If you could recommend one fantasy book...

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For character-driven fantasy, I'll recommend George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, beginning with the first book, A Game of Thrones.

Martin is not the best with words. Certainly you won't mistake him for Shakespeare or Nabokov, but his characterization is often brilliant.

One of the biggest upsides for someone that enjoys literary discussion is that there is a small, but dedicated internet community that enjoys analyzing the books. There are certainly a number of fanboyz hanging around, but it also has some of the best serious discussion you'll find concerning a modern fantasy series.

The downside is that if you get into the series, it is only four, soon to be five books long, and many years from completion--probably never will be finished--and that while the story is overwhelmingly character driven, it takes place on a backdrop that is arguably more or less a Lord of the Rings clone (minus your elf and dwarf cliches) if you look close enough, right down to exiled royalty and the "sword" they wield.