Or, I suppose, if you lack the patience, give up after book one - but at least get to the end of book one before giving up on the series. All Erikson's books start slow and end with massive climaxes - the one in the first book is kind of chaotic and not as good as the ones in later books, but still it's a big climax. The ending of book two is spectacular - if you don't like that, the series is clearly not for you.