While the narration was good, I agree that it went TOO slow. It made a story that I didn't really love harder to get through.
I've read exactly one Cat Rambo story I liked, and even that one I found somewhat flawed. I was hoping that the addition of Jeff VanderMeer might help... but I haven't really enjoyed Ambergris, either -- despite its glowing praise from China Mieville, one of my favorites. I will say that I liked the world that was built, and I spent some time trying to figure out if it was Earth or somewhere else (the "the world ended two times before" or somesuch throwaway line I caught on the way to work this morning was tantalizing). The transition from magic to science, the Olde Time-y setting, the details... all these things were good.
But on the other hand I felt that a huge world was constrained by the fact that this is a tale told by one man, and therefore that tale is limited to his experiences. Which apparently included platonic necrophilia.
Also, the main climax of the story -- when he had the arm attached to his shoulder -- happened in the middle. The rest of the story suffered from a lack of anything happening. The MC dropped out, became a ship's doctor, spent 30 years out there, lost his parents, came home, so yeah, things did happen, but not anything of note. Plus, I felt cheated by not finding out who the old man really is -- was he the MC, who never really got back his bungalow like he said in his tale? Was he really just an old beachcomber? Was there something more to him? Had the MC preserved him, or maybe brought his father back to life?
So, for a 97-minute story... well, I made it through. But I also made it through Geology class in college, and I didn't really enjoy that either.
Maybe next time.