Fishing around for some new reading material, and remember that a RAFO Top ## list had been discussed, figured I'd do two for one.

For my part I don't like stand-alone too much, one book and it is done, and even a trilogy doesn't always get a very flushed out universe so I'll specify some conditions:

1. Must be composed of at least 4 books, and a trilogy plus an anthology or lone prequel should be avoided.

2. Is not the novelization of some movie, TV series, or video game like Star Trek or Star Wars or Star Craft, or for that matter a RPG like Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, Warhammer 40k, etc.

I'm also going to try to list off all the really common ones on these sorts of lists or conversations as well as few others that come to mind, and add them in as people think of them.

The List So Far
Adams, Douglas - Hitchhiker's Guide
Alexander, Lloyd - Chronicles of Prydain
Anderson, Kevin J. - Saga of the Seven Suns
Anthony, Piers - Xanth; Incarnations; Mode
Asimov, Isaac - Foundation/Robot Series
Bakker, R. Scott- The Second Apocalypse
Banks, Iain M. - Culture
Butcher, Jim - Dresden Files; Codex Alera
Burroughs, Edgar - Barsoom
Bradley, Marion Zimmer - Avalon;Darkover
Brooks, Terry - Shannara
Card, Orson Scott - Ender's Game; Alvin
Carey, Jacqueline - Kushiel
Cherryh, C.J. - Foriegner; Alliance-Union; Fortress; Ealdwood
Clarke, Arthur - 2001; Rama
Cook, Glenn - Black Company
Donaldson, Stephen - Thomas Covenant; Gap
Drake, David - Hammer Salmmers; RCN; Lord of the Isles
Duncan, David - Seventh Sword; Pandemia; King's Blade
Eddings, David - Belgariad/Mallorean; Elenium/Tamuli
Erikson, Steven - Malazan
Farland, David - The Runelords; Mummy Chronicles; Nightingale Series
Feist, Raymond - Riftwar
Goodkind, Terry - Sword of Truth
Heinlein, Robert A. - Future History; Lazarus Long
Herbert, Frank - Dune
Hobb, Robin - Realm of the Elderings
Howard, Robert E. - Conan the Barabrian
Jordan, Robert - Wheel of Time
Le Guin, Ursula - Earthsea
Lewis, C.S. - Chronicles of Narnia
Lukyanenko, Sergei - Watch Series
King, Stephen - Dark Tower
Martin, George R.R. - A Song of Ice and Fire
McCaffrey, Anne - Pern
Modesitt, L.E. Jr. - Saga of Recluce and several quartets
Monette, Sarah - Doctrine of the Labyrinths
Moon, Elizabeth - Vatta's War
Moorcock, Michael - Elric of Melniboné
Niven, Larry - Known Space
Norton, Andre - Witchworld; Trillum; and several others
Novik, Naomi - Temeraire Series
Pratchett, Terry - Discworld
Reynolds, Alistair - Revelation Sapce
Rice, Anne - Interview with a Vampire, etc
Ringo, John - Aldenata
Rowling, J.K. - Harry Potter
Sanderson, Brandon - Mistborn/Cosmere
Sapkowski, Andrzej - Witcher Saga
Scalzi, John - Old Man's War
Simmons, Dan - Hyperion
Smith, E.E. 'Doc' - Lensmen
Stover, Matthew - Acts of Caine
Swainston, Steph - The Castle Books
Taylor, Travis - Looking Glass (w/ Ringo)
Tolkien, J.R.R. - Middle Earth
Weber, David - Honor Harrington; Safehold
Williams, Tad - Otherland; Shadowmarch; and Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn
Wolfe, Gene - Book of the New sun
Wurts, Janny - Wars of Light and Shadow
Zelazny, Roger - Chronicles of Amber

I'm doubtless leaving off some there, and added a few of my own that probably don't parallel most of the entries, obviously your mileage may vary on those. Certainly mine does, I've either read all those, tried reading and didn't get into it, or tried it and hated it. I, for instance, am a Dune fan and thus not terribly fond of Kevin Anderson, but he does sell a lot of books.