Customer Reviews

AMERICAN GODS

5 star:		(203)
4 star:		(96)
3 star:		(69)
2 star:		(41)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

I love Neil Gaiman. A Lot. I get that you maybe don't. I do. I really do. I don't agree, but I do. I read American Gods 10 years ago when it first came out, and while it maybe wasn't EVERYTHING I wanted it to be, it was pretty damn close.

I've had more then a few people talk to me about it, and how they don't get Gaiman's books, and in particular, didn't get American Gods. Here's the thing about Gaiman - what he writes is Good Literature. He's not a writer I plow through, he's a writer I read. I admittedly re-read this book the day it came out - I'm not sure why I waited to write/blog my thoughts about it but I did.

Also, I feel I'm waxing poetic. Annoying. Here: Neil Gaiman. You get him or you don't.

I've always kind of loved the idea that gods do not exist on some vague eternal plane, but that they rather rise, and fall with cultures and civilizations and people and places. There's a lot of discussion about the similarities between the gods, and I love how Gaiman touches on that. I also love the idea that we have to be careful when we try and make gods into simple human forms - even putting aside my own beliefs to me the idea of simplifying our own theology is something to be careful about.

It's something of a cautionary tale - be careful what, who and how we worship, since the idea of gods lurk in our subconscious.American Gods is well worth a read. I've picked it up more then a few times over the past few years, and the 10th anniversary edition did not disappoint. I was THRILLED when I found out HBO and Gaiman are turning it into an HBO series. It's pretty much perfect for it. By pretty much, I mean totally. By totally, I mean I may just die. It's possible.

Neil Gaiman's "American Gods", an intentionally oxymoronic title, is about the impending battle between the old gods (pick your poison: Odin, Loki, Vishnu, etc.) and the "new" (junk culture: TV, advertising, gambling, etc.). Stuck in the middle waiting to find out his destiny is a mortal man named Shadow. Soon to be released from jail, Shadow looks forward to a reunion with his wife Laura. Sadly, this reunion is not to be (or, it is not to be in the way Shadow envisions it). Shadow, stricken by grief, is thus enlisted in a battle, one that may decide the fate of the world, by a mysterious man named Wednesday.

Similar thematic territory was covered, with much more panache and verve, by Douglas Adams ("The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul") and by Neil's "Good Omens" writing partner, Terry Pratchett ("Small Gods"). Both books took a sidelong glance at the subject of modern deities and found an awful lot of humour there. Gaiman treats his subject with solemnity, and to my mind this is one of the reasons why the book suffers.

Fortunately, the story begins with a dramatic bang. Gaiman sets up his characters well, and then proceeds to create the universe in which they will live. He never betrays the beginning, but at times he lets the narrative (or, to describe it more accurately, the loose assemblage of scenes) get away from him. "I feel like I'm in a world with its own sense of logic. It's own rules," Shadow notes at one point early on. "I'm just going along with it, you know?" This is true, and it begins as a wonderful creation in Gaiman's hands. But later Shadow becomes more frustrated with the direction his life has taken: "Nobody tells me what [the rules] are. You keep talking about the goddamn rules, I don't even know what game you people are playing." This kind of frustration seeps into the reader's thoughts as well. Gaiman takes great care in hiding his motivations from both his character and his audience. You keep expecting a payoff, where the rules are explained, at least implicitly. But that rarely happens, and when it does it is quite unsatisfactory.

He also neglects to assemble a unifying narrative. What we have, instead, is an extended version of 'variations on a theme'. Shadow's adventures, although different and interesting every time, still follow the same basic formula. It becomes tiresome after a while. And what narrative it does have goes on for far too long. "Not only are there no happy endings," someone says near the end, "there aren't even any endings." Too true in this case. Further complicating things is the fact that this book has both an epilogue and a postscript. Gaiman may not have wanted to leave the world he's created, but the reader can't wait for it to finally be over.

All that being said, there are moments here that carry a tremendous amount of stark weight. One scene, at an odd boarding house, has Shadow losing a game of checkers only to face a frightening punishment: a sledgehammer to the head. Thankfully, he's able to put it off. Or is he? Later, we see Shadow in a moment of extreme sacrifice. Gaiman's descriptions of the broken man's thoughts in this chapter are heartbreaking, and believably authentic. The scenes in Lakeside, a small-town safe haven, if taken on their own (with some obvious re-working) might have made a wonderful self-contained short story. I just wish that Gaiman had found a way to string these events together in a unifying manner. Out of nowhere, you find Shadow talking to Lucille Ball, as Lucy Ricardo, on an old black-and-white TV. Or, apropos of nothing, Gaiman's narrator barges in to admit to the fictionality of the story he is telling: "None of this can actually be happening. If it makes you more comfortable, you could simply think of it as a metaphor." These are all great bits of writing, but they don't fit together to make a cohesive whole.

"American Gods", for me, is a very frustrating read, for just these reasons. It has boundless potential, but at every turn Gaiman fails to reach the high levels he's aiming for. It makes for a powerful work, one that's often boring, at times quite frustrating, but in moments quite exhilarating. At nearly 600 pages, anything is going to be hit or miss. I was just hoping for a few more hits from Gaiman, a writer I've admired in the past. I admire him here, too. I just didn't enjoy him that much.

