Seconding the Guy Gavriel Kay and Robin Hobb recommendations. I'd also recommend CS Friedman's Magister and Coldfire books for a different flavour of fantasy (magic with rules, more or less).
That's good to hear. I read The Last Argument of Kings recently (I always read series out of order when I'm trying a new author) after hearing Abercrombie praised so consistently but found it almost unreadable because of the endless repetitions of character descriptions. I liked the story and characters themselves, so if he's gotten better (or at least found a more controlling editor) I might give his stuff another try!BloatedGuppy said:I think you'll really like him. His writing has improved by leaps and bounds over the course of his 6 books. I'd put him amongst the best of the dour/edgy "post-Martin" fantasy writer crowd. Rothfuss probably has the best prose, but Abercrombie has the best pacing and wit.