I feel rather daring and frisky replying to this post, but sci fi and fantasy are two of my three favorite fictional genres.
I got through
A Feast of Crows or whatever the title was of Martin's 4th book before I finally gave up on the series. While he's created an in-depth, original universe, it just wasn't enough for me. I personally look for characters I can cheer for when I read, and the ones left by the end of the 4th book were either rotten or Too Stupid To Live and I really didn't care about any of them any more.
I do understand the appeal of such an epic work, and the heraldry and family history is fascinating. I guess I just prefer a less sprawling, more focused style.
On to a cheerier subject -- writers I like, lol! Marion Zimmer Bradley's
The Mists of Avalon and the
Sword and Sorceress anthologies she edited are enjoyable. I also like Orson Scott Card, both his sci fi and his fantasy. Cherryh's Fortress series is on my TBR list, and after reading some of this thread, so is Patrick Rothfuss.
I also enjoyed my daughter's Percy Jackson books.