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I'm a recent convert to WoT, on audiobook with the readers I know from Sanderson's books. Jordan has decidedly Old White Guy sensibilities, but brings a little more to the table than the likes of Eddings. It took me several tries to connect with this series, mostly on Sanderson's recommendation, and I expect I'll slog through to Sanderson's finale. Yes, it's cyclic, but that's written on the tin, isn't it?
For the current round of awards, Jemisin is eminently deserving. The first book had a conceit that paid off by the end and left a little doubt as to how the series could move on, but then the second book dove deep into world building and character and opened things out quite nicely (well, yes, bleakly, but nicely bleakly).
I just finished All the Birds in the Sky, and it was good, but yeah, Jemisin would certainly beat it out. It's a tale of a mad scientist and a witch who are star-crossed lovers in a magic-vs-science apocalypse, and as such it's well done, but it rushes a bit toward a conclusion that's a little too tidy. Again, quibbles with a quite enjoyable story.
My own impression of the awards field and the genre in general right now is that we're spoiled with riches. There are more voices than ever, feeding back off each other, and it's not like we're not all familiar with the canon and coming from a lot of the same places. If science fiction fans can't come to grips with these concepts, what hope is there for the average ape on this rock?
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