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(The narrative structure of Otherland is a direct descendant of the American voyage narrative as well as the traditional quest narrative of modern fantasy, which is why both Huckleberry Finn and The Lord of the Rings are repeatedly alluded to in volume 1, and why the means of travel between one world and the next often takes the form of a river.) The nature of that ambitious project doesn't really make itself evident until the second book, but for me that ambition takes precedence over a plot that doesn't obey the usual conventions of multiple-volume fantasy epics.
![tad williams otherland tad williams otherland](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/bugAAOSwZ2tcTvSv/s-l300.jpg)
The parent poster says that the virtual landscapes are "detailed-but-not-plot-relevant." I'd argue that Williams's purpose in these landscapes is to provide a kind of history of the modern fantasy novel, to illustrate its origins (the imagined worlds of Coleridge, Baum, and Borges all make appearances) and satirize its dominant themes. (Also, Renie becomes much less shrill and annoying in book 2.) I also remember the cliffhanger than ends volume 3 as being particularly intense. I found that the book was about the journey, rather than the destination, and there are so many clever ideas in volumes 2 and 3 that it'll be a shame if you fly by them. This doesn't directly answer your question, but allow me to suggest that you might be making a mistake by skipping volumes 2 and 3 of Otherland.