The problem with fantasy books

I read Dies the Fire by SM Stirling last week. I was really enjoying it until I was about two-thirds of the way finished with it. I realized that while I really liked the setting and the basic story - one day all electronics in the world stop functioning and the United States attempts to deal with it - the book had no heart. The characters were not that interesting. I wasn't invested in them. So I haven't picked up the second book in the series. I may get it out of the library eventually, but I doubt I'll buy it. This is not unusual in fantasy books. So often, authors get so wrapped up in the new world they created or the over-reaching story, they forget to focus on the characters. We read these books because we can relate to the people in them, even if they are elves with pointy ears.

If you want a great series of books that creates an amazing world, has an overreaching storyline that's fascinating and has incredibly interesting characters, check out George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. Although the last book wasn't as good as the previous three.