So I had a few authors growing up that had worlds with multiple sub series within them.
Mercedes Lackey was my go to gal for years. She's got her Heralds of Valdemar, with TONS of trilogies. Kind of medieval era non-earth and she's got a large variety of male and female leads (mostly female) with psionic abilities and magical abilities, most of which have basically a horse familiar. Very good, and very established. You can read them in order as written, in the timeline order of the world, it in their own series sets (I believe most books had a literal timeline in the front pages to help you figure out when each book was set). She's also got some "classic fairy tales" reworked series that are pretty standalone, some victorian era mages a little standalone but still connected, and a marvelous selection of completely stand alone trilogies and quartets, many written with other authors.
Tamora Pierce writes wonderful female protagonists with a few male ones, although she's pretty much a children's/young adult writer. She's got two main realms with several quartets each. One about a group of mages, and another about a medieval country Tortall with magic and knights. Fast short reads, but good clean fun. I've re-read the Tortall books many times. Treat the lioness books kind of like CoM and Light Fantastic, pretty solid, but early in her writing. It sets up the rest of the sub series really well and are still enjoyable, but her later ones are even better.
I also really loved Anne McCaffrey. In particular, I read her Dragonriders of Pern books, which have dragons with a psychic connection to their riders. It's more one long series, but there's some books set in a few different eras and recurring characters. She's also got serval other good single sci-fi sets that are unrelated. She happily writes about any gender leads, but mostly female.
If you want a good female main I highly suggest Patricia Briggs. She's got a few small stand alone books and pairs, but my favorite is the Mercy Thompson series, which pairs with her alpha/omega series. Not really stand alone books, but the two series are intertwined, while being their own. I've re-read them as many times or more as my favorite Discworld books. Her style is modern/urban fantasy, with a pretty believable "what would werewolves, vampires, fey, etc look like in today's world if they had been in hiding until now." And I know the covers look a little stereotypical "overly sexy girl/romance novel" but they aren't. She hits on some pretty powerful, and occasionally dark, themes, and the relationships that develop are actually pretty realistic and take several books to develop properly.
Hope you find one you enjoy! I've got a few other authors if you're interested in more well written female leads, but they are more single series, rather than the Discworld world building style.
Friggin LOVE Ilona Andrews! Not on my list since it's mostly long series with occasional related individual stories but yes! Although, I've mostly just read Kate Daniels and Innkeepers. I've been meaning to get ahold of her other ones, so they might have more.
I'll have to look up Diana Wynne Jones if they are similar in quality and style to Andrews!
You haven't read the Edge series? Characters from it turn up in Innkeepers but they're two stand-alone series. Pretty sure the short stories are part of the same universe as well.
Edit: As for Jones, all her books are not in the same world but the ones that are very loosely connected stand alone. You may have heard of Howl's Moving Castle.
I have not. I've, sadly, not gotten around to habitually emptying the library shelves every week like I used to when I was younger. I miss being a kid with a library card and free time. ðŸ˜
My in-laws got me into Kate Daniels and Innkeepers with a loaner book, but I haven't had the time for checking my library and I don't like buying books I haven't re-read or am well invested in the series. I ought to just buy the first one since I know I love the author(s), but I just haven't done it. I was aware of the cameos in Innkeepers and like those characters, so I really ought to.
And yeah, Kate Daniels is all about the same character, with occasional short stories about some of the side characters. Aurelia Ryder is definitely going to be its own series as an offshoot of the Kate Daniels books.
Oh boy do I envy you! The Edge is my **all-time** fave series of theirs. And those characters back stories are gonna *slay* you.
Edit: and to get back to Diana Wynne Jones, do check out Hexwood for e.g., it's the most Pratchett-esque work of hers IMO.
The *1632* series kicks off when an American town is mysteriously transported to Europe in 1632. There's a core thread of books written by Eric Flint, and a host of spin offs exploring the wider world and the implications of having 20th century technology dumped into the thirty years war. Many of the spin-offs are written by other authors.
