Incidentally, that's one of the complaints that a few of my test readers have had: I don't give them enough framework to put together all the players and the powers that be. Since I'm aiming for a younger audience compared with Malazan, I'm making it simpler to get up to speed. I'm enjoying the sense of wonder that comes with piecing together everything in Erikson's series, however.
No rush at all to read. I'm still slogging my way back through the draft, creating scene-by-scene notes so that I can begin major revisions by the end of the year. The goal is always to improve (just like the Patriots; lots of lessons leaned from the way they ramp up each year), so it doesn't matter where in the process you read the story. There's always room for improvement in the next iteration. If you don't get to the rough draft in its current form, you could try to clear some time next year -- and if that's not feasible, then don't stress over it. I appreciate the offer regardless!
