Regarding lighter stuff, the Shannara books were also pretty fun, IIRC. Classic fantasy fare.

Originally Posted by Maylander
I sometimes feel I'm the only person in the world who considers A Song of Ice and Fire overrated, while at the same time considering Wheel of Time the best of the best.

Well, they are very different, which I'm glad for. I read somewhere that fantasy authors were supposedly still trying to escape from Tolkien's LotR influence, but I also read that it's no longer true. Some have moved on.

I'm intrigued by the Malazan Book of the Fallen that Roland mentioned above. It's being compared to A Song of Ice and Fire, which probably means "dark and gritty", huh? And it sounds massive, what with ~1000-1300 pages for each of the ten books…