American Gods: A Novel
by Neil Gaiman
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Book Reviews of American Gods: A Novel
Book Review: Some of Gaiman's best work -- honest!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book contains some of Gaiman's very best writing, and also encompasses an amazing number and variety of themes -- the place of the gods in humanity's scheme of things (and vice versa), the nature of belief and unbelief (and why they matter, or don't), and of life and death (which are not mutually exclusive categories), why America is fundamentally different from the Old World (and why it's the same, too), and what the point of it all is. Or perhaps there's no point at all -- and that's the point. From the beginning, when Shadow leaves prison to attend the funeral of his unfaithful wife and is recruited on the way by Mr. Wednesday (who is really Wodan, the All-Father), the reader slides into a world in which the old deities and supernatural beings of Egypt and Scandinavia and the Balkans and Africa and the Caribbean are caught in a struggle with the new gods of technology and television and drugs and the Interstate and the media. Which side will win? Which side deserves to? Shadow starts out as a driver/errand boy, merely an observer, but he ends as an important participant in the would-be war. But the war turns out to be something else, too. Part of the book is an extended road trip, a tour of America's true holy places -- most of them roadside attractions -- and convoluted, gray cities and perfect small towns. Along the way, Gaiman pauses to recount short fictions about the past and the gods' place in the world. Throughout, his style and use of the language are hypnotic, and his characters -- even the spear-carriers -- are multidimensional. This is especially true of old Hinzelmann, and Low Key Lyesmith, and Mssrs. Ibis & Jaquel, and Czernobog with his hammer, and young Samantha Black crow, and the technical boy, and most esecially of Laura, who loves Shadow beyond death. A gorgeous book.Book Review: Piercing the Veil of American Mythos
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the third book I've read by Neil Gaiman and it is the most epic of his works so far and the novel left a profound effect on me. This is an original, intelligent, thought-provoking, and well-structured novel as well as serving as a mythology guide.
American Gods is a reinterpretation of mix of myths and mythologies from Greek, Norse, African, and Asian pantheons. There are pagan gods, Native American folklore, Celtic Faery lore. This novel explores the many gods of both Heaven and Hell by juxtaposing the past and the present of immigrants who migrated to America, bringing their various myths and legends to the New World. These old gods were eventually forgotten as they were replaced with new gods of science and technology.
The story centers around a man called Shadow who has just been paroled from a three year stint in prison for assaulting two men. He is released two days early because his wife has died in a car crash and he needs to make funeral arrangements. On the plane to his wife's funeral, Shadow meets a strange man on the airplane, Mr. Wednesday, who offers Shadow a job which he reluctantly accepts. As these two embark on a road trip across the America, Shadow is introduced to a plethora of interesting, mysterious, and fascinating characters who turn out to be forsaken old Gods, trapped here in America, forgotten by the immigrants who brought them, in their minds, to this country long ago.
This book is truly an epic urban fantasy and Neil Gaiman has done a incredible job of juxtaposing the past and the present, mixing and matching past legends and loredoms, which are the foundation of beliefs in this country. American Gods is a vivid and surreal journey into magic, mythos, and mystery. It's absolutely brilliant.
Book Review: American Godsdamn it...
Summary: 2 Stars
Wasted a few hours of my life reading this.
Things you have to know before buying this book.
1) The main characters name is "Shadow." Seriously. He tells people his name is "Shadow" and nobody bats an eyelash. I kept waiting for someone to do a spit-take but it never happens. His name is Shadow. Oh, and his wife nicknames him "Puppy." So if you can stomach your main character being addressed alternatingly as either "Shadow" or "Puppy" you're in good shape.
2) The "Gods" referred to in the book are the lameset bunch of sad-sacks you will ever read about. They are mortal (in the sense they can be killed with a gun or run over by a car) although they don't age and they look like normal people (some are tall, some are pretty, some are old, some are young). So what makes them Gods you ask? Well, they are good at coin-tricks and can some of them can hypnotize people. That's it. Seriously. Odin, the father of all Greek Gods has the amazing powers of being able to hypnotize girls into sleeping with him and passing bad checks. No joke. That's it. Why anyone would have ever prayed to these "Gods" in the first place God only knows (no pun intended). They are so lame and boring, it's terrible.
3) You seriously will not care about a sinle character in this book. I didn't care if the main character lived or died. I just wanted SOMEONE to do SOMETHING interesting. Never happens. Although towards the end things get really retarded and "Shadow" all of a sudden starts riding a giant bird around but he might have been dreaming it? Who knows.
4) Ahh who cares. I've already wasted too much time reading the thing, why waste more writing about it? Do yourselves a favor, read something else.
Book Review: A captivating story
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is hard to label. It's science fiction, but it's not. It's fantasy but it's not, etc. What I can say without reservation is that it's an excellent novel, a sweeping, captivating story, and a plot with many hints and tangents that turn out to be meaningful in the end. If time permitted, I would read the book a second time just to pick up all the details I missed in the first reading.
So what's the book about? Shadow, the main character, is released from prison, and runs into a man named Wednesday in a series of inexplicable coincidences. Shadow accepts a job as Wednesday's aide, which is the start of a series of strange encounters. Slowly it dawns on Shadow that the people he deals with are actually gods. Old gods, brought in from the old world by the successive waves of immigration. It also becomes clear that Shadow is a highly skilled con man who is not afraid to use these skills.
Wednesday is preparing for war with a breed of modern gods, who are poised to take over the American pantheon. Shadow, a mere human, is carried away in a maelstrom beyond his control as he tries to make sense of what is going on. The story ramps up to a grand finale, as befits a story of the gods.
Gaiman depicts his gods as predators, preying on humans, but their need to prey on humans makes them vulnerable once humans stop believing in them, or refuse to be preyed upon. The theme is an echo of Jean Ray's forgotten masterpiece, Malpertuis, perhaps known by some in the movie version, Malpertuis, with Orson Welles.
Book Review: Masterpiece written by an icon
Summary: 5 Stars
As Time magazine said in a recent issue, Neil Gaiman has been an icon in the world of comics and fantasy for a couple of decades. Neil himself has said he is already more famous than what he is comfortable with. My first introduction to Neil was Anansi Boys followed up with his book Neverwhere. I was immediately hooked. Neil thinks adults deserve good fairy tales, and I think he's just the right person to give them to us. Neil says he wrote American Gods in longhand (Stardust too). This book is a clash between the old Gods (Odin, Loki, Thor, etc.) and the new Gods (the Gods of credit cards, freeway, and internet). But America is not a good place for Gods. Too dynamic, too wild and untamed. Moving too quickly. Gods struggle to survive in such conditions. But dreams burn bright. Neil has also said that he believes there are tricksters in America. They hang around the edges. Tricksters lose. Gods and heroes win. Sometimes. This book is a complex mix of myth, magic, danger, and secrets told by a master storyteller. Each chapter starts with a quotation. Chapter 13 has one of the best rants I have ever read. It goes on for a page and a half starting with the statement "I can believe things that are true, and I can believe things that aren't true and I can believe things where nobody knows if they are true or not." I guarantee you will share this rant with a few friends. It's amazing. And Chapter 18 (which starts with a quote that says "Poetry ain't what you'd call truth. There ain't room enough in the verses") is my favorite chapter in the whole book. This is a book of literary magic that will resonate long after the last page has been read. It will only add to the Gaiman legend (sorry Neil).