Patch Picks: Surviving the Potterpocalypse

An entire generation of kids grew up on Harry Potter. After wiping away the tears as you leave the movie theater this weekend, drive to your nearest library or bookstore to pick up fuel for your new obsession.

We have everything, including a brand new wizard named Harry and a best-selling fantasy series that will leave you in stitches. Many books in these series are available through the St. Louis County Library, and many are held at the . Fair warning: Don’t start any of these books before bed because they’re such page-turners, you won’t be able to put them down.

The Dresden Files
If you can’t live without a wizard named Harry in your life, Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files is here to fill the Potter shaped hole in your life. This contemporary fantasy series currently has 13 books, so you don’t have to worry about running out of entertainment any time soon.

Game of Thrones
The hit HBO show is based on an ongoing series by George R.R. Martin. It’s every bit as political, shocking and addictive as the television show. Unlike Harry Potter, the magic here is very light, which makes it that much more powerful when it is used. If you like big, thick books you can really sink your teeth into, all five of these are doorstops.

The Hunger Games
In this dystopic, near-future young adult series, the U.S. has been replaced by a government called Panam that demands a tithe of one young girl from each city. The girls fight to the death on national television until there’s only one survivor. It’s a brutal, unusual premise for young adult fiction but a darn gripping read.

The Curse of Chalion
This series, meant for high-schoolers and adults, is set in a richly constructed fantasy universe based loosely on medieval Spain. The series by Lois McMaster Bujold has one of the most interesting, convincing and well-conceived religions in a fantasy series.

Discworld
If you haven’t read Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, you are missing out on some of the best fantasy in print. He’s so prolific at writing these consistently laugh-out-loud-funny books that each set of characters (such as the Guards and Wizards) has five books or more of their own and also makes cameos in other books.

If you’re looking to replace Harry Potter with a series that will take you years to finish and to be introduced to a large, enthusiastic community of fellow readers, the Discworld is your new fandom. Best yet, Pratchett’s young adult books are very readable for grownups. And his adult books have no X-rated content and minimal graphic violence, so parents don't have to worry about handing them over to kids.