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1. I have found the Thursday Next series of books by Jasper Fforde very odd and entertaining. It is more alternate reality with science fiction based in that alternate reality. The books are:
   The Eyre Affair
   Lost in a Good Book
   The Well of Lost Plots
   Something Rotten

   Some comments:
   Sunday Times
   ‘This year’s grown up J K Rowling’

   Sunday Express
   ‘Don’t ask, just read it. Fforde is a true original’

   Scotsman
   ‘Douglas Adams would be proud’

   SFX
   ‘A stroke of fantasy genius . . . Unashamedly silly, but also marvellously intelligent . . . Hilarious’

   Scotland on Sunday
   ‘A decidedly quirky and strangely thought-provoking debut novel’

   Sunday Telegraph
   ‘Let yourself be entertained by a witty romp’

   Independent
   ‘The Eyre Affair is a silly book for smart people; postmodernism played as raw, howling farce’

   Christina Hardyment, Independent
   ‘A born wordsmith of effervescent imagination’

   John Sutherland, Guardian
   ‘Jasper Fforde has gone where no other fictioneer has gone before. Millions of readers now follow … Thank you, Jasper’

   Comment by Mark in Memphis — October 19, 2005 #

2. My favorite multi-book series besides those already listed:
   The “Tower and Hive” and “Talent” series by Anne McCaffrey
   “Wild Cards” by George R. R. Martin et.al.
   “Otherland” by Tad Williams
   “Sword of Truth” by Terry Goodkind
   The “Riftwar Saga” et al by Raymond Feist
   The “Heechee” saga by Frederik Pohl
   The “Amber Chronicles” by Roger Zelazny
   The “Ender” series by Orson Scott Card
   The “Alvin Maker” series by Orson Scott Card

   I realize some of these may be obvious choices as well, but I just thought I’d get them out there.

   Comment by Nick — October 19, 2005 #

3. My choices probably won’t surprise anyone:

   William Gibson’s Sprawl series (the 3 novels, plus the short stories in Burning Chrome)

   Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide

   And - yes - Hyperion!

   I’m 2/3 of the way through Neal Stephenson’s System of the World, so the jury’s still out there…

   Comment by Jack — October 19, 2005 #

4. I’m curious how many of your “obvious favorites” would make other peoples’ lists, so I’d vote no on the space saving exclusions. As for me, LOTR, Narnia, Pern, and Earthsea were among the first series I’d ever read, way back in the seventies, and they all still hold up pretty well for me upon rereading. So does Elric (and most of the other Eternal Champion stuff).

   Other of my favorite serial works include:

   Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories,
   Fritz Leiber’s Lankhmar stories,
   Roger Zelazny’s Amber novels,
   Frank Herbert’s Dune books (but none of the postumous stuff),
   S.M. Stirling’s Draka novels,
   Peter Hamilton’s Night’s Dawn novels and stories,
   Ken MacLeod’s Fall Revolution novels.

   Finally, although it might fall outside this category, I’d have to include Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comics, which I think are, when examined as a whole, one of the greatest fantasy works of the twentieth century.

   Comment by Ed — October 19, 2005 #

5. I would add:

   The Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison (his West of Eden trilogy is good as well)

   The Marianne Trilogy by Sheri S Tepper

   and all the novels by Terry Pratchett set in Discworld

   Comment by Vanamonde — October 19, 2005 #

6. Gosh, where to start.

   When I was a teen, Xanth, Gor, and Bio of a Space Tyrant were on top of my list followed by Guardians of the Flame, the Belgariad, and The Riftwar Saga.

   Of course I’ve grown up and my taste have changed a litte. I still hold a place in my heart for Narnia and LOTR and Potter, but my all time list is…

   Rama - Clarke
   Riverworld - Philip Jose Farmer
   The Myth Series - Robert Asprin
   Book of Swords - Saberhagen
   Thomas Covenant - Stephen R. Donaldson
   Diskworld - Pretchett
   and of course
   Hitchhiker’s - Douglas Adams

   Comment by J.R. Murdock — October 20, 2005 #

7. I don’t think we should just focus on series. I’d also suggest we skip Narnia and LotR since they’ve been done to death over the years.

   Here are my series suggestions:

   The Liaden series by Lee & Miller (good space opera).
   Diskworld series by Pratchett
   Bellisarius series by Drake & Flint
   Miles Vorkosigan series by Boujould

   Comment by Dave C — October 20, 2005 #

8. Dave,for this particular discussion, I wanted to know what series people liked enough to keep reading, not minding that the story might span many books and years because the stories hooked them.
   This is what happens when so many people tell me that reading the subsequent books in the Hyperion series is necessary when I saw no need to read past the first book

   Comment by Summer — October 20, 2005 #

9. I agree with previous poster(s) excluding the so called obvious ones is not good. For example I loathed the LotD books (I had to read them, I was on holiday and had nothing else to read….) so to me that one wouldn’t be obvious at all and your list also contains some series I haven’t heard about. And I has completely GIVEN UP on Robert Jordan (the abstract on the backpage told me EXACTLY everything of any relevance that happened in the book.

   My favourites (random order)
   * Honor Harington series — David Webber
   * Discworld series — Terry Pratchett
   * “BattleAxe” series by Sara Douglass (it might have been called “StarMan Trilogy”
   * The ever increasingly misnamed trilogy in four parts of “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams
   * Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind
   * The Belgariad/Malloreon series by David Eddings
   * The Elenium/The Tamuli series by David Eddings
   * Songs of Ice and Fire (title?) by George R.R. Martin
   * Nights of Dawn Trilogy — Peter F. Hamilton
   * The Nano Flower Trilogy — Peter F. Hamilton

   And probably at least a dozen more I just cannot recall right now. What can I say? I’m a succer for sequels.

   Comment by Hans Voss — October 22, 2005 #

10. Dragonriders of Pern and Harper Hall series - Anne McCaffrey
    Uplift Saga - David Brin
    Deryni books - Katherine Kurtz
    Heralds of Valdemar - Mercedes Lackey
    Song of Fire and Ice - George R.R. Martin
    The first 5 or 6 of the Xanth novels - Piers Anthony
    Incarnations of Immortality - Piers Anthony
    The Gap series - Stephen R. Donaldson
    Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling
    Dragon Prince trilogy, Dragon Star trilogy, and Exiles series - Melanie Rawn

    Just to name a few….

    Comment by Kari — October 25, 2005 #

11. I just wanted to add that the X-Wing series by Michael A. Stackpole is a favorite of mine.

    Comment by Heather — November 1, 2005 #

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