To get once more back to the original question...
I, too, prefer books that are original. I am sure most of you have heard of 'The Orcs'. Some German writer picked up the idea and wrote a book who's title translates to 'The Dwarves'. I'm currently trying to read it, but it just doesn't hold my interest. It's (I think) to much like Tolkien. Just another world full of humans, dwarves, elves, orcs, wizards, etc. Each race has a dark counterpart, yadayadayada.
Since I'm a hobby writer, this thread made me think about what kind of fantasy I write myself. I think I try to be as original as possible. But I have this obsession with dragons...
No, seriously, I'm working on a story that's in a medieval setting, but without magic. The most magical it gets are some legendary creatures (one dragon, one unicorn, one cerberus...) But they're not the main characters. Another story of mine has nuclear desaster on Earth, some survivors (genetically slightly altered) flee planet Earth and start a new life on another planet with an indigenous species. The technnology of both races is limited, and the ex-humans have some latent magical abilities.
To make long things short: I think I try to be original. For examples, see above. It's sad that many authors just rehash old plots, even plots that were once original.