…they are incredibly dense reading. A typical story has six or seven different factions in multiple conflict, and there are double or even triple red herrings. I have to read a chapter at a time and then digest what I’ve read before I can read more.
You think so? Doesn’t seem that dense to me. Usually confusing stuff gets explained in due time, too.
But then, I’ve had practice trying to understand Wheel of Time. 
My strategy for these kinds of things is to jst enjoy the ride, because everything will be explained once it’s relevant. You know, like when the bad guy you can’t quite remember the name of gets outed as the Mastermind of the Conspiracy, there’s always some exposition about how he was with the Fluffy Bunny Liberation Front, and his sister used to be the head honcho, and he was peripherally involved with the Internation Jellybean Cartel… that sort of thing.
The world it’s in is based… in a conceptual way… on the politics of the Amber novels. I played with Mr. Butcher on a game based on the series, long ago, and the derivation of his style of plot comes through fairly distinctly.
As I see it, this can only be a good thing.