I want to start off by saying that I loved this book. It captured my interest right away and kept it all the way through. I've been telling everyone about it and can't wait to get my hands on another book by Gaiman. The storyline is unique and off the wall and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Then there is the writing. Gaiman is a master of language. There are even passages I marked because I loved them so much and want to reread them again later. All that being said, I did not race through this book, but savored it. It took me a while to read because I didn't want to rush it..

It is not only the writing that's intriguing, but the subject matter. Gaiman explores interesting issues and philosophies, the way our culture has changed since people started coming to North America, and even what has happened since. This all revolves around the gods - the ancient ones from the old country and the new one's of technology and money.

Shadow is in jail for a bank robbery and, after three years, is going to be released. He has everything to live for, until he finds out that his wife and best friend (also his future employer) have been killed in a car accident. Shadow leaves jail and goes home, unsure of what he will do. Along the way he meets Mr. Wednesday, who offers him a job. It turns out that Wednesday is an old world god, trying to rally up other gods to fight the new world gods for survival.

I don't want to say too much about this book because I don't want to give it away. There are so many twists and turns, rich explorations of ideas, and stunning writing, that it will keep you turning the pages.

One of my favorite quotes (because I love books so much):

“What I say is, a town isn't a town without a bookstore. It may call itself a town, but unless it's got a bookstore it knows it's not fooling a soul.”

Shadow is in prison, nearing the end of a three-year sentence for assault and looking forward to rejoining his wife Laura. He's tried to keep his head down, learning coin tricks and cell block aphorisms from his low-key cell mate. And then the world he's been reaching out for shatters. Summoned to the warden's office, Shadow learns that his wife has been killed in a car wreck and he will be released early to attend her funeral. He subsequently learns that he has also lost his best friend, his prospects for a job, his illusions about his marriage and any reason to stay in an empty house in his little town.

Shadow accepts an offer from Mr. Wednesday, seemingly encountered by chance on an airplane. He will be Wednesday's chauffer, bodyguard and... something like a straight man. As they travel through small-town America, Shadow--and the readers--figure out that his employer and those he meets with are more than quirky human beings. They are gods created and sustained by human belief. The gods now face a crisis. As Americans forget about them, they begin to fade away. Already too many are gone.

Wednesday tries to do something about this crisis while Shadow plays a strange and increasingly central role in his plans. We meet several gods and see signs of their waning influence in an America that has turned its attention to television, technology, and more modern diversions. Guiman paints the gods large, with expansive personalities, diverse powers, and astonishingly short attention plans.

The gods' need for human belief creates a fascinating world where nearly everything important happens behind the scenes. The slow development of Shadow as a more engaged human being and perhaps something more, is a well-woven plot element. As we follow him, we ponder mysteries in plain sight that others overlook. Why are roadside tourist attractions places of mythic power? What goes unexplained in the small places that draw back from the outside world? There are answers.

Neil Gaiman's story is imaginative, pleasant to read, and captures something of what seems definitively American to a transplanted British author. It is recommended. Appreciative readers may enjoy Shadow's further development in Anansi Boys.

This is one of the most entertaining stories ever put in writing. Neil Gaiman is a master story teller and has the most intelligent grasp on ancient and modern archetypes than anyone has in the past 100 years. He has been wrapping me up and putting me down ever since Sandman. Well done Mr. Gaiman, you never cease to engulf me in your magic, or whatever you call it these days. Thanks for making me question and laugh at the same time. :)?

I've read this novel over and over again. Upon reflection, the reason for this is because I like the world that Neil created here. My reaction to Shadow is similar to what the characters in the book think of him. He's smart yet dull - too accepting of things at times but also a man who's only ever tried to be a shadow in his own life. The story unfolds beautifully. At first, I found the ending to be disappointing, but I've since come to really appreciate it. I highly recommend this to anyone who has an interest in writing. This novel teaches you how to create an entire fictional world and keep your reader engaged in it far beyond the last page. I'll also add that it teaches you what excellent writing is all about. I don't think anyone does it better than Neil Gaiman.

this book is just terrible, and i regret that i even spent a moment of my time and money for this nonsense. first of all there was no plot and evrything was vague. i was kept wondering what the real story was wether it was about the gods, about the main character shadow or laura who rose from the dead. the writer did not seem to know how to connect these characters together and just went from scene to scene which were irrelevant. i don't know what the hoopla is all about this author and i'm purely disappointed. after reading the reviews on the first page of the book i expected to at least enjoy the story but sad to say this is a terrible book.

The book starts out with the anticipation that this will be an entertaining read but after the first five pages, it falls apart and doesn't capture the reader again until the last four pages. Everything else between the beginning and end are just words to take up space and add thickness between the covers.

Character development is practically non-existent and most of the characters are really just a profusion of names that only make the theme of the book distracting and chaotic. It is not clearly and understandably recognized that the name of the character Wednesday derived itself from the Norse word 'Wodinstag' which was the day honoring the Norse god Wodin (or Odin).

The book rambles from page to page without any continuity of meaning about the idea of what the author is presenting and each page becomes a struggle to finish.
In summary, the author was certainly not thinking of what the reader would like to enjoy.

This is an absolutely fabulous book, and a must read for all fans of mythology and meta-mythology. It absolutely blew me away, and stayed in my thoughts for many, many days after I was done reading it.

This book was my introduction to Gaiman, and I still think it is his best (although his other stuff is great too).

I, personally, adored this book. I loved the descriptive art Gaiman used throughout the story, whether he was describing a character or an atmosphere... he made you feel it. This is by far, one of the most intriguing, and fascinating books I have ever read, and I loved every minute of it. :)