Thraxas

The Thraxas novels are a series of comic fantasy detective novels by Martin Scott. Thraxas himself is an overweight, drunken, failed sorcerer, who also happens to be a skilled swordsman and the best private detective in the city-state of Turai. Aided by his best friend Makri, an ex-gladiator, he constantly gets into dangerous situations and embroiled in political intrigue, but a combination of luck, detective work and Makri's axe always gets him out again.

The books

 * 1) Thraxas (winner of the 2000 World Fantasy Award)
 * 2) Thraxas and the Warrior Monks
 * 3) Thraxas at the Races
 * 4) Thraxas and the Elvish Isles
 * 5) Thraxas and the Sorcerers
 * 6) Thraxas and the Dance of Death
 * 7) Thraxas at War
 * 8) Thraxas Under Siege

The series doesn't have a conclusion, and it's currently unknown whether the author will ever write book 9.

These books provides examples of:

 * Action Girl: Makri.
 * Another Dimension: The magic space seems to be one of these.
 * Awesome McCoolname: Most sorcerers have one of these, e.g. Lisutaris Mistress of the Sky, Glixius Dragonkiller.
 * Chainmail Bikini: Makri wears one of these when collecting glasses in the bar, because it gets her better tips. When she's expecting a fight she wears a more sensible outfit.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Dandelion. Although she often turns out not to be as crazy as she sounds.
 * Friendly Playful Dolphin: The dolphins in the bay are intelligent and quite talkative. According to Dandelion, anyway, who's the only person to try talking to them.
 * Granola Girl: Dandelion again.
 * Half-Human Hybrid: Makri is half human, a quarter orc and a quarter elf. Her parents were a half-orc and a half-elf.
 * Also the sorcerer Horm the Dead, half human, half orc, and quite possibly all zombie, if his name is as accurate as he claims.
 * Luke Nounverber: Many sorcerers complain that Tirini Snake Smiter has never smitten a snake in her life.
 * Our Orcs Are Different: Orcs in this setting have dark reddish skin and black hair, but otherwise don't seem to be too different from humans. They can certainly interbreed with them.
 * Raised by Orcs: Makri grew up as a slave in the orcish gladiator pits.
 * Thieves' Guild: Two of these - one old and established, one new and upcoming. Both people you don't want to get involved with.
 * Vancian Magic: As a magical failure, Thraxas can only carry one spell at a time and has to reload it every night. It's not clear how much the more powerful sorcerers are bound by this rule.
 * Warrior Monk: Thraxas runs into two different groups of these in Thraxas and the Warrior Monks.