Deltora books.

[Tobias]

i should get back into it... or should i just read the last book?

Don't restart the whole thing, but you should re-read the series that the last book is in..which is..Shadowlands? With the dragons? I forget..either way it's awsome

 

[Zodiac]

I've read the original Deltora series as well as Dragons of Deltora. There are 16 books in total, I believe, including the original series, Shadowlands, and Dragons. Estimates point to 14 and 15, but there are 8 in the original series [including Return to Del, of course], and 4 in Dragons. Not sure about Shadowlands, but I also remember seeing 4 books.

Haven't read Shadowlands. Would you recommend it to me?

(And wow, this is the first Japanese anime I've seen derived from a non-Japanese series. I live under a rock... [not a Rock as in Rockman, just a giant heavy boulder. Although some people would beg to differ...])

 

[Harimau]

It's 8, 3 and 4
easily remembered really.
for the first series, one for each of the 7 gems, and 1 for the "Return to Del"**, so 8
for the second series (Shadowlands, in America), one for each of the 3 pieces of the pipe/flute
for the third and final series (Dragons, in America), one for each of the 4 Sisters.
**or rather

Spoiler

the rearrangement of the gems, as the gems weren't found in order; and their return to its rightful owner (and regain their previous lustre)

hmm, and i might just do that Tobias (start from the beginning of the third series, that is). Gonna check the state library now.

Although I do want to re-read the entire series eventually. They're really quite light reads, anyway.