Finished reading 'Game of Thrones' by George R R Martin last week and immediately bought the next four books in the series. I am pounding my way through the second book 'A Clash of Kings' at the moment.
I haven't read a fantasy book that has captured my imagination like this since Harry Potter. However, this conclusively overshadows the HP series by weaving a far more complex and absorbing web. Baddies are just as clever as the goodies and don't always lose. The characters have flaws that hold them back or even lead to their deaths. Plans and actions are subject to lady luck on top of their execution.
Over time (as the books are close to 1000 pages) I have found that sometimes I have actually been willing a character to get away with something, or to fail, which is something that I haven't done for along time reading a book.
It is about £28 to buy all five books on Amazon and I would highly recommend it. If you like a fantasy novel, start by trying Game of Thrones and watch yourself get hooked!