Raymond E. Feist's
Riftwar Saga and the closely related
Empire trilogy by Feist and Janny Wurts are fabulous reading. Both are part of a larger framework termed the
Riftwar Cycle, encompassing ten series in all. Most are quite enjoyable, while not crucial.
Dragonlance Chronicles and
Dragonlance Legends by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
Barbara Hambly's Darwarth trilogy.
If one or two antagonists will do in a pinch, then
Michael Moorcock's stories of
Elric of Melniboné,
Corum Jhaelen Irsei,
Dorian Hawkmoon,
Jerry Cornelius and
Ulrich von Bek and his descendants come highly recommended. As does pretty much everything else Moorcock has written. Full bibliography
here.
Tad Williams'
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn.
And then there's the late
David Gemmell. If you want stories of magic, swashbuckling and the greatest heroism in the face of impossible odds, then look no further. Begin with
Legend, the first book in his
Drenai series and take it from there. All his
Drenai books and many of the others can be read in isolation, despite being part of a larger overall story.