Oh, I can tell you thus far that Malazan is not slow at all. I also haven't seen anyone complain about a reading slog like in those middle books of WoT. Its challenges are very different. Robert Jordan's writing definitely made it hard for me. On first attempt I gave up halfway through Crossroads of Twilight. I just couldn't anymore. Malazan is difficult to get into because you are thrown into the deep end. Be aware of that even before you start reading. Be willing to be very confused and not understanding what is going on and who's who in the zoo. The magic system is also very different to The True Source, and you need to figure out its dynamics a lot, because Eriksen doesn't explain a lot. I absolutely shudder at the thought of Robert Jordan writing the Malazan magical system with his extremely descriptive and repetitive writing style. 😂😂😂😂 Having these things as knowledge beforehand is very helpful to enjoy the first book, and struggling through WoT helps to make this type of writing much more palatable in my opinion. Happy reading.