Gardens of the Moon (The Malazan Book of the Fallen) (Steven Erikson)
Since Tolkien, Fantasy has rarely been revolutionary, instead becoming more of an evolution and reinterpretation of Tolkien's original work. Well, I can honestly say Erickson's saga is revolutionary.
No Fantasy book series is more epic in scope than The Malazan Book of the Fallen. His saga combines both military and epic fantasy into a delightful mix. Brilliant prose, epic storylines, gritty realism, fascinating mix of gray characters, Erickson combines the best of George R. Martin with the epic scope of the Greek Classics such as the Iliad and the Odyssey. One word when reading it: epiphany. A refreshing change from the usual Robert Jordan-esque fantasy clones that pop up like weeds these days.
The series is now completed for the most part, but the strength of the series has maintained itself throughout the many books. So you can start this series from the beginning knowing that you WON'T have to wait years for sequel books to come out. From start to finish, Malazan Book of the Fallen is one hell of a ride and is a MUST read for any fantasy fan. It can take a few books to get into the series, but if you are patient and bear with the world-building in the first couple of books, the series gets damn good.