Search - American Gods

This was, in fact, the second Neil Gaiman novel I read (Coraline being the first, which I would also reccomend). Under fear of sounding fanboy-ish, I would first of all like to say that Neil Gaiman is... just unbelievable. He's just one of those authors that has me in awe sometimes, on the same level (in my book) as Terry Pratchett and Philip Pullman. But on to the actual novel.
Honestly, I don't think there is much not to like about this book. It is COMPULSIVELY readable (particularly to someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, like me). The plot idea in itself is brilliant, and the wonderful writing just adds to that. I would also like to mention how much I enjoyed Shadow as a character. Male main-protagonists usually bore me, and I end up more interested in supporting characters, but Shadow was just awesome (not that the supporting characters weren't equally fascinating).
I would highly suggest this book. I will note that this book is not for everybody. It has graphic sex and language, and I guess the premise could be off-putting to religious people. (Though I read it when I was 14, so, you know, I guess it's just personal judgement and whatnot)

Gaiman is a master of the strange and fantastic, and this is a shining example of his work. His writing is always challenging and insightful, while pleasing to the fantasy-minded. Well worth reading over and over again.

I must sing praises of American Gods.
It it.....just fantastic. Every book I've read since then pales in comparison.
I highly recommend it to you, to your friends, to EVERYONE. It's wonderfully imaginative and while reading it, I really felt like I was there, and I really felt and cared for all the characters.
Read it. Best tip I could give you today.

Ugh. I didn’t get past 30-40 pages. I’m not a particularly prudish (or even particularly visual) reader, but every few pages had sex scenes or imagery that was simultaneously depraved and cartoonish, like something out of an adolescent boy’s imagination. This struck me as tawdry and gratuitous. Perhaps it wasn’t, ultimately, but it turned me off enough not to want to find out.

My only prior experience with Neil Gaiman's work in the Sandman graphic novels. Having enjoyed the surrealism and oddness of those, I thought I'd give American Gods a shot.

Plot Summery (MINOR SPOILERS)--Shadow is released from prison to find that his wife and best friend are dead, and he has no job or life to go home to. He is recruited by Mr. Wednesday as an errand boy, and soon discovers that Mr. Wednesday is actually a god. The gods of many religions followed their believers to America, but have since been largely forgotten or ignored. Wednesday's goal is to gather other old school gods to battle the new gods of America--things like credit cards, the internet, and cancer. The story follows Shadow as he observes the ways of gods and ultimately realizes the part he has to play in the scheme of things.

This book requires a good amount of patience on the part of the reader. The plot rambles and sidetracks, and you have to be willing to get through a lot of detail that seems random and unrelated before everything comes together. For a fantasy novel, there isn't much in the way of world building or explaining--it's all showing and little telling. In other word, rarely if ever does a character explain "I Loki. I'm a Norse God."--you have to figure a lot out for yourself or just remain ignorant. I thought about giving up several times, but was intrigued just enough to continue. I'm glad I did, because in the end it was a very rewarding and thought provoking reading experience.

Shadow is a character about whom I have conflicting feelings. Gaiman gives him a minimum of character traits, letting him remain a ghost-like observer rather then an active character for most of the book. He shows few strong reactions to the fantastic things he sees and is told, just going along with everything. At one point another character comments that he doesn't seem very alive, and I'd say that's quite accurate. On one hand I feel that this is a terrible way to portray a main character, but on the other hand I can't think of a better way to tell this particular story. After all, the story is really about the gods. When Shadow did start to show development and liveliness (in the last 100 pages or so) I really found myself liking him. The other characters are extremely intriguing and well written.

Overall, while not a perfect epic reading experience, this book was worth the time I invested in in. It portrays Gods as victims of their believers, and America as a muddled and fascinating mix of cultures. 4.5 stars.

I'm not sure if I under-appreciated this (popular) novel, but I'm relieved to be done. The vibe I got while reading was similar to watching a movie based on a comic-book, which is hardly surprising, really, considering Mr. Gaiman started out writing and illustrating graphic novels. The overall mood is dark, and if the characters were illustrated, I picture them all with sharply-contoured facial expressions and inhabiting a sharply shadowed, edgy world.

Shadow (the name fits the mood, doesn't it?) is released from prison and goes home to Indiana only to find that his wife has been killed in an accident. Unsure of what to do and with nothing to lose, he takes a job as an errand boy for a mysterious man named Wednesday. Shadow soon finds himself mixed up in a war between the dying "old gods" of traditional world cultures, and the "new gods" that are replacing them, represented by various anthropomorphic embodiments of the Media.

Overall, an interesting idea, but the greater pulpy feel rubbed me the wrong way, possibly due to mere personal tastes. I found the prose repetitive and tiresome: a character's every movement is described in great detail--to make up for the fact that this isn't a "graphic novel" with illustrations? A character takes a bite, chews, swallows, puts down the sandwich, wipes his mouth, picks it up again...really? What is the purpose of inflating a book in this manner, with all that meaningless detail? There are also some overly-gruesome scenes whose presence can only be explained by the physical shock value, as they fail to propel or be relevant to the story. These too I could have done without. Glad to be finished.