Don't let any of these people fool you. The only choice is The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. It's book one of The Wheel of Time and was published in February of 1990. I'm an unusually slow reader, but I finished this 800 page book in two weeks. If you read at any sort of decent pace, you'll easily finish it within a week. It's just that good.
The story, background, and characters are magnificent. Everyone I know (who's read it) considers the series to be one of their favorites. I personally think it's better than any other novel/series I've read (like Ender's Game, Dune, FOTR, Starship Troopers, etc.). Even if you don't read it for this class, pick it up from the library sometime; you won't be disappointed.
Epsilon