Kobos
Twenty First of Midsummer, Year 995
Discworld - Terry Pratchett is a great blend of humor and cynicism and fantastic elements.
Lord of the Rings - The time abyss in LoTR is exactly what I'm going for.
The works of H.P Lovecraft - The idea that there are powers at play beyond mortal ken, and that there are many secrets that would be unhealthy to uncover about the basic workings of this little universe.