Lord Dunsany, esp. _The Charwoman's Shadow_ which in many ways foreshadows _The Lord of the Rings_ (though Dunsany was by no means the linguist which Tolkien was)
Michael Moorcock, dark fantasy, the original multi-verse, multiple incarnation hero, and the first hero to break the Conan mold
Robert E. Howard, Conan
C.J. Cherryh's Morgaine series
Jack Vance, esp. _The Dying Earth_ and his Lyonesse Trilogy
Roger Zelazny, _The Chronicles of Amber_, _Dilvish the Damned_, _The Changing Land_, &c.
William
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