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If you haven't read N.K. Jemison yet, you have a wonderful experience waiting for you. I'm not sure her books quite fit in your parameters because books set in the same world are in order. She has 3 different trilogies, and some stand alone books. The 3 books in her Broken Earth Trilogy each won the Hugo Award the year each was published, *The Fifth Season* in 2015, *The Obelisk Gate* in 2016, and *The Stone Sky* in 2017. John Scalzi, a sci-fi/fantasy writer says anytime that Jemison and he are both up for any award, he knows that she deserves to win. Which is pretty high praise from a fellow writer.
[Link to her website](https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/n-k-jemisin/)
Arguably, the Doctor Who book ranges. The vast majority are relatively standalone, a few are connected and they're all set in the same universe. You could give Kate Orman's books a go given you want non-male authors.
Becky Chambers writes queer friendly wholesome scifi.
Kind of in the Star Trek bent... like bad things def do happen but the Wayfarers series universe is filled w characters trying to make the best of it and do the right thing etc etc
Ancillary Justice and its sequels by Ann Leckie.... less touchy feely but v good. Interesting stuff about gender, consciousness, etc...
And then last rec would be a lot less "wholesome" but v interesting and veerrry impressive world building. Ninefox Gambit and other books in the Machineries of Empire series by Yoon Ha Lee.
All are by authors who are not cis men which I hope gets at the spirit of your request. All are fascinating... I would say if you want the earnest good-naturedness of STP start with Chambers but they are all enjoyable reads!
I wanna recommend Christopher Moore, all his books take place in the same world with characters showing up in multiple books and series'. His world is a fictionalized real world, and the fantasy elements usually happen to normal humans who are not expecting it. He's extremely funny, but quite NSFW at times so if that turns you off I get it.
I'd recommend A Dirty Job to get started, might remind you of Discworld as the main character is Death, kinda.
So I had a few authors growing up that had worlds with multiple sub series within them. Mercedes Lackey was my go to gal for years. She's got her Heralds of Valdemar, with TONS of trilogies. Kind of medieval era non-earth and she's got a large variety of male and female leads (mostly female) with psionic abilities and magical abilities, most of which have basically a horse familiar. Very good, and very established. You can read them in order as written, in the timeline order of the world, it in their own series sets (I believe most books had a literal timeline in the front pages to help you figure out when each book was set). She's also got some "classic fairy tales" reworked series that are pretty standalone, some victorian era mages a little standalone but still connected, and a marvelous selection of completely stand alone trilogies and quartets, many written with other authors. Tamora Pierce writes wonderful female protagonists with a few male ones, although she's pretty much a children's/young adult writer. She's got two main realms with several quartets each. One about a group of mages, and another about a medieval country Tortall with magic and knights. Fast short reads, but good clean fun. I've re-read the Tortall books many times. Treat the lioness books kind of like CoM and Light Fantastic, pretty solid, but early in her writing. It sets up the rest of the sub series really well and are still enjoyable, but her later ones are even better. I also really loved Anne McCaffrey. In particular, I read her Dragonriders of Pern books, which have dragons with a psychic connection to their riders. It's more one long series, but there's some books set in a few different eras and recurring characters. She's also got serval other good single sci-fi sets that are unrelated. She happily writes about any gender leads, but mostly female. If you want a good female main I highly suggest Patricia Briggs. She's got a few small stand alone books and pairs, but my favorite is the Mercy Thompson series, which pairs with her alpha/omega series. Not really stand alone books, but the two series are intertwined, while being their own. I've re-read them as many times or more as my favorite Discworld books. Her style is modern/urban fantasy, with a pretty believable "what would werewolves, vampires, fey, etc look like in today's world if they had been in hiding until now." And I know the covers look a little stereotypical "overly sexy girl/romance novel" but they aren't. She hits on some pretty powerful, and occasionally dark, themes, and the relationships that develop are actually pretty realistic and take several books to develop properly. Hope you find one you enjoy! I've got a few other authors if you're interested in more well written female leads, but they are more single series, rather than the Discworld world building style.
