A Meta-recommendation:
Try reading Locus (SF, Fantasy and Horror review magazine).
Beware that the negative aspects are somewhat toned down, (they don't write things like "This story sucks, and the author is a moron"), but if you're able to take a hint it's all good. You should be able to find reviewers that share your taste.

(If you're interested in the stuff I suggest getting a subscription, they sell much less than they by right should. )

And because of this you find yourself unwilling to pay for advice...
Are you becomming a "freetard" Kirk?!

Ok, some recommendations:

Everything by Terry Pratchett, one of my all time favorite authors. I think many people underestimate the depth of the Discworld series.

Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere, American Gods, Anansi Boys & other books. Also Good Omens (written together with Pratchett)

Tim Powers: Very good author, semi-historic fiction with fantasy elements. Anubis Gates is a good book to start with, I think, or Last Call.

Neal Stephenson: Snow Crash, The Diamond Age: Both cyberpunk, but not too weird. The Baroque Cycle trilogy (historic fiction/fantasy). Cryptonomicon, modern fiction, if it is to your taste you will like it a lot. I'm reading Anathema now, which is scifi/fantasy without magic (so far).

Julian May: I liked the Intervention trilogy a lot, SciFi with a light fantasy element. Currently reading book 3/4 of the Pliocene Exiles series, and will then read the Galactic Milieu series. All these have some related background/universe.

Robin Hobb: Farseer trilogy. Fantasy that is relatively light on the magic.

Colin Wilson: Spider world. I liked the first two books best, the fourth (and last) is a bit too esoteric for my taste (written after a 15 year gap or so, so his style had changed a bit).

Steven Erikson: Malazan Books of the Fallen series (first book is called Gardens of the Moon). Although this does include wizards/magic, in many other aspects it is completely different from your run of the mill Fantasy. I liked these books a lot better than I expected (the covers seemed to hint strongly at pretty standard Fantasy)

Never liked Pratchett; read some Gaiman, but wasn't impressed; read a lot of early Stephenson, then stopped with Quicksilver, though I might go back to his books; don't like Hobb; the others are new to me, and I'll look into them. Thanks!

If you liked the early Stephenson but not Quicksilver, I recommend Diamond Age and Anathema heartily. Anathema in particular is slow, but builds up a heap of momentum. Lots of interesting ideas. The worlds (Snow Crash and Diamond Age in particular) tend to be made of exaggerations and such for humorous purposes, but if you like his humor in Snow Crash, Diamond Age is safe.

The Unincorporated Man is one I've read recently, and is pretty great. The best pure scifi book I've read in a while.

Also, it's more fairy tale than sci-fi or fantasy, but you might consider 'The Book of Flying' and 'The Book on Fire' (not actually related), by Keith Miller. The Book of Flying is dreadfully sad, but beautifully written.

Last good memories from SF are Dan Simmons' Hyperion (especially this one), Endymion, then Ilium and Olympos. I've recently read "The carpet makers", by Andreas Eschbach, I liked it much.

I must say that I'm not a Sci-Fi grown-up (I learnt who was Luke Skywalker's father by looking a Simpsons's episode ) and am not very fond of Sci-Fi books. So maybe those I like aren't verypopular.

I learnt who was Luke Skywalker's father by looking a Simpsons's episode

I like some of David Edding's work. I think the first series is called the The Belgariad. Its fantasy. It doesn't feel quite like Tolkien to me, although like you said, a lot of fantasy rolls down that hill. It does share some of the same ideas.

The Belgariad and Malloreon are both very good!