LogFAQs > #966640023

Do you want fantasy worlds only?

The Malazan Book of the Fallen - this may be the opposite of what you want. The worldbuilding is amazing, but it has a tendency to focus on new characters in every book. The characters are still good throughout the series, though. It focuses a lot on armies/soldiers, with stuff like mage companies that use unique strategies to defeat enemy forces. The writing style is pretty dense, so it may be a bit difficult to get into. 10 books in the main series, and it's had some spinoffs.

The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria - takes place in the real world (well, half of it does), with each book focusing on a different supernatural phenomenon. Focuses more on the two main characters than anyone else at first, but the rest of the cast gets great development through the series. 7 short books, with a fairly breezy writing style.

American Gods - one of my favorite standalone fantasy books. Basically tracks the plight of the ancient gods in modern society as they struggle to survive. The construction of the world is really interesting, and the main character is great.

So I'm a Spider, So What - Mostly follows one character at first (a girl who's transformed into a spider), as she attempts to survive in a deadly underground labyrinth. The narration style is a lot of fun, and the worldbuilding is great. Really builds on itself as it goes, but with plenty of foreshadowing, and the cast expands in a good way as it goes along too.