Something about the way the previous Age is described, as a mix of technology and magick, made me think very strongly of WoT. Maybe this is because I read Lamentation while waiting for tGS...

Which is not to say it was unoriginal. I liked his magic vs. science schism, which very few authors explore, for some reason.

I felt one reason why he did not need so many infodumps is that he used the familiar elements of his setting well. Thus, issues like past wars between two popes, the migration of people from a wasteland, etc., while minimally dealt with, still manage to add a great deal of depth to the history of the world. I wish other authors who reflect on real history through their stories present their imagined history this way, as if expecting the reader to know... it worked very well for me.