Lord of the Rings and
the Silmarillion.
LeGuin's
Earthsea series, Hainish Cycle (especially
the Left Hand of Darkness,
the Dispossessed and
Rocannon's World),
always coming home and
Searoad.
Susan Cooper's
the Dark Is Rising sequence.
C J Cherryh's Alliance-Union-Compact books, especially
Cyteen,
Merchanter's Luck and
Rimrunners.
The Chronicles of Morgaine.
Michael Moorcock's original Elric Saga (i.e. everything up to ~1980),
History of the Runestaff and
the Chronicles of Castle Brass,
the Warhound and the World's Pain.
Brian Aldiss's
Helliconia.
Iain M Banks's Culture books, especially
Use of Weapons.
Ken McLeod's Fall Revolution books, especially
the Star Fraction and
the Stone Canal.
Learning the World
Alastair Reynold's
Chasm City and
Century Rain.
HP Lovecraft's
At the Mountains of Madness.
William Hope Hodgson's
House on the Borderlands.
Steve Erikson's Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen, especially
Garden's of the Moon,
Deadhouse Gates and
Midnight Tides.
that'll do for the moment...
Nick Middleton