Well damn. I just finished this and I am not even really sure what I just read. But I'll tell you what, I know I liked it! I just happened upon this book on the "new books" shelf at the library, just browsing through. The title got me first, being at the library myself. And then I read the jacket summary and knew this was a book for me. The subject matter, the fantasy realism, and the snarky tone was just icing on the cake. And really, the book followed through. It was all written with that touch of snark that took the edge off the fact that certain parts were downright disturbing and for probably 3/4 of the book I was just like poor Steve - being pulled along for a ride that I had NO IDEA how I got on or where it was going. And a little bit feeling like I was being sucker punched over and over again. I'll be honest though, totally worth it. This was just a completely different book than anything I've read before. The pacing and revelations were set up so well, moving fast enough that the fact that you really didn't follow what was happening seemed ok, because it kept getting a clearer a little bit at a time, right? And JUST when you think you're too confused to take it another second, normally around the same time Steve reached those points, you got handed a little more information. The story itself, as it was finally pulled together, was really expertly crafted - a nice little mix of mythology, lore, gods and men, drama and adventure, and just a splash of human feeling. The handing of the reigns that sat at the core of the plot was a fantastic linchpin. Just epic enough to account for the insanity of the rest of the story. And the characters, though they started off incredibly confusing, created such a varied cast that never got boring the read. I definitely had a soft spot for Erwin though, so I'm pretty damn happy about the ending. Happy for Steve too, come to that. And I can see where there might be a set up for a sequel here, but I think I'd probably not read it. This book was satisfying in the way that you eat so much of a great food that you've never felt so happy but at the same time never want to eat it again - maybe my thoughts will change, but I'm completely satiated by this story. And I don't want to ruin that. EXCELLENT debut.