How to Read The Wheel of Time

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Book umpteen has just been released in The Wheel of Time saga.  Since last I read, the author had died and the series was being handed off with extensive notes and plot outlines for a final book.  The said final book turned into a final three books and I am still waiting for that to be further extended. 

I have talked to many people that absolutely love this series and I have spoken to others who are disenchanted with it.  Upon countless interviews with 98.3+- .7 percent of the Wheel of Time reading population, I have determined the reason for this disenchantment and can keep it from affecting you.

I started the series in 1999 (yes 11 years ago and 9 years into the series).  The series was able to progress up to book 8 while I was reading.  I was able to read 8 books in one fale swoop.  I devoured every one of them within a year.  I then waited 2 years for book 9, a year for book 10, and two additional years for book 11.  I was completely lost in book 11.  and hadn't really enjoyed them since book 9.

In my extensive interviews I have found that 88.6+-.9 percent of the fanbase also lost interest after they were caught up with the series.  I have surmised that it is the vast amount of characters and very detailed plot that do this.  The books have an appendix they I found myself using extensively for almost every character.  The world got too complex for me to read in instalments (no easy task, I could follow 90's X-men after all). 

If you really want to get into this series, wait a couple years and it might be through and start it then.  I probably won't pick up the last three until then if at all.  I know I will need to reread the other books to fully enjoy and I don't think I am willing to commit to 9k pages of books that I have already read.  It would take a regular sized novel just to summarize those books. 

This is a series meant to be read without very many breaks.  This is the problem with series in general but expecially those that run past around 5 books. 

*all statistics are imaginary, especially the ones used in this post.