Shannara Series

Terry Brooks is a prolific author who has written a fantastic series of series.  The Shannara Series has various sets of books that tie beautifully together and move both forward and backward through its own time line.  Starting with the Sword Shannara, you learn about Flick and Shea Ohmsford and follow them through a rich tale of discovery, adventure and family.  You proceed through time with beautifully painted tales that can be read alone but are much richer if read as guided through duologies, trilogies, etc.  The Terry Brooks site does suggest a reading order, which I concur with, and it can be found at http://www.terrybrooks.net/novels/reading-orders/
The next trilogy is due to start September of 2012, with books two and three being released in 2013, so start reading and lose yourself in the World of Shannara.