[jimpudar]

GEB was written when he was a young man and his ideas hadn't fully percolated into the more concrete form they take in I Am a Strange Loop. I can't find a source at the moment (it might actually be in IaaSL itself) but I seem to remember him saying IaaSL is the book he wanted to write when he wrote GEB.

Both are excellent reads, but I'd definitely agree IaaSL is far more approachable and a better use of your time.