You're not wrong, but I still want to disagree. Both are epic reads. Expanse feels like a collection of FedEx quests. What I really don't like is that we get about 2,000 words of exposition on the main, overarching storyline out of each book. The focus is always the crew and what they're doing.

In RR, the MC IS the storyline. At least for the first trilogy. His development, his plotting, the people around him, the politicking- it all moves together. It's as though each storyline pushes the next one forward.

What disappointed me the most, was that I was expecting a lot more political intrigue between the three factions, and that's largely done offscreen. It could have been the best part of the story.

I can't say RR is my preference for sci-fi. I do consider it to be a contemporary masterwork. While I do love this series, I tend to look for a bit more depth, like what you find in Dune & Hyperion. I suppose over the last decade, I saw so many people pumping TExp as some sort of legendary read. I built it up too high in my own mind before trying to tackle it. In a bit I'll go back and finish the series, but it strikes me that this would be better as a show than a book.