[Chancellen the True]

This is a great topic. I don't want to say this out loud around here; but, there are other good fantasy writers out there (admitedly, not as great).

Michael Moorcock is famous for his Elric of Melnibone series, as well as Corum Jhaelen Irse, Hawkmoon and many others. He shows that it's tough (emotionaly as well as physicly), being the hero, or anti-hero.

Fritz Lieber's Lankmar series with Fafhrd and The Gray Mouser is tremendously fun with a surprising amount of depth.

I'm a big fan of the Planescape novels. Not many people know that they wrote novels (it's an out of print [thanks TSR] RPG). There is The Blood Wars trilogy and Pages of Pain. Pages of Pain is my favorite. It's about a very powerfull paladin who gets sent to the mazes. Don't be fooled by the title.