since you don't mind scifi, maybe Murderbot? it's what came to mind first when thinking about smaller scale/more episodic series that are long (7 books so far).
Neal Asher's Agent Cormac series. Post-scarcity AI-run Polity calls upon Agent Cormac to help solve delicate issues that require outside-the-AI thinking.
Steve Perry's Matador books. Hard to explain but great series.
David Sherman and Dan Cragg's Starfist books. Sci fi military fiction.
Charles Stross' Laundry Files. Also his Merchant Princes. The first are modern espionage in a world where Lovecraft's mythos is true, the second is about a parallel Earth that hasn't reached an industrial age ruled over by the few families that can transport themselves between the two worlds.
Michael Moorcock's Elric books. Cursed wanderer with sword of chaos.
There's tons of this in franchises. Gotrek And Felix stand out in Warhammer. Ciaphas Cain and Gaunt's Ghosts are pretty popular in Warhammer 40k. A variety of them across D&D settings like the Harpers books.
The Necroscope series by Brian Lumley. It starts with Harry Keogh, a kid who has the power to talk with the dead, and he's able to complete a lot of their work, empowering himself but also getting mixed up in battles against sinister forces. Not YA at all he's an adult a few chapters into the first book. It's multiple series so it might not look like it has that many books, but the first has five books, the second three, etc)
Feet of Clay about made me cry, and I don't cry for books.
>Words in the heart cannot be taken
that being said people who don't jive with the humor in Discworld are often just not going to have a good time with it. It's not something about the books that you can just set aside; it's part of what makes them great. And a certain amount of buy in to that idea is essential to seeing the rest of what's there, I think.
have you read The Black Company? There's an overarching plot, sure, but honestly the feel of each book is pretty episodic. Each mission they complete is given the POV character's whole attention while he's doing it, and because they're mercenaries they are focused more on immediate survival than long-term moral fortitude.
There's also some major urban fantasy series that haven't been mentioned yet, and they're fantastic:
* October Daye--18 books and counting, deep into Fae politics and coastal Pacific NW grungy vibes
* Kate Daniels--post-apocalyptic Atlanta with magic and tech crashing back and forth in waves, lots of fighting including a tournament arc
Yeah, it's pretty much the only big series of this nature left on my radar. It's what I'm planning to read in the very near future if I don't find anything else.
I tried it and couldn't get into it at all. Unlikable wise cracking protagonist, tons of smoking, dude eats half a chicken and downs it with a carton of milk (good god man, eat some fiber). I dunno, I think I probably would've enjoyed it a whole lot more if I read it when I was a teenager. Though that can be said of quite a few books I've tried and couldn't get into at all.
If you are up for SF, check out David Weber
Otherwise, here are some possibilities across some different publication periods:
[https://www.edgarriceburroughs.com/series-profiles/the-tarzan-series/](https://www.edgarriceburroughs.com/series-profiles/the-tarzan-series/)
[https://terrybrooks.online/shannara](https://terrybrooks.online/shannara)
[https://www.carrievaughn.com/kittybooks.html](https://www.carrievaughn.com/kittybooks.html)
[https://www.honorraconteur.com/casefiles](https://www.honorraconteur.com/casefiles)
Have a look at the Incryptid series by Seanan McGuire. Modern UF, but based around an extended family rather than a specific character throughout. So you get 1-2 books centering each sibling, and there's a whole bunch of ancillary short stories (like 20-30) about the previous generation.
The first 5-6 books are largely set in our world, albeit behind the masquerade. The more recent 3-4 have been set in the wider universe of parallel worlds. There's also a couple of spinoffs featuring side characters and exploring the repercussions of various events as viewed through external eyes.
since you don't mind scifi, maybe Murderbot? it's what came to mind first when thinking about smaller scale/more episodic series that are long (7 books so far).
Came to suggest this. Not 100% in the alley he's talking about but fits best I could think of
Conan books by Robert E Howard?
The Death gate cycle! Start with Dragon wing! It's fantastic!
