American Gods: A Novel
by Neil Gaiman
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.88 You Save: $11.11 (69%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $2.22 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of American Gods: A Novel
Book Review: A Huge Disappointment
Summary: 1 Stars
The premise is intriguing: Gods are brought over from other cultures through the minds of immigrants and eventually manifest into real beings that walk amongst the rest of society. Then as people stop believing, the gods grow weak and old.
But with as much potential as this storyline has, Gaiman's delivery was a huge disappointment. He manages to make it entirely implausible. And I really don't mind implausible. Hell my favorite genre is implausible. ... Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Mists of Avalon... I normally love fantasy or books that rework old mythologies. But good fantasy should be written in a manner that makes the reader believe. Gaiman failed miserably in this regard.
His character development fell flat. The most well developed characters in this book are still only two-dimensional at best, and when it came to the "new" gods, there was no character development at all. None of the characters in this book, whether they were gods or mortals, had any redeeming qualities... not even the protagonist ... nor did the plot itself. Who was I supposed to be rooting for? Shadow? Wednesday? Laura? I couldn't relate or sympathize with anyone.
I know the gods in ancient mythology are flawed, but these gods are beyond that. They lie, cheat, steal, kill for no reason.... What good are they? Who would pray to these gods? No wonder people stopped believing in them. There's nothing to cling to.
And ~why~ are the gods fighting to begin with? What are they fighting for? This isn't a good versus evil storyline. It's simply evil versus evil.... And I don't mean that in a good "fire fighting fire" sort of way, either. It's totally pointless.
When I pick up a book, I expect it to either entertain me, enlighten me, inspire me or some combination of the three. It did none of those. If it has no bearing on reality, a novel needs to possess some redeeming aspect in terms of insight, morality... something. This book fails miserably. It's just offensive. Vulgar. Depressing. Boring. Awkward. Ugly. Clumsy. Chaotic. A good premise poorly executed.
Book Review: Very Well Written, Highly Original Fantasy Novel
Summary: 4 Stars
Wow, what an unusual story. Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, this novel fits best in the genre of fantasy. At its core, it is the story of a battle between two groups of Gods. The first group is comprised of all the old, mythological Gods who were previously worshipped in days long past.
According to the story, they (and various other mythical beings) were transported to the New World (North America) by the beliefs of immigrants, whose descendants gradually forgot them and stopped worshipping and sacrificing to them (think leprechauns, Odin, African deities, Queen of Sheba, etc.). These Gods, in the form of normal humans (Loki Lie-Smith, Norse God of Chaos becomes "Low Key" Lyesmith), are greatly weakened, down on their luck and get by through grifting, trickery and minor magic, in addition to holding regular human jobs to make ends meet.
Now, there is a new group of glitzy, aggressive Gods, represented by computers, television, internet, video games; you get the picture. There is a storm brewing between the two sets of Gods and an all out War is on the horizon.
In this mix is tossed Shadow, a small time felon recently sprung from prison. He is picked up by an unusual fellow named Wednesday (Odin) and falls in with the Old Gods. Did I mention that this was a highly unusual story? Regardless, it is very well written, and though a little bit over the top, entertaining. I'm sure there is symbolism and allegory enough to fill a semester length literature class, but strictly from an entertainment perspective, it passes the test.
There are several story threads that come together in an ending which contains several very well presented plot twists and satisfactory resolutions. Some have compared Gaiman's writing style to that of Stephen King, and I confess that there are some similarities. There is certainly enough originality in this story, however to fill several King novels.
Book Review: Good, but beware a bit of trash
Summary: 4 Stars
In "American Gods" Neil Gaimen did something I have been thinking about doing, but of course can't get past the first page, for a long time. He explored the ideas about what happened to the ancient pagan gods once people stopped believing in them. The story starts with Shadow, a parolee who discovers his wife and best friend were killed in a tragic accident just days before he was to get out of prison. Shadow, whose world has just fallen apart, is hired by the mysterious Mr. Wednesday as a body guard, errand, boy, etc. What ensues is a road trip through an American you will recognize from your vacations, that is jam packed with ancient gods living lives in the most ordinary places doing the most unusual things right under our very noses. Mr. Wednesday sees war coming, and Shadow has a special part to play.
