Soleron on 11 April 2009
1984.
And any of Terry Prachett's work. Favourites: Night Watch, Witches Abroad, Hogfather...
Lord of the Rings... well it wasn't particularly well-written or gripping, but it defined the fantasy genre. The concepts he put together are recycled in every "medieval" fantasy game, book or film since. And it also defined the word "epic".
