To those who have read the books, does the action pick up in later chapters?
It's been a while since I've read it, but my recollection is that there isn't much action in the book. One thing that might suffer in a visual adaptation is that much of the books appeal is in how the story is told/written more than what the story's plot actually is. It's a thought provoking exploration of themes and culture put over the framework of a road trip with slight mystery.
I thought the Czernobog encounter in the book felt heavier thanks to the prose alongside the situational absurdist humor, for example, while the show can really only show the weirdness of the situation without resorting to something distracting like narrative voiceovers.