I love the Book of the New Sun - I think I've been pretty vocal about that. Big Dying Earth sucker here. But if you didn't like the first one, it's probably not the series for you. If I could take a grad level course on a SF series, that'd be the one I'd want to sign up for and dissect. (I really should try and do the whole series again sometime soon. Ha.)
Fenrix, the first Viriconium book by M. John Harrison is pure Dying Earth bad ass adventure, a very quick read, and nowhere near as intentionally distanced as Wolfe's books. Not so much the rich language you get from either Wolfe - or for that matter, Smith - IIRC, but loads of fun and cool shit. The other books and stories are less fun, though perhaps better written. The third one is almost a dark comedy, and I don't know why we don't see more Dying Earth books that read like Coen Brothers movies...
I loved the first of King's Gunslinger books, and have been mixed (at best) on the rest. One day I'll read the last two.