fantasy Ongoing
A Song of Ice and Fire
by George R.R. Martin · 5 books
He'll love it
Why this series hooks him
For any guy who watched Game of Thrones, this is the obvious bridge. The books add enormous depth to characters the show flattened or cut, and the prose — dense as it looks — moves faster than expected once you're inside a POV chapter.
Be honest: the series is unfinished and Martin's pace is glacial. But the first three books are complete masterworks.
How to start
A Game of Thrones (Book 1). If he watched the show, tell him the books diverge significantly after Season 4 and it's worth experiencing the original vision.