A Song of Ice and Fire

One of the more popular ongoing epic fantasy series that has caught my interest is the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. It takes the fantasy elements normally associated with epic fantasies (such as magic, dragons, otherworldly creatures, quests, etc..) and pushes these ideas into the background, if they are incorporated at all. Instead the plot focuses more on creating a believable political, geographical, and historical reality for the realm of Westeros. In order to do this, Martin draws heavily on medieval and other historical events (the War of the Roses) to create a story that focuses more on political intrigue, competition between noble families, and competition over the throne of Westeros. While there are still some fantasy elements spread throughout, most of the novel deals with the fighting that occurs between rival factions and their armies. Basically it's Lord of the Rings meets Braveheart/any Shakespeare play about royalty. Recently I joined a forum that focuses on this series which can be found at:

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?act=idx

Check it out if you're interested.