read. Tolkien is a master of language, but his stories can be really slow. I started Lord of the Rings 3-4 times before I ever finished it. Sanderson is not a particularly great writer, but his stories are so great that it makes up for it. Stormlight is my favorite of his so far.

Edit: It's not fair to say that Sanderson is not a great writer. He is. But, he's a great writer because he comes up with fascinating stories and tells them in ways that keep you interested. He's not someone who has beautiful use of language, the way Tolkien does. For modern fantasy authors, Rothfuss is someone I'd say is a great writer in his use of language.