I am reading the Codex Alera series for the second time by Jim Butcher. It is a really intricate world, that is different then most fantasy. Magic is not really "Magic" as fantasy novels tend to depict but rather the bending of natural forces to one's will. Its characters are rich, and when I finished the series the first time I was so disappointed to finish, as I wanted to keep going on with the tale of Tavi and his cohorts.
Jim Butcher is a newer author, in so much as I haven't seen much from him before the last ten years or so. But he is promising.