About 10 years ago I read this for the first time. I still remember that I didn't like it at all (originally I gave this a 2-star rating). It was the first book by Neil Gaiman I ever read and it was to be the last for quite some time. Re-reading it 10 years later, I still understand what I didn't like about the book. I expected some nice urban fantasy and this book is everything but nice or pretty. Instead of a "nice" protagonist I met Shadow, this convict non-hero without name or heart or special powers, and Wednesday the god of con-men. I expected an easy genre read and instead found an episodic, meandering plot with long detours through psychedelic dream-scapes that left me wondering more than once what was going on. It all finished with an ending that I found highly unsatisfying back then. I felt cheated out of the grand showdown.

This time, I was following Shadow's travels with much more enjoyment. Yes, the unfolding of the plot is somewhat slow, the complexity of the big con/heist/plot needs a long set-up. And the writing is beautiful. The images of places and people that Gaiman conjures are memorable and impressive. I liked the amount god references everywhere in the book, some of which may be too subtle to notice on the first read. I enjoy the language and I appreciate how Gaiman's writing manages to transport so much with so few words. And this time around, the slow reveals of the final truths make for a fitting ending to the story, that just feels right.