Have you read "A Princess of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs, you ever wonder where the Calvary charging over the hill to rescue our hero meme came from? Yeah, it's these books. Burroughs wrote Tarzan, do you know why Tarzan was good? Burroughs is a master at describing a world you want to be in, that you can see, touch and smell. There's 13(ish) books about John Carter on Mars (Barsoom) and you should read them all, they're short enough and you can pick them up for a quarter apiece from any used bookstore. You can also hunt for the ones with the smuttiest sci-fi covers, which are always a treat.
Roger Zelazy, his death was tragic, being nearly the polar opposite of Robert Jordan; which is to say he's good. He's good at describing something in a length of time that doesn't require you, as the reader, to consume two meals to remain alive and awake. He knows what's happening and completes his stories. In short, he doesn't write about nothing for 800 pages while fans suck his **** about how great he is. Zelazny can give you the sense of an entire city in 2 sentences, something that would take most authors a couple pages (and Jordan a full chapter). Now what, by Zelazny, should you read? Start with Nine Princes in Amber. When you finish off the second story arc (10 books in, but by book I mean something that resembled a book in those days, not an unabridged dictionary) you'll weep quietly to yourself that Zelazny died of stomach cancer before we could perfect cloning or brain downloads into computer hardware.
I know you've probably seen the movie (one of them, anyway), you probably know what it's about and convinced yourself you have no need to read it. You, dear reader, are very wrong. Go get yourself a copy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World and read it. You'll be done in one day and be glad you did. Note that it's out of copyright, so you are not obligated to pay Barnes and Noble 13 bucks for the privilege (that's how copyright is supposed to work, bitches!).
Do you need something grittier, seemier, a bit disturbing or modern? Perhaps you haven't tried out Teresa Edgerton yet. Part of the thrill will be in hunting down a copy of these rare books. After you read them your stomach will turn as you look at bookstore shelves full of garbage. Read on as she fills a compelling fantasy novel full of adventure worthy of Tolkien himself, while weaving in a romance and marriage between an adult warrior and 10 year old girl. What should be outright creepy manages the same balance you see with Kick Ass' character Hit Girl. In short, her writing is amazing, please start with Child of Saturn.
Another woman author who enjoys her adventure with a healthy does of sleazy discomfort: J.V. Jones. Read The Baker's Boy, this book takes off from page 1, and even has the audacity to humanize its villains! You ever feel sorry for and evil jack ass on his deathbed? I did.
On the lighter side Tad Williams writes Tailchaser's Song. What if cats had gods and mythology? What if one, normal cat finds himself propelled on an epic journey searching for his lost love and finds he must thwart an ancient evil first? This is Tailchaser's Song and this is why Tad Williams ought to be mentioned in any creative writing course.
Have you ever felt that a movie adaptation robbed a book of it's very essence? What if you liked the movie adaptation? What if the book was better? What if it was written by someone you'd always heard of but maybe never read? What if the book was a compelling story and social commentary? Well you get all that plus monster bugs and power armor in Starship Troopers by Heinlen. Yes, you should read this book.
Do you ever wonder if a second chance with a clean state can change someone? What if that someone is a sick, twisted god-like being who fucks with other living beings for pleasure? What if you get to watch this being re-invent themselves as they traverse a world where physical laws don't always apply, with crazy creatures, gardens of Eden, and worlds that make Dante's version of hell seem rather unimaginative? Read The Maker of Universes.
The super weapon against ultimate evil in this book is a sword that simply makes you face the truth about yourself. Can it crush heroes as well as ultimate evil? Yep. The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brookes.
Okay my descriptions blow, but these books don't, read the ones you haven't.