Once again Neil Gaimen proves himself a consummate story-teller with a story that is compelling, witty, and amazingly original even as it borrows from the oldest literature known to man. Shadow and Wednesday were remarkably well drawn characters and the story was definitely not predictable. Those of you who know mythology will spot a lot of things before they happen, but, as with all good thrillers you will not see the crucial things coming.
The only draw backs are three scenes that would make this rated X, or at least NC-17, if this book was a movie. They did not move the story forward one bit and I found myself wondering why that tripe was not cut from the book. There is a bit of violence, and, b/c the book has some pretty seedy characters, a smattering of bad language that does not necessarily move the story forward, but seemed appropriate for inmates and criminal types to use.
All in all I recommend this to those who love a good epic saga, mixed with modern dark fantasy, with a dash of good mythology thrown in for good measure. Just beware the graphic scenes.
Book Review: Neil Gaiman, the new face of horror fiction
Summary: 5 Stars
Neil Gaiman has been named as one of the top ten living post-modern writers (the Dictionary of Literary Biography). A prolific creator of comics, drama, poetry, prose and song lyrics, he's also been called the new face of horror fiction. You can even find him active in other media such as blogging, film, journalism, radio and television.
His New York Times best-selling novel, American Gods, was awarded the Bram Stoker, Locus, Hugo, Nebula and SFX awards.
Anansi Boys, closely related to American Gods, has elements of comedy, horror, romance, the supernatural and even humour.
His collection of short fiction, Smoke and Mirrors, dark and unique, has been compared to the works of H. P. Lovecraft, Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury and Stephen King (who is, himself, a fan of the author).
Better known for his classic work, The Sandman, a collection of modern, adult comics, Gaiman is a forty-something Englishman who now lives in the U.S.
I've read all three of the books mentioned. My 17 year-old son, a fan of The Sandman, bought them and insisted I devote some time to them. He figured if I was a fan of Stephen King, a horror writer who is arguably the finest story teller around, I just had to love Gaiman. He was right.
I can't think of anyone who has created a mythology quite like Gaiman's. His haunting vision of the landscape of modern Gods makes my skin crawl, yet I find myself unable to leave his work alone. His writing is like a drug that hooks you and leaves you an addict who must have more.
If you're new to the horror genre, I'd recommend adding this author to your reading list. More literary than Stephen King and possibly more difficult to read, Neil Gaiman will reward you for your effort.
Clayton Bye
[...]
Copyright © 2009 by Clayton Bye
Book Review: SO Creative!
Summary: 5 Stars
My first Neil Gaiman novel was Neverwhere, which I found to be somewhat disappointing. I thought maybe Neil Gaiman was just another overrated writer but I decided to give him one more chance. I'm really glad I didn't write Gaiman off after just one novel because American Gods was everything I was hoping Neverwhere would be and wasn't.
American Gods surprised me with sheer creativity. Gaiman presented a concept I had never considered before. The United States has long been a cultural melting pot in which tradition, religion and identity have all become meshed and blurred at the seams. Over the years many of the old beliefs of immigrants have faded and the gods they brought with them from the old world have slipped into obscurity and myth. So what then has become of these outdated icons? In American Gods Gaiman explores this concept through a brilliant work of dark fantasy and rich folklore.
Gaiman pits old world gods of lore against the gods of the modern world: rising monoliths such as television and internet. American Gods is not merely fiction; Gaiman truly has something to say about American culture in relation to religion and our rapidly changing society. This novel isn't like anything I've ever read or seen before. American Gods is a rich folklore which draws the reader into a world of warring gods and self discovery.
Gaiman's talent for writing shows strongly in every lyrical line of prose; each sentence is dripping with powerful description and detail that paints a vivid picture in the mind of the reader. I also enjoyed the outlandish characters that pop up throughout the novel as well as the stoic main character, Shadow. There are several little twists that make this book interesting and addictive. I don't recommend that you read this book; I demand that you read it...now!