re: #79 William Lewis

How about Lois McMaster Bujold? Vorkosigan especially, but her other fantasy work is excellent as well.

I will recommend just about any of the Bujold stuff as well. (She also has a fantasy/romance series.) Connie Willis SF is generally pretty good stuff as well. For the latter I’d say to start with _Domesday Book_ or _To Say Nothing of the Dog_.