When I was a kid, I remember going to a book store with my Mom and asking for a recommendation from the clerk there for something in the fantasy genre. He kindly pointed me to the Dark Elf trilogy...
When I was a kid, I remember going to a book store with my Mom and asking for a recommendation from the clerk there for something in the fantasy genre. He kindly pointed me to the Dark Elf trilogy by R. A. Salvatore. I noticed that it had a Forgotten Realms logo on the cover, and when I went back to the store I noticed other books with that logo as well. That was my introduction to a setting that is shared between authors who can write stories in the same universe.
On the smaller end, there are settings where 2 (or a few) authors collaborate (like the Malazan universe), while on the larger side of things you have settings with dozens to potentially hundreds of authors (like Warhammer 40k, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc).
Some quick questions I thought of that might be interesting below, but please feel free to share anything you'd like about this topic!
- What was the first shared setting you read books in?
- Do you have a favorite shared literary setting?
- Do you mind the varying quality of the books in shared settings?
- Do you find yourself more likely to read a book in this shared setting compared to a book outside the setting?
- Are there any books in that setting that you don't recommend people read?