I don't remember the last time I cared this much about the characters in an epic fantasy series. Seriously, I forgot how much this kind of reading is an emotional trial.
Liu does an amazing job with his secondary world, building an empire that feels real and vibrant. I'm invested in the state of the state even when I accept that anyone can die and probably will. Liu also does a better job with people doing terrible things that ASOIAF ever manages: alliances, motivations, character complexity, people using ends to justify means ring true in Liu's work.
Also, he does this thing where the gods and magic are just much less interesting than the SCIENCE! and it's just so cool!