Glen Cook has some excellent D&D type books, with his latest one, "Water Sleeps", setting the stage for inter dimensional travel with its portals.
His Black Company books are good too. My favorite wizard is Varthlokkur, and I would put him up against Elminster any day. I'm not certain who would win, but that would be an awesome battle.
I agree that The Hobbit is the place to start, and am encouraging my nephew who is 8 now and not much interested in reading, to give it a try. I'm sure it motivated me to read more than many of my peers.
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