George R.R. Martin ASoIF - hands down the best adult fantasy out there. May not be for someone who's looking for quick and fast action. But for someone like me who has grown tired of reading of tons and tons of LotR and similar works, this series is highly recommended. Its major strength is its characterization and dialogues. Never will you meet such a wide disparity of well-written characters and best of all, there is no clear-cut who's the good/bad guy; it just depends on the point of view.
Plot is intriguing enough, pace - depends on which book of the series. Fighting - brutal and realistic.  FYI, I have first read this series in 1994 and have re-read it 3-4 times since. The re-read is a must because the author is a very sly guy; there are hints and foreshadowing throughtout the series, you'll never know what you are missing. Also, re-reading the dialogues are very rewarding too. The only negative thing about this series is the wait. Imagine yourself like me waiting for 5 years for the next book. But Padawan, patience is a virtue, so I shall keep my fingers crossed and hope that the author outlives the series.

Other fantasy series that I have read which is worth mentioning are: Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive, Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller chronicles, Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards and to a certain extent a few of Joe Abercombie's works which I enjoyed like BSC, Heroes, Red Country.

Also, other works by GRRM are quite refreshing too in the sense that these books do not fall into the normal cliche like the Fevre Dream, Dying of the Light,etc.