Published posthumously after Larsson’s death, the first three books of the Millennium series make up the original trilogy of the franchise and are considered to be his magnum opus. The series has since become internationally popular and is one of the best-selling book series in history, with adaptations into Swedish and American films and comic books. Each of the three books in Larsson’s Millennium trilogy has been critically acclaimed for the gritty plots, dark atmosphere, and unconventional female protagonist, which catapulted the Nordic noir genre of crime fiction to mainstream storytelling.

6 The Hunger Games (2008–2010)

A YA dystopian fiction series penned by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games trilogy comprises The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. The series is set in a post-apocalyptic North American nation called Panem, which consists of 12 districts, each with a varying degree of poverty, and is controlled by the lavishly rich and technologically advanced Capitol. As a punishment for a failed rebellion, the Capitol hosts an annual competition where two children from each district fight to the death in the televised Hunger Games. The stories center on Katniss Everdeen, a teenage girl from the poorest district, and her rebellion against the system.

While it explores similar themes and motifs of YA dystopian fiction as The Maze Runner and Divergent, The Hunger Games is vastly more popular among fans, selling over 100 million copies and winning over 77 awards. The Hunger Games novels are also more critically acclaimed for their deeper political themes and stronger character designs, with their trauma, complex choices, and deep moral struggles collectively making every novel gripping. The original trilogy of The Hunger Games has since remained a timelessly relevant and impactful work of literature that continues to influence the young adult genre and popular culture, inspiring an ever-expanding film franchise.

7 The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955)

Unarguably the most influential piece in 20th-century fantasy literature, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is essentially one story told in three volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, collectively referred to as a trilogy. Set in the fantastical world of Middle-earth, the story begins with hobbit Frodo Baggins inheriting a mysterious and powerful ring from his cousin, Bilbo, that the Dark Lord Sauron seeks in order to conquer Middle-earth. Filled with lore and song, the books elaborate on the humble hobbit’s perilous quest to destroy the ring and defeat Sauron forever.

An exhaustive tapestry of characters, settings, motifs, and messages, The Lord of the Rings is a high-fantasy epic that overwhelms the reader to the extent that they become a part of Tolkien’s universe. Each volume/book is a masterpiece in the most fantastical world-building and rich character development, culminating in massive conflicts and a deeply satisfying resolution. What began as a sequel to his previously acclaimed novel, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings evolved into a major icon of mainstream culture across arts, entertainment, and media that continues to thrill fans today.