I'm really glad you're enjoying it!
Yes, Zindell creates wonderful characters.
And while he does have some great harder science fiction sequences, bordering on math worship (particularly when Danlo becomes a pilot), he never goes over the line where the story becomes more about the ideas and the tech and the science than it is about the characters and the plot.
Now then I enjoyed the Ea books. I've read parts of the series 3-4 times now. But even I will admit that the first book (so ginomous that they had to split it into two for mass market paperback release) has sort of a slow pace. I believe this was deliberate on the part of the author, as he is taking his time establishing the characters and the world. He really comes into his own in the second novel and the ending of the second (
Lord of Lies) can be a profound shock that can really shake up the reader, but is still perfect for the series (sort of like Martin's Red Wedding scene, if you are familiar with his series - it is shocking, but necessary for the story). But the thing is, I'm not sure that a lot of the people who criticize the fantasy series have read beyond the one/two volumes (depending on if you are reading hard cover or paperback) of
The Lightstone.
So they read the huge, more slowly paced intro volume, but did not ever meet some pretty important characters and only began edging into the heart of the plot.
The prose and characters in both series are rich, well developed, and quite beautiful.