Thieves' World Series

The Thieves' World Series is the literary equivalent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Or maybe it's closer to the DC Extended Universe in that sometimes Ben Affleck ruins things. The idea behind the series was to create a world that could be shared by multiple authors – each of whom could use the characters and settings in that world in works of their own.Before you read it, take a moment to appreciate that this was done in the 70s – long before Tinder Skype. This entire world was created via paper mail and over the phone.Why it made the listFirstly, for its ambitious concept. Aspirin created the initial world and then left it up to contributing authors to grow the characters and plots. Part of the reason why this was such a great idea is that, with a new author for every installment, the storyline and characters would always feel fresh.Secondly, sometimes you need to escape the lengthy reads that dominate today's fantasy. This is a great way to do that because each book is like a new episode in the series. Each one is different from the next one – thanks to different styles and perspectives that each writer brought to it.At a time when the genre was concerned with magic, Legolas and Gimli stand-ins and MacGuffins, these stories about assassins, rebels and thieves were something new. While we may be more accustomed to reading about these kinds of characters now, it's clear that the contributors were excited to be writing about them – and it's palpable, especially when reading the early works.