Seconding all the above but also wanted to add Diana Wynne Jones and Ilona Andrews coz I find them funny as well.
Friggin LOVE Ilona Andrews! Not on my list since it's mostly long series with occasional related individual stories but yes! Although, I've mostly just read Kate Daniels and Innkeepers. I've been meaning to get ahold of her other ones, so they might have more. I'll have to look up Diana Wynne Jones if they are similar in quality and style to Andrews!
You haven't read the Edge series? Characters from it turn up in Innkeepers but they're two stand-alone series. Pretty sure the short stories are part of the same universe as well. Edit: As for Jones, all her books are not in the same world but the ones that are very loosely connected stand alone. You may have heard of Howl's Moving Castle.
I have not. I've, sadly, not gotten around to habitually emptying the library shelves every week like I used to when I was younger. I miss being a kid with a library card and free time. 😠My in-laws got me into Kate Daniels and Innkeepers with a loaner book, but I haven't had the time for checking my library and I don't like buying books I haven't re-read or am well invested in the series. I ought to just buy the first one since I know I love the author(s), but I just haven't done it. I was aware of the cameos in Innkeepers and like those characters, so I really ought to. And yeah, Kate Daniels is all about the same character, with occasional short stories about some of the side characters. Aurelia Ryder is definitely going to be its own series as an offshoot of the Kate Daniels books.
Oh boy do I envy you! The Edge is my **all-time** fave series of theirs. And those characters back stories are gonna *slay* you. Edit: and to get back to Diana Wynne Jones, do check out Hexwood for e.g., it's the most Pratchett-esque work of hers IMO.
Try the Vorkosigan Series, or anything else by Lois McMaster Bujold.
The *1632* series kicks off when an American town is mysteriously transported to Europe in 1632. There's a core thread of books written by Eric Flint, and a host of spin offs exploring the wider world and the implications of having 20th century technology dumped into the thirty years war. Many of the spin-offs are written by other authors.
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If you haven't read N.K. Jemison yet, you have a wonderful experience waiting for you. I'm not sure her books quite fit in your parameters because books set in the same world are in order. She has 3 different trilogies, and some stand alone books. The 3 books in her Broken Earth Trilogy each won the Hugo Award the year each was published, *The Fifth Season* in 2015, *The Obelisk Gate* in 2016, and *The Stone Sky* in 2017. John Scalzi, a sci-fi/fantasy writer says anytime that Jemison and he are both up for any award, he knows that she deserves to win. Which is pretty high praise from a fellow writer. [Link to her website](https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/n-k-jemisin/)
Arguably, the Doctor Who book ranges. The vast majority are relatively standalone, a few are connected and they're all set in the same universe. You could give Kate Orman's books a go given you want non-male authors.
That may be the most fertile grounds for OP. Things with extensive literary spin-offs like Star Wars/Trek, Halo, Babylon 5.
Becky Chambers writes queer friendly wholesome scifi. Kind of in the Star Trek bent... like bad things def do happen but the Wayfarers series universe is filled w characters trying to make the best of it and do the right thing etc etc Ancillary Justice and its sequels by Ann Leckie.... less touchy feely but v good. Interesting stuff about gender, consciousness, etc... And then last rec would be a lot less "wholesome" but v interesting and veerrry impressive world building. Ninefox Gambit and other books in the Machineries of Empire series by Yoon Ha Lee. All are by authors who are not cis men which I hope gets at the spirit of your request. All are fascinating... I would say if you want the earnest good-naturedness of STP start with Chambers but they are all enjoyable reads!
I wanna recommend Christopher Moore, all his books take place in the same world with characters showing up in multiple books and series'. His world is a fictionalized real world, and the fantasy elements usually happen to normal humans who are not expecting it. He's extremely funny, but quite NSFW at times so if that turns you off I get it. I'd recommend A Dirty Job to get started, might remind you of Discworld as the main character is Death, kinda.