Man, why aren't there more like this?

I'm taking a British Literature course (renaissance and earlier). A lot of the pieces we've covered so far are old, as much as 1400 years old. The thing is, they are good. Really good.
I read a lot of fiction, especially science and fantasy, and I've become adept at determining if a book is worth looking at (poor writing, predictable plots, flat characters, and similar problems are to be avoided) with a quick examination. I haven't wanted to turn away from most of these; the characters are interesting, the plots are either unusual or were so new that they don't feel like the cliches they have become since, and the pacing and imagery makes it relatively easy to wade into the tales. My only question is, why don't more authors write like this? It's disappointing.

More rants, complaints, and raves later.