How about Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser books? And for easy reading try the Thraxas series by Martin Scott, though the last one isn’t up to the rest.
So far, I’ve read Hobb’s Assassin’s Apprentice and Flewelling’s The Bone Doll’s Twin.
The latter was good. The former was outstanding. Thanks for the recommendations.
Now I’m reading Shadow of the Torturer and liking it quite a bit. It reminds me of something I haven’t pinpointed yet.
I’m so glad I started this thread.
Today I was at an auction for the first time ever, and they had a lot that was just paperback fantasy books. I didn’t stay to bid on it, but I’ll probably regret that, won’t I?
No. If your luck is anything like mine, they would all have been parts of series, none of them being the first book.
I haven’t re-read this thread, so I don’t know if has anyone mentioned Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels books. They’re a bit on the erotic side but they’re not violent – the eroticism is more emotional than sexual. Almost high school crush-type stuff, but effective.
I will have to heartily second Elizabeth Moon’s Paksennarion trilogy.
Unless I’m blind (quite likely) I’m suprised to be the first to mention Dennis McKiernan’s Iron Tower trilogy and Silver Call duology. Quite Tolkien-esque (he admits he set out to write fantasy that was in the same vein) and I enjoyed them. The whole “World beset by evil” premise of course requires some dire moments but no rapes, gritty descriptions of torture or any of that type of thing.
That’s good to know, about McKiernan. He just joined a Yahoo book group that I belong to, and members are telling him how much they enjoy his books. I thought maybe they were just being nice to him. An independent opinion is good. 
Since you’re not put off by Shadow of the Torturer, I’ll recommend To Reign In Hell by Steven Brust. It’s not a very long story but almost the definition of “epic”. It is a prequel to that other book (that somebody else wrote) that begins, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
I’ve read the whole thread. It’s possible that I’ve missed it, but it seems no one has mentioned The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. Sheesh, at least 30 books–which qualifies as “epic” in my book–no reality in sight.
There are about a zillion threads…search and ye shall find.