American Gods: A Novel
by Neil Gaiman
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Book Reviews of American Gods: A Novel
Book Review: Entertaining but pretty much a mess
Summary: 2 Stars
Throughout the book you see Gaiman struggling to bang the concept of old gods vs. new gods into a coherent cosmology without much success. As an idea its okay, but in the execution its pretty much a mess. Episodes of Supernatural have done the concept better, which is sad because Gaiman is very talented and he clearly has the best intentions.
The book is rife with problems though, starting with the aptly named protagonist, Shadow. He's a shadow of a character, lacking believability and motivation, he glides through through the unreal events with barely a comment, apparently as dumb as a post and about as interesting, until his heavy handed epiphany near the end. Really he's little more than a deus ex machina. Occasionally we are told he feels something about his dead wife, but it rings false given that a patch of lichen could showcase greater emotional range. Were this to be made into a movie Keenu Reeves would be overqualified for the part.
Even worse, the villains such as they are, are quite blah. The new "gods" are things like network television (not even cable), radio and cancer. All of which doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense. There's also a fat kid called Technology Boy who stands for new technology and the internet. Really...the internet and Wifi is a fat slob who drives a limo...yup that matches my image of Gates, Jobs and Zuckerman.
All in all the book while entertaining at times, is a mess. For better Gaiman read Neverwhere or Sandman. It gets 2 stars only because is readable in parts and the Lakeside subplot is good and reminds me of Twin Peaks.
Book Review: The Battle for the Soul of America
Summary: 5 Stars
Neil Gaiman, originally from England, explores an issue that every American, whether they realize it or not, has struggled with. Who are the gods of America? Where do they come from? America is a country founded by people from all over the world, depriving us of a central mythology or religion. Even the people who crossed the land bridge over the Bering Straight brought their gods with them...they weren't here already. This is the problem that face the unique characters in Gaiman's story. They are gods...but what happens to gods when people stop believing in them? People brought them here, and then abandoned them. The gods in the story are a wandering people,misunderstood, forgotten, and fighting for survival.
Shadow unwittingly gets put in the middle of the fight between the old beliefs and the new. As a main character, Shadow is mysteriously incomplete. Although much of the story is told from his point of view, he seems to simply react to things and doesn't ponder them. In any other book, this would be a drawback, but in this one, Shadow fits perfectly. He is a man without a past; after the death of his wife, he lets go of his past and unflinchingly accepts his new fate.
As an American reading this book, I really identified with the idea that the country is a difficult place for gods. My ancestors came from all over Europe; there is no one defining culture or belief system. But the book provides a warning, that as a society, in place of the old gods, we have set up new ones: technology, mass media, fashion. To what or whom will we sell our souls?
Book Review: I want to learn coin tricks!
Summary: 5 Stars
This novel was absolutely awesome! What more can I say? At first I was a little hesitant about reading this because I really didn't love Neverwhere. I thought it was too Lord of the Ring-y for me. Fantasy is not my cup of tea. I decided to get it based on all the great reviews here on amazon.
And wow. I really, really LOVED this book. Not only was it entertaining, but I feel like I learned something. About gods and other mythical beings. I think that's really cool. The plot: Shadow, basically a normal guy who just gets out of prison, agrees to work for Wednesday. They drive around alot, talk about the "storm" a-brewin' and run into old "friends." There's nice little interludes, or stories about people that you won't exactly meet in the novel, but it goes with the novel. I hope you know what I mean. Or you will when you read it. Cause you gotta read it. I thought they were interesting. There were twists and turns and drama. And in the end everything is tied up nice and tightly. I read some of the one star reviews and they mention the book is boring? And there's too much going on? BORING?! My GOD! (Would that be considered a pun?) I don't have a bad attention span, but it's not the best. So, I don't know what's up with those people. There's too much going on? I don't think so. It's a fast read for almost 600 pages, I think.
I just really, honestly cannot think of one bad thing to say about this book. It was flippin awesome. READ. IT.
Book Review: I wasn't as enamored as many have been
Summary: 3 Stars
'American Gods' won a whole slew of awards, primarily science fiction awards, including the Hugo and the Nebula. I'm not sure why.
The premise has been outlined here many hundreds of times. I will just say that the whole story boils down to 'if people stop believing in a god, that god ceases to exist'. (Which reminds me of an honest-to-God story that happened to me a decade ago. I was leading a Sierra Club hike. A woman made her way to the front of the group, where I was, and asked me, "Do you believe in wood sprites?" I was obviously taken aback, but I said, no I didn't. She said, "Well, that's why they are dying out.") So I guess there might be something to the basic premise of 'American Gods'.
I found the story very long, a bit tedious, and ultimately not that rewarding. Oh, Mr. Gaiman can write, no question about that. He gives an interesting sense of wonder and spookiness to his tale. But, I felt the ending was a letdown. I was most interested in Shadow's dead wife, who, with a little help, just can't stay dead, and who saves her husband on several occasions. This, after betraying him while he was in prison.
Weird, to be sure.
The book may appeal to others more than to me. The fact that it apparently was a New York Times Bestseller attests to that. And, those slew of awards.
But it didn't move me as much as it has others. I will give some of his other books a try. Perhaps I