I'll just go ahead and recommend the greatest fantasy ever made; of course the Arda legendarium by JRR Tolkien. Popularly called The Lord of the Rings, but in truth The Lord of the Rings is just one piece of the whole legendarium (it is however the best and largest tale/book). The Arda legendarium accounts for what happens throughout the three ages in Arda (Earth). The Lord of the Rings is a tale that takes place mainly in the last few years of the "recorded accounts" of Arda. I'm describing it a little more throrough because a lot of people think The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is all there is, but that is so, so wrong. If you want epic high fantasy you should really check it out if you haven't already. Must-read books: The Hobbit, LoTR, the Silmarillion, Children of Húrin. Going even deeper, there's the 12-volume series The History of Middle Earth and the Unfinished Tales: Of Middle Earth and Numenor. I warn you, however, it is extremely complex and large. If you do not wish to go that deep, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are the most essential books, but it really does not stop there.
Another great book series is A Song of Ice and Fire, which I'm sure has already been recommended. Author is GRR Martin.
The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini is another good one.
This post was edited by PryoMann on Jun 10 2011 10:18am