We can’t get enough of Pedro Pascal here at Bookstr. More specifically, I can’t get enough of him. As fans, we all know that everyone has a favorite Pedro Pascal role. Whether you’re new to his work and just jumped on the hype train after watching The Last of Us, or you’ve been here since his Narcos days like me, you know he has range.
When you have a favorite role of his, though, you always feel a Pedro-shaped hole in your life once you’ve finished the movie or show. Today that’s changing. We’ve gathered book recommendations for some of Pedro Pascal’s most famous roles. This way, you can keep the vibes of whatever character of his you love going even after the credits roll. Check them out!
Joel Miller — The Last of Us
The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey
Season one of The Last of Us may be over, but that doesn’t mean the post-apocalyptic drama and fun needs to be.
A post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a mutated fungus infecting and controlling humans? Check. A girl with the potential to save what’s left of humanity? Check. A story that makes you question the strength, morality, and goodness of humanity when extreme circumstances are in play? Check, check, and check. M. R. Carey’s The Girl with All the Gifts and The Last of Us have quite a few characteristics in common, making it a perfect companion to fight those post-TLOU blues.
Din Djarin — The Mandalorian
Artemis by Andy Weir
The latest episode of The Mandalorian just rolled its credits, and now you have to wait an entire week for the next installment in Din and Grogu’s adventures in a galaxy far, far, away. Enter Andy Weir’s Artemis.
Like Din, Artemis‘ main character Jazz, a small-time smuggler on humanity’s first and only lunar colony, gets way in over her head with what was supposed to be a simple job. Looking to get out of her debt, Jazz takes a job requiring cunning, technical skills, swagger, and maybe a few explosions. Unfortunately, Jazz’s small heist lands her in the middle of a much larger conspiracy.
Javi Gutierrez — The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Age of Cage by Keith Phipps
The charm, wit, hilarity, and chaos of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent can’t be denied. You also can’t deny how Nicholas Cage is truly a Hollywood icon. In The Age of Cage, author Keith Phipps explores that and more.
A perfect way to top off your viewing of Massive Talent, Phipps’ Age of Cage is an examination of the changes that have taken place in Hollywood alongside the eclectic film career of the national treasure that is the icon, madman, and genius that is Nicholas Cage.
Oberyn Martell — Game of Thrones
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
Okay, okay. We know this one is kind of a given, but why not relive the complexity, drama, suspense, and death that is Game of Thrones via the many pages of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series? A Storm of Swords introduces readers to the cunning and charismatic Red Viper himself, Oberyn Martell. While the show is fantastic, like we also say, the book is better. Dive into the details of the rise and fall of Oberyn by reading (or rereading) A Storm of Swords.
Javier Peña — Narcos
The Cartel by Don Winslow
All right, where are my fellow Javier Peña stans at? Pedro Pascal’s role in Netflix’s Narcos is highly underappreciated, in my opinion, so go show the series and (Pedro) some love if you haven’t already.
After you’ve basked in the glory that is Pedro Pascal as Agent Peña, check out Don Winslow’s The Cartel. Featuring two men locked in a brutal struggle that stretches from the mountains of Sinaloa to the halls of justice in Washington DC, The Cartel is an unfiltered epic of the drug war you won’t want to put down.
Agent Whiskey — Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Slow Horses by Mick Herron
Pedro Pascal’s role as the lasso-wielding Agent Whiskey in Kingsman: The Golden Circle is more than just that trending (but glorious) TikTok. If you love the action, wit, and comedic brutality of the Kingsman films, then you’ll love Mick Herron’s Slow Horses.
London’s Slough House is where all of MI5’s rejects go in Herron’s Slow Horses. Those who have screwed up so badly that they can’t come back are relegated to Slough House and further known to their MI5 peers as “slow horses.” However, this current batch of slow horses won’t lie down that easy, and they’ll take any chance they can to redeem themselves.
Maxwell Lord — Wonder Woman 1984
Wonder Woman: The Many Lives of Maxwell Lord by Various Authors
The popularity of Pedro Pascal’s role as Maxwell Lord in Wonder Woman 1984 is widely debated among fans. Here at Bookstr, though, we love and appreciate all of Pedro’s roles. As it is with any comic book movie, the characters portrayed on screen only scratch the surface of their comic book counterparts.
Discover the origins of Maxwell Lord through Wonder Woman: The Many Lives of Maxwell Lord today, then dive into the expansive comic-verse of Wonder Woman and other iconic DC heroes and villains.
Francisco ‘Catfish’ Morales — Triple Frontier
The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea
Pedro Pascal and Oscar Isaac in the same film? Sign us up. If you watched Triple Frontier for the simple fact that both Star Wars alums/real-life best friends were in it, you’re not alone.
Where Pedro, Oscar, and their comrades trek through the thick and dangerous jungle in hopes of making it home with a huge payout, Luis Alberto Urrea’s The Devil’s Highway tells the true story of the brutal journey a group of men took to cross the Mexican border into Arizona via a deadly region known as the “Devil’s Highway.”
Dave York — The Equalizer 2
The Equalizer by Michael Sloan
Opposite of Denzel Washington’s Robert McCall, Pedro Pascal’s Dave York is not a great guy in The Equalizer. However, as shameless Pedro fans, we’re okay with looking past his flaws.
If you didn’t know, The Equalizer films are loosely based on the 1985 television series. Michael Sloan, a co-creator of the show, even wrote novels to accompany the series. Why not jump into some of the source material of these great movies?
Dieter Bravo — The Bubble
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Pedro Pascal’s role as Dieter Bravo in Netflix’s The Bubble can only be described as pure chaos, and that’s not an understatement. If you haven’t already, watch the pandemic-set movie to see for yourself how madness ensues when a group of people with big personalities are stuck under one roof.
Like the actors in The Bubble, a group of diverse people are stuck in an apartment when a would-be bank robber holds them hostage. Unlike The Bubble, Fredrik Backman’s Anxious People is a heartwarming story about a group of people with nothing in common somehow finding commonalities with each other and working together.
Ezra — Prospect
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Finally, we’re ending with one of Pedro Pascal’s more low-key roles— Ezra in Prospect. The dedicated Pedro fans know all about this film. In many ways, it’s pretty underrated, and we highly recommend you check it out if you haven’t already.
Dan Simmons’ Hyperion has everything— space travel, unknown worlds, unseen dangers, questions regarding humanity, survival, etc. Keep those “exploring unknown worlds” vibes going after Prospect by picking up Hyperion at your local bookshop.
Want more Pedro Pascal content? We’ve got you covered— check out some awesome book recommendations from Pedro Pascal himself!