Sure, in high school and college, a 1000 page epic was a great way to spend an afternoon (I was a much faster reader back then). But after Jordan and Martin's massive epics left me annoyed at their glacial pace, I was sure that Brian Sanderson's The Way of Kings wouldn't be a good read.
I'll admit I put it down twice, and the third time I got into it by reading the storyline of one of the main characters about 3/4ths of the way through. By the time I stopped myself, the storylines were starting to converge rather splendidly. So back I went to read everything else. Will I ever read this tome again? Nah. But I'll look for the sequel with keen anticipation. Characters that grow despite suffering, good quality world-building, and several nice touches such as lots of maps and artwork do get a bit mangled from one or two ham-fisted twisted at the end of a theological nature, but the work is still a quality read, and enjoyment comes quickly enough. Rating 28.2 Richmans.
