What a ride! My main issue with the first book of this trilogy - My Heart is a Chainsaw - was how long it took to get into the action. Don't Fear the Reaper is all action. It rocks. The story has some complexity, with some elements constantly floating under the surface, never being fully explained to the reader. I really like this authorial choice. I appreciate that SGJ believes in his readers enough to not spell out everything explicitly, but rather to give readers something to chew on as they get further into the story. There is a sense of magic/mysticism here that's confusing and strange, but in a good way. This is supposed to be the real world, so why would any of the characters believe that their folklore is actually real? Truthfully, the only thing I can knock this book for is the chapter lengths. I thought finding the first 50 page chapter was bad. Then I hit the 100 page chapter, and was yearning for that little 50. I don't know how that chapter could have been broken up, but that's not my job to do, that's yours, Steven.