Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Like amoeba said, LOTR gets a lot of respect for essentially creating the modern genre of fantasy novels (as opposed to Brothers Grimm / HC Anderson fairy tales).
Some other very good fantasy:
Elizabeth Moon - Deed of Paksenarrion (trade paper trilogy)
L.E. Modesitt Jr - Magic of Recluce (and many others in same world, best read in publication order)
Steven Brust - Book of Jhereg (trade paper trilogy)
C. J. Cherryh - The Morgaine Saga (yet another t-p-t)
David Eddings - The Belgariad (5-book series)
Some popular fantasies that I consider as artistically fulfilling as a Hilary Duff CD:
Terry Goodkind - Sword series (first book OK if you really like BDSM and clumsy descriptions of fighting)
Robert Jordan - Wheel of Time (first couple are good, goes very far downhill very fast)
Terry Brooks - Shannara series (let's slavishly and badly rip off LOTR! me write gooder!)