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Oh man, the "must be skilled from the start" criteria really narrows the field (so much of Fantasy is Coming-of-Age) I would have to go with Riyria Chronicles by Micheal J. Sullivan. The two leads are thieves for hire, and they are both deadly fighters (one a former professional assassin)...

I think you'd really enjoy Starcrossed by Josephene Angelini. It is an moderd day story, but mixes romantic and mythological elements from both Shakespeare and Homer. Romantic, and very well done! For others check out this Top 10 Fantasy Books List

Hard to say if it will reach ASoIaF status, but the first two books are definitely amazing. I can't believe they made Way of Kings free for a while (maybe still free?), but if he's planning a total of 10 or so books I guess it's best to get people hooked early.

With your military background, if you like military fiction I would recommend The First Law Series by Joe Abercrombie or the Malazan Book of the Fallen Series by Steven Erikson. If you really liked the last few Wheel of Time books (written by Brandon Sanderson) you should check out his new...

I will also always owe Terry Goodkind a debt for re-introducing me to Fantasy Books. I'm not a huge fan of how the series ended, but I still own him my thanks. Sword of Truth is a great book.

I actually prefer Low Fantasy. I like just enough magic mixed in add some flare to the story, but not so much that the story ultimately becomes about the magic.

Apologies! Author Jack Campbell. The first book is Dauntless.

I think The Lost Fleet is great for two reasons: 1) These seem like the most realistic space battles. No WW2-style dog-fights with space ships 2) The military politics and issues amongst the leadership are spot-on. Having said that, just read the fisrt 6. After that it gets a little...

Have you tried any of Joe Abercrobie's other books? They are in the same world, and have some (but not all) of the characters in the original trilogy. My favorite is The Heroes -- Bremer Dan Gorst is one of the best fantasy characters ever written.

Based on your criteria, I would recommend the Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks (warning - it will be 4 books). The magic system is completely original, and if you like Sanderson's style you should like Weeks as well. The HQ Book Series Search can also help you narrow your options to books...