Need Help Picking a Book

[Klaus]

...and I can't think of anyone on the internet I'd rather hear from than my esteemed peers here at the LL. I did a lot of casual searching yesterday and today and turned up some hopeful suggestions, but nothing that quite fit my criteria. But first, let me explain: My son is reading the Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, and I never finished that series, so I decided to take another run with it. After the second novel, I can't help but feel I'm reading a tweens' book, if you know what I mean? I need something with a little more substance, where the characters have more depth, peoples actions have serious consequences, love is something more than just a peck on the cheek. I want something more adult in nature! Having said that, I'm interested in a fantasy setting novel, perhaps even historic in nature, perhaps a bit dark, definitely more on the realistic side, although a bit of magic is always welcomed as long as it adheres to its own rules (no Fizban type characters). Finally, if it had a bit of, Thriller in it, like a horror novel might, that would be grand. My father (I'm sure this will sound bad), used to read me Steven King novels as a child before bed, and I love that intense sensation of being chased, or something is going to get you! Not the Goosebumps kind, but the real deal with a gritty reality, such as in the movie 28-days later.

I know this is a hefty set of criteria to fulfill, and probably the reason I am having such a difficult time finding the perfect book! I've come across a lot of good fantasy setting suggestions that are dark, but most are either too dark (having a great deal to do with child abuse and torture, which in moderation isn't too hard to stomach), or too fantastic (i.e. a city hanging over a void by chains with a dead god beneath - doesn't matter if it is written well if its too fantastic to get into).

Anyways, let me know your thoughts, and I'll surly pick something out soon. If I can't find exactly what I'm looking for, at least I'm sure I'll get a nice solid list for later . Thanks for any replies ahead of time!

George R. R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series

Seconded.

I will also recommend:
Cryptonomicon
Anathem
The Baroque Cycle

all by Neal Stephenson. I will warn, however, that the Baroque Cycle is dense.