Prince of Thorns

The Broken Empire series and the Red Queen's War are set in the same universe. Both fit quite nicely with the whole “one man's journey to greatness”, although they're darker than the usual fare. Jorg, the protagonist of the Broken Empire, is an absolute bastard who's only redeemable trait at first is his sheer determination in getting what he wants. Jalan, the protagonist of the Red Queen's War, is a lustful coward who just might be more than that, if pressed. Great stuff; just different enough from the typical fantasy stories to be interesting. Both are mostly first person, and focus on a handful of characters.