I liked this a lot, until the ending, so at least 95% of the book worked for me. I'd just finished reading (or trying to read) two similar books (at least in tone, narrative style, not plot) and was pleased with how well this one worked. Even when he was visiting his friend who recapped ancient history, it still held me.

But that ending, whoa. Still, it doesn't negate that most of the book worked for me, any more than Seinfeld's awkward finale didn't cast a pall on all the other great episodes.

I think if you were younger (say, Goosebumps age) then you might think the climax is suitably creepy. for me it was a bit mirth-inducing.

(Note: I'm a writer myself, so suffer pangs of guilt every time I offer less than five stars. These aren't ratings of quality, just my subjective account of how much I liked them: 5* = one of my all-time favourites, 4* = enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)

A spooky cozy bookhounds adventure

Usually not knowing anything about a book before reading it is a bonus.

Less so when you don't know what it's trying to be, and the plot doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

Then, not particularly gripped by said plot, you only read it in short doses with long stretches in between.

That was this book. In the end I found out what it was trying to be (Lovecraftian Horror), at which it did an okay job. Perhaps it could have benefited from less navel-gazing and more editing.

Una inusual novela, que no podría catalogar bien si es de terror o de fantasía urbana. Leiber explora una idea interesante, la de las grandes ciudades como monstruos sintientes, a través de un protagonista que se obsesiona con un ocultista que promulgaba dicha idea. El libro es un viaje de investigación y descubrimiento donde no hay nada terrorífico hasta el final, pero que presenta un puzzle interesante.

Leiber es un maestro y con razón. Incluso esta, que me parece una obra menor comparada con el ciclo de Fafhrd y el Ratonero Gris u otras, sigue siendo una magnífica demostración de prosa ágil, y conceptos originales. Es recomendable, aunque no te va a cambiar la vida.

Dated, and a bit overworked, but entertaining. (What's with all the parenthetical comments though?)

L'idée de départ me plaisait bien mais cela a été une lecture assez ennuyeuse et vraiment pas effrayante ... probablement qu'on était plus impressionnable dans les années 70 mais là, j'ai trouvé que l'histoire faisait vieillotte malgré des réflexions sur l'évolution du monde qui se sont révélées assez vraies quand on voit notre monde actuel !