For character driven, I'd give The Dresden Files (Urban Fantasy) or EE Knight's Vampire Earth (SF) a shot.
Both of those follow a main hero through all their trials and tribulations. Dresden's a wizard private eye. Valentine's a soldier at war. They both have the snarky main characters, but they take place on Earth.
You can also try Simon R Green's the Nightside series, for Dresden in a world that isn't Earth.
You can also try Malazan Book of the Fallen for a hard fantasy. Or Richard K Morgan's The Steel Remains. Glen Cook's Black Company has also been highly regarded by other members of the forum.
Or, you could mix everything together and check out John Meaney's Bone Song. It's part mystery/police procedural with a healthy dose of dark scifi and fantasy thrown in.
For more lighter, almost satirical takes on the genre give a look at Terry Brook's Landover series. I'd also suggest Terry Pratchett.
No one here's suggested Hyperion either, I think that's a pretty strong character driven set. But it's not among my favorites. Maybe some one else here that enjoyed it more could pipe in.
And now that you have more answers than you needed..enjoy the reading!!
