This book took a long time to finish because the "hook" wasn't there until more than a quarter of the way in.

I felt this was a tamer version of Gaiman's "American Gods" but still very good standing on it's own. It occupies the same literary world where gods exist because of belief. In some ways I think the characters are a bit better than "American Gods", but still a little flat. There are multiple plot threads that inexorably come together at the end in ultimately a satisfying manner.

Again, Gaiman has a very Douglas Adams type flair in his humor (though that maybe just "British" humor), but it was fun all the same. I found the editing/intertwining of the plot threads too choppy and hard to develop a rhythm, but that may be entirely intentional.

Overall, if you enjoy Gaiman, you're sure to enjoy this. However, I definitely recommend working your way through "American Gods" before tackling this one.