My favourite fantasy series is by Steven Erikson, The first book is called 'Gardens of the Moon' and the series is called the 'Malazan books of the Fallen'. The series is quite long, but very rewarding; Erikson has a Doctorate in Archeology and this can be seen in his creation of not only a diverse set of civilizations, but in his perspectives on a vast pantheon of new gods. The series is also credited for it's ability to kill of it's main characters tactfully, and by doing this humanizes their persona's allowing the reader to reach what Aristotle called catharsis, the point in any tragedy when the audience can truly empathize with a protagonist and reach an 'emotional release'.

Besides all that though it is a really entertaining series, action, laughs, and characters of both epic and tragic proportions.