I don't know if this is at least partly an effect of reading the book in my second language but for me each short story was like a perfect puzzle. Each new one intrigued but to some extent equally confused me and figuring out what was happening brought me a lot of satisfaction and joy. And once I 'solved' a story it was already wrapping up and gifting me the next one.
There is a big shift between the first half and the second half of the book and I must say at first I was unsure of what to make of it. But the longer, somewhat connected 'hainish' stories are equally thought-provoking and joyful as the earlier ones.