For years, swords and sorcery was what most people thought of when anyone mentioned "fantasy." It is still one of the most popular of all sub-genres, but heroic fiction is no longer confined simply to medieval worlds and brawny swordsmen. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and all ages, so we must stretch the bounds of our definition as new writers stretch the bounds of imagination.

Firedancer

This strays far from the classic S&S mold, with nary a sword anywhere, but it is heroic fantasy, nonetheless. The heroine must battle a very different sort of enemy in fire that thinks...and wants very much to destroy the people trying to hold it in check. This is the first in a projected series of 3 books that unravel the mystery of why the elementals: Fire, Wind, and Water, are suddenly challenging the grip of the clans created to control them.

Kindle edition: Firedancer

Not for the reader looking for something fluffy to spend an afternoon with, this classic of literary fantasy from another age ponders deep questions as its middle-aged hero relives his youth. Branch also wrote:

The Cream of the Jest
The Silver Stallion
Figures of Earth  

Young Garion grows up on a farm, ignorant of a greater destiny wrapped up in ancient history, though perhaps he should have wondered why his guardians happen to be the two greatest sorcerers in the world. . . A coming of age story that incorporates many standard fantasy tropes while still delivering a mostly satisfying read. Other books in the series:

Queen of Sorcery (The Belgariad, Book 2)
Magician's Gambit (The Belgariad, Book 3)
Castle of Wizardry (The Belgariad, Book 4)
Enchanters' End Game (The Belgariad, Book 5)

High fantasy written in the old bardic style, unabashed in its language and freewheeling in its imagination. Set on Mercury, of all places, one encounters high-minded demon lords akin to Tolkien's elves. Unsurprising, given that the book was written in 1922 and draws from the same generational regard for honor. A classic worth reading.

Other books by this author:

Mistress of Mistresses
The Mezentian Gate
A Fish Dinner in Memison  

This series ran on so long that Jordan died before finishing it, spinning the plot out into more and more complex lines and stretching the main action to impossible lengths. Tor has contracted with Sanderson to finish the series, which starts marvelously but definitely deteriorated in quality in the latter books, perhaps due to the author's illness. One hopes for good things from Sanderson's contribution.

Opposites Frostflower, a gentle sorcereress, and Thorn, a swordswoman, are thrown together when Thorn becomes pregnant and Frostflower offers to bring her child to term in a day and thus let her get on with her life. But their plans run afoul of their culture's ruling priests, and the two find themselves on the run, forming an unlikely friendship on the way. 

Fantasy is filled with buddy stories, but none quite like these tales of a swordsman fresh from the icy wastes of the north and his partnership with an apprentice magician. 

With a plot drawn straight from the historical court of England's King Edward IV, this series is epic fantasy with a cast of thousands. This first book is engrossing and will likely hook you in with its strange world where winter and summer last for years and danger lurks beyond the great wall, ignored by the nobles squabbling over the suddenly vacant throne. Those yearning for a single strong character to follow from book to book may be frustrated by the multiple plotlines and POVs.

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2)
A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3)
A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire)  

One of the first of the warrior women of fantasy, Jirel is proud, stubborn, and upright. Written in the 1930s before the era of "hot" babes and easy sex, Jirel defies the stereotypes of that male-dominated era of fantasy, when women were pretty much all secondary characters given to fulfilling all male fantasies on demand. Sadly, a good many still are.

Probably Norton's best-known series, these books take Simon Tregarth into a strange world filled with magic and odd creatures, true love and implacable foes. Norton was not acclaimed as one of the grandmasters of the genre for nothing.

First in the Sunrunner series  

Rawn's series uses an original form of magic which makes the death of one of the main characters both poignant and inevitable. They are so densely populated with major and minor characters it is difficult to keep track, but the story is rich and those who like "immersion fantasy" will probably enjoy sinking into this very densely developed world. She draws the main characters well enough to make you care about them, and is not afraid to kill them off, which may shock readers accustomed to heroes sticking around forever. 
  

An excellent first novel with a hero hiding out from his own reputation and a lot of bad memories. The book takes longer than it should to get going, but it starts to charm when the hero begins telling tales on himself. His mistakes are sometimes hilarious and his triumphs get you on his side, burning over the injustices that come his way. Rothfuss has created a memorable character and we look forward to future books in the series.

Salvatore has made swords and sorcery his own. This is the first in a series about Luthien Bedwyr, who departs his father's kingdom in a huff when he realizes the old man cannot fight the evil wizard king who now rules their land. He acquires a magic cape and a rogue sidekick and soon styles himself "The Crimson Shadow," fighting in Robin Hood style for justice. Not the best in the genre but not the worst, either.

Those endowed with magic, including the royal line, live at uneasy truce with ordinary folk and the church that would love to see them all dead. 

The Tombs of Atuan (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 2)
The Farthest Shore (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 3)
Tehanu (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 4)
Tales from Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 5)
The Other Wind (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 6)

As with so much fantasy, this is a coming of age story, following a wizard's apprentice named Sparrowhawk as he discovers himself and his powers. Le Guin is a powerful writer, whose work is never simplistic. Suitable for young readers but definitely should never be dismissed as mere "YA." Some of the best books in the genre are YA!

The book that started it all, this one is geared toward younger readers, so both the plot and the prose are somewhat simpler than in the later trilogy. The adventures of Bilbo Baggins have entertained generations of readers, and deservedly so. Tolkien distilled a lifetime's scholarship into European myth and languages into one of the seminal fantasy works of all time.

How many writers have been inspired to write fantasy by this ground-breaking trilogy? What Bilbo began in The Hobbit comes to a marvelous conclusion in the long journey of Frodo Baggins and the Nine Walkers attempting to destroy the ring of power before all of Middle Earth comes under the heel of the Dark Lord, Sauron. This 3-in-1 anniversary edition includes all three of the books:

The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King

The "prequel" to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings tells the story of events long before that were only hinted at in tales told by various characters in those books. The whole history of the First Age of Middle Earth is here for anyone wondering about all those heroes whose descendents become the main characters in the struggle against Sauron.