Whew, that was a ride! I don't think I can skip the last book now.

There's still a lot of things I don't understand, but one thing that has become clearer to me is that the author is really good to use style to convey mood. The first book is from a very detached point of view, and it shows in the dryness of the book. This book is more emotional and the prose changes style well accordingly, especially during times of high stress or unfocused delirium.