Thanks for the advice all. I've already got the Alcatraz books on order, I just also want something meatier.
I've also got Warbreaker ordered, but the problem is I just can't read a lot online. At least not solid masts of continuous text. It bothers me a bit, plus I do a lot of my reading in bed, breaks at work, etc etc. I'm sure you know what I mean. And so I wait for the hardcover in June. Fifth hardcover I've bought in years, and fifth thanks to Sanderson. (I drive for work, so I can't bring the Hero of Ages hardcover with me. I haven't taken a lunch break in days.)
And I think I need to clarify: I'm definitely finishing Hero of Ages. Like I said, I am amazingly hooked. I just (In an amazing display of idiocy) spoiled myself silly, and so I know I need something to rebound off of. I'm psyching myself up for the hidden meaning/angle to the ending, but still.
Ookla, I actually have the Chanur omnibus sitting on my shelf, just waiting for the moment I'm in a sci-fi space opera kind of mood, I also definitally like a good political rangling. I guess I can shuffle things around, thanks for that suggestion.
Roberts: The political mess coming out of Illinois right now is all the entertainment I need out of that state for at least two years, thanks though.
Also, it's not that I don't like a sad ending, it's just that after around 2,000 pages of characters this well written, it's a hard blow. There are some books where I may like characters, but just go "oh no, not 'him'" when they die, like in a Song of Ice and Fire book, or maybe a Wheel of Time book, and there are others where when it happens, I just feel like doing some cliched kneeling down and shaking my fist at the sky in anger and grief kind of thing.
Edit to an edit:
And I cannot stress enough that anything by Matthew Stover is made of pure win. His style is just so alive. His stuff is really not very comparable to Brandon's, the stuff they write isn't all that similar, (still fantasy/science fiction) but he is just amazing. His characterization is brilliant. He doesn't just tell you a story -- he puts you inside it. And he writes fight scenes like you have never seen them written before.
I've already read his Caine books. I can't wait for the next two to come out. I'm a little disappointed that one's a prequel though. I've been ranting about Mistborn to a few friends, and to describe the fight scenes I say "Almost as good as Stover" to which I get the response "Wow". I think on that alone I've sold three copies of Mistborn.
Edit to a second Edit: I totally agree. More people should read his stuff. What's holding him back is just his lack of output, and how much Star Wars work he does.