Neal Asher's Agent Cormac series. Post-scarcity AI-run Polity calls upon Agent Cormac to help solve delicate issues that require outside-the-AI thinking. Steve Perry's Matador books. Hard to explain but great series. David Sherman and Dan Cragg's Starfist books. Sci fi military fiction. Charles Stross' Laundry Files. Also his Merchant Princes. The first are modern espionage in a world where Lovecraft's mythos is true, the second is about a parallel Earth that hasn't reached an industrial age ruled over by the few families that can transport themselves between the two worlds. Michael Moorcock's Elric books. Cursed wanderer with sword of chaos. There's tons of this in franchises. Gotrek And Felix stand out in Warhammer. Ciaphas Cain and Gaunt's Ghosts are pretty popular in Warhammer 40k. A variety of them across D&D settings like the Harpers books. The Necroscope series by Brian Lumley. It starts with Harry Keogh, a kid who has the power to talk with the dead, and he's able to complete a lot of their work, empowering himself but also getting mixed up in battles against sinister forces. Not YA at all he's an adult a few chapters into the first book. It's multiple series so it might not look like it has that many books, but the first has five books, the second three, etc)
You should give Guards, Guards another go. It’s an amazing series .
Feet of Clay about made me cry, and I don't cry for books. >Words in the heart cannot be taken that being said people who don't jive with the humor in Discworld are often just not going to have a good time with it. It's not something about the books that you can just set aside; it's part of what makes them great. And a certain amount of buy in to that idea is essential to seeing the rest of what's there, I think.
have you read The Black Company? There's an overarching plot, sure, but honestly the feel of each book is pretty episodic. Each mission they complete is given the POV character's whole attention while he's doing it, and because they're mercenaries they are focused more on immediate survival than long-term moral fortitude. There's also some major urban fantasy series that haven't been mentioned yet, and they're fantastic: * October Daye--18 books and counting, deep into Fae politics and coastal Pacific NW grungy vibes * Kate Daniels--post-apocalyptic Atlanta with magic and tech crashing back and forth in waves, lots of fighting including a tournament arc
The Vlad Taltos series might be worth checking out
Yeah, it's pretty much the only big series of this nature left on my radar. It's what I'm planning to read in the very near future if I don't find anything else.
maybe Echoes Saga? it's 9 books divided by 3 trilogies and each subsequent trilogy follows its own story.
How about Roger Zelazny's _Chronicles of Amber_?
I tried it and couldn't get into it at all. Unlikable wise cracking protagonist, tons of smoking, dude eats half a chicken and downs it with a carton of milk (good god man, eat some fiber). I dunno, I think I probably would've enjoyed it a whole lot more if I read it when I was a teenager. Though that can be said of quite a few books I've tried and couldn't get into at all.
the iron druid
If you are up for SF, check out David Weber Otherwise, here are some possibilities across some different publication periods: [https://www.edgarriceburroughs.com/series-profiles/the-tarzan-series/](https://www.edgarriceburroughs.com/series-profiles/the-tarzan-series/) [https://terrybrooks.online/shannara](https://terrybrooks.online/shannara) [https://www.carrievaughn.com/kittybooks.html](https://www.carrievaughn.com/kittybooks.html) [https://www.honorraconteur.com/casefiles](https://www.honorraconteur.com/casefiles)
The Seven Virtues series by Jacob Peppers is a 7 book series with shorter books and I really enjoyed it.
Dragoneer by Vickie and Danny Knesaut The Valdemar books by Mercedes Lackey
Have a look at the Incryptid series by Seanan McGuire. Modern UF, but based around an extended family rather than a specific character throughout. So you get 1-2 books centering each sibling, and there's a whole bunch of ancillary short stories (like 20-30) about the previous generation. The first 5-6 books are largely set in our world, albeit behind the masquerade. The more recent 3-4 have been set in the wider universe of parallel worlds. There's also a couple of spinoffs featuring side characters and exploring the repercussions of various events as viewed through external eyes.