I want boxed sets--recommendations?

[jsgoddess]

I got some gift certificates from Amazon and Barnes & Noble for Christmas, and I'd like to buy some books. For some reason, I have the desire to buy some boxed sets. Things like three books in one volume would be fine, too.

It just feels so satisfying to get a whole series in one blow.

Anyone have any boxed set recommendations?

 

[Kitera]

Hmm, there is this one.... 'Heritage of Shannara' by Terry Brooks, it has 4 books in one, but its all in the one book, so you can imagine its pretty thick. Thats the only one I can recall of thus far, maybe I can find more for you later.

Kitera

 

[Werthead]

Tales of the Dying Earth: all four Dying Earth novels by Jack Vance (The Dying Earth, The Eyes of the Overworld, Cugel's Saga and Rhialto the Marvellous) in one volume. A key 20th Century fantasy work. His equally excellent Lyonesse Trilogy can also be found in one volume editions.

The Gormenghast Trilogy: the classic Mervyn Peake fantasy masterwork (second only to Lord of the Rings in importance for mid-20th Century fantasy) in one volume.

Shadow and Claw, and Sword and Citadel: Gene Wolfe's classic four-volume Book of the New Sun saga in two volumes.

For something lighter, RA Salvatore's various Drizzt books have been collected in nice boxed sets. The later ones are unreadably bad, but the Icewind Dale and Dark Elf trilogies are entertaining.

All of Robert E. Howard's Conan short stories and novellas are available in both one-volume editions (usually called The Conan Chronicles) and two-volume editions (the UK ones are called The People of the Black Circle and The Hour of the Dragon).

Many of Terry Pratchett and David Gemmell's books can be found in omnibus editions.

 

[jsgoddess]

Thanks for the tips. I'm especially intrigued by Jack Vance. I know I had the Lyonesse books on a reading list, but I lost the list!

 

[Culhwch]

I've got a lovely boxed set of LotR in seven volumes, and The Hobbit, also in a box with a CD and postcards.

On a vaguely related note, I always found it strange that after four parts - and with three more to come - they started selling boxsets of Harry Potter. Why on earth would anyone buy that? 'Here's my boxset of Harry Potter. And here are three other books, taped to the side...'

 

[jsgoddess]

On a vaguely related note, I always found it strange that after four parts - and with three more to come - they started selling boxsets of Harry Potter. Why on earth would anyone buy that? 'Here's my boxset of Harry Potter. And here are three other books, taped to the side...'

Perhaps even stranger, you can get a boxed set with 6 of the books now.

At least at 4, you could possibly think that the last three would be in a box set of their own. But the last 1?

 

[Nesacat]

There are also boxed sets of
Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy;
Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell;
Lemony Snickett's Series Of Unfortunate Events.
Garth Nix's Old Kingdom Trilogy;
Susan Cooper's Dark Is Rising Sequence
Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quartet

 

[Commonmind]

Terry Goodkinds first three books come in a set and since they were the best three in the series and had their own resolution before moving into the later books, they are decent reads by themselves.

Someone already mentioned the Shannara books as well as the Salvatore books, though I would suggest the Icewind Dale trilogy, the Dark Elf trilogy as well as the Paths of Darkness (which includes book one of the Sellswords, a series that follows Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle, arguably two the saga's most dynamic characters).

I can't think of anymore off the top of my head.