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.

Adams, Douglas - Hitchhiker's Guide

Anderson, Kevin J. - Saga of the Seven Suns

Anthony, Piers - Xanth, Incarnations, Mode

Asimov, Isaac - Foundation/Robot Series

Banks, Iain M. - Culture

Butcher, Jim - Dresden Files and Codex Alera

Burroughs, Edgar - Barsoom

Bradley, Marion Zimmer - Avalon and Darkover

Brooks, Terry - Shannara

Card, Orson Scott - Ender's Game

Carey, Jacqueline - Kushiel

Cherryh, C.J. - Foriegn and Alliance-Union

Clarke, Arthur - 2001 and Rama

Cook, Glenn - Black Company

Donaldson, Stephen - Thomas Covenant and Gap

Drake, David - Hammer Salmmers, RCN, and Lord of the Isles

Eddings, David - Belgariad and Sparhawk

Erikson, Steven - Malazan

Feist, Raymond - Riftwar

Goodkind, Terry - Sword of Truth

Heinlein, Robert A. - Future History and Lazarus Long

Herbert, Frank - Dune

Jordan, Robert - Wheel of Time

Le Guin, Ursula - Earthsea

Lewis, C.S. - Chronicles of Narnia

King, Stephen - Dark Tower

Martin, George R.R. - aSoIaF

McCaffrey, Anne - Pern

Modesitt, L.E. Jr. - Saga of Recluce and several quartets

Moon, Elizabeth - Vatta's War

Niven, Larry - Known Space

Norton, Andre - Witchworld, Trillum, and several others

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

Simmons, Dan - Hyperion

Smith, E.E. 'Doc' - Lensmen

Taylor, Travis - Looking Glass (w/ Ringo)

Tolkien, J.R.R. - LotR

Weber, David - Honor Harrington and 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.