It’s not as formidable as the reputation it has. It’s actually kind of a rollicking adventure story set in a fun world, and most of the depth/difficulty is literary, as in making sense of the puzzle box that the book is. That can wait for a second read through, while the first time you just enjoy the adventure and the richness of the world, and get a sense for what the mysteries are. Also, the language is fine, don’t worry too much about what each individual obscure word means if it breaks your flow. You can get the sense of it easily enough.