Also, pretty much any of the books in this series, but The Great Hunt is particularly special.

What you expect: The nerds at your junior high band camp throw a costume party.

What you get: The nerds at your junior high band camp throw a costume party but it ends up being really fun. OK, not really. This is the second most-popular fantasy series of all time for a reason: It's vast and epic and packed with adventure and mythology that will keep you engaged for thousands of pages. A million nerd points if you can read all 14 of these, though.