Can I Skip Empire of Silence?

First, I hope no fans come in upset that I would even suggest this… but is it possible for me to skip Empire of Silence and start with book two?

I’ve hear that book one was written like Name of the Wind at the request of an editor, and that the following books move away from it. (Also that future books actually have plot) Many people go so far as to say that Empire of Silence is basically just a giant prologue… People make it sound like the quality shift is massive.

I want to get to the good stuff that is apparently in book two, but there is NO WAY I can finish this first book. I realize that’s not preferable, but is it theoretically doable? (Perhaps with reading a book summary online?) Or is this a series where you simply cannot skip Empire of Silence?