Your Favorite Succession Characters as Book Recommendations

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What is Succession?

As I’m writing this post, I have just begun season 4 of Succession. I was slow to get into this show, but after the first few episodes I was hooked – absolutely addicted, I needed to know what was going to happen and who was going to be back-stabbed next. It’s like driving past the scene of an accident, you don’t want to be interested in what happened, but at the same time, you can’t look away because you’re too curious. That is how I feel about this show. It’s a cast full of morally grey or bankrupt individuals, but somehow you can’t stop watching and you can’t help but root for some of the underdogs.

This show is loosely based on the Murdochs, the Australian media mogul family that currently owns a majority of Fox News. In the show, the Roy family owns Waystar Royco, which is a media industry that also has its tentacles in entertainment and parks. At the head of the family, you have Logan Roy, the CEO of Waystar Royco and father to Connor, Kendall, Siobhan, and Roman. First up in the line of succession, but not really counted as a player in the game is Connor Roy. Connor is the oldest brother and somewhat of a free-spirited, daydreamer compared to the rest of his family. Kendall Roy is next and he is the epitome of a troubled individual who comes from a broken home riddled with childhood traumas. Siobhan Roy aka “Shiv” is the only daughter of the family and the only one who seems to be able to oppose her father (while also completely seeking his approval in everything). Last, but certainly not least, we have Roman Roy. Roman aka “Romulus” is the youngest child who tries his hardest, yet never seems to be able to live up to his family’s unrealistic expectations.

This show seems to give an accurate representation of what it would feel like to work in corporate America, and it exposes how some of the major media corporations run – corruptly. With that being said, this show is extremely entertaining if you are continuously shocked by how corrupt and terrible people can truly be. The below book recommendations have been made with the essence of the character and storyline in mind. I have also included some of my favorite quotes by them for fun.

The Recommendations

Logan Roy
“The Future Is Real. The Past Is All Made Up.” 
The mind-blowing, jaw dropping behavior of Logan Roy reminds me of the feelings I had while I read Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica.

Connor Roy
“The good thing about having a family that doesn’t love you is you learn to live without it.”
I feel like Connor would urge people to read Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson. 

Kendall Roy
“What are words…just complicated airflow.”
Based on Kendall’s character and outlook I’d suggest I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy.

Siobhan Roy
“If he can’t ride two horses at once, he shouldn’t be working at the circus.”
Siobhan says what she thinks and does what she pleases with only herself in mind. For that reason, Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft is the book to read. 

Roman Roy
“Well, Kim Jong Pop, that’s not how things work in this country.” 
Roman continuously comes second best to his siblings, no matter what he does, but at the end of the day, he’s still got a whole lot going for him. I can’t help but draw some similarities between him and the Spare by Prince Harry. 

Next is a list of honorable cast mentions. 

Tom Wambsgans (Siobhan’s partner)
“Information. It’s like a bottle of fine wine. You store it, you hoard it, you save it for a special occasion and then you smash someone’s fucking face with it.”
Tom also played Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice starring Kiera Knightly, and because of this, I have to go with Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It’s the only thing I can think about when I see Tom on screen (well, that and his bromance with cousin Greg). 

Cousin Greg
“I can take a lot in terms of psychological pain, so…”
Cousin Greg is continuously lost at sea in the middle of a shit storm and tries his best to navigate the waters while coming out on top. His adolescent, yet cutthroat ways remind me of Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard. 

Gerri Kellman
“You might want to put down that fish taco. You’re getting your melancholy everywhere.”
Gerry is the voice of reason for the Roy family, she’s constantly putting out little fires and thinking twenty steps ahead. Gerri has no time off and always has to be on. For Gerri lovers, I recommend This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. 

For fellow Succession lovers out there, what books do you recommend? I’d love to know!

Jordy Macbeth

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Florida born and raised. Jordy began her professional career as an officer in the Coast Guard but has recently transitioned into the civilian world. When she is not obsessing over her fur babies, you can find her at the beach reading or staying up late to embroider while watching the latest true crime docuseries.