I've not read enough Corey to form a judgement, but I don't think Jordan has nearly enough literary "heft" to satisfy close reading. Don't get me wrong: the story is fun - I enjoyed every bit of Wheel of Time - and would recommend it to anyone who likes that sort of thing, but the deeper stuff (characters, prosidy, world-building, thematic "meaning") don't bear much examination.

In fantasy / sci-fi, I'd unreservedly recommend:

- Ursula K LeGuin

- Steven Erickson

- Gene Wolfe

With reservations, I'd recommend:

- Patrick Rothfuss (unfinished)

- George RR Martin (unfinished; sometimes dodgy prose, but occasionally transcendent character and theme)

- Dune (just know it goes downhill fast after the first book)

Elsewhere, but still genre (ie: meant to be entertaining, not uber-serious, self-conscious "literature"):

- Patrick O'Brian

- Arthur Conan Doyle

- Dorothy Dunnet

I'd recommend Rudyard Kipling's short stories, but they're hit and miss, and sometimes out of step with modern mores. Maybe stick with the Jungle Book, and Just So Stories, and if you like those make sure you read Without Benefit of Clergy, They (short stories), and Kim (a masterpiece of a novel).

Once you've got through those, Hemingway is approachable, and the true modernist master. Fiesta / The Sun Also Rises (same book, known by different names in different parts of the world) is ironic and beautiful; A Farewell to Arms is beautiful and almost unbearably sad; his short stories are impeccable.