[Suzerain of Sheol]

Originally Posted by Funkduder

I was thinking along the lines of the Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. He's a pretty good fantasy writer. (Medieval Assassins & Magic)
After which there are always classics like LotR and Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. (Classic Wizards)
Or for a more modern way, try the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. That has around eleven books now, and is still going. (Mystery-Wizard Fantasy)

I always go back and forth on whether LotR is a good book or not. A great work of literature, no doubt, but the presentation is rather hit and miss -- not to mention, the way it functions such that the story you get from *just* the text of the three books is almost a completely different story than that acquired from a study of the entire legendarium is... odd, to say the least. Even certain prominent themes of the book take on a different character in the context of larger framework of Tolkien's mythos.

As far as recommending it, I would recommend the Silmarillion to anyone who enjoyed reading LotR. It tells a far more compelling story, with better-drawn characters, despite being fragmented and unfinished. It also provides enormous insight into what was going on behind the scenes in the trilogy, which is why reading LotR after reading the Silmarillion feels like a new experience. There's just so much there that isn't apparent from the novels alone.