http://www.tolkien-online.com/
J.R.R. Tolkien
Yup, the creator of the Lord of the Rings. I never got around to reading Return of the King (the last Lord of the Rings book in the trilogy) but I have read The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, and The Two Towers.
I think I like Tolkien's work more or less for the same reason I like William Shakespeare's literary prowess. He just has a way of talking about things while he's telling you his story that just really suck you in. As weird as it may sound, it's like I'm completely lost with what he's saying, but at the same time I know exactly what he's describing. He has a very intricate way of feeding you the story. My favorite thing about his writing is the way he describes the surroundings of a particular scene. If there is one thing I know I need to work on with my writing (as far as stories go) it would be showing, not telling about the particular environment a scene in my book is taking place in.
Tolkien's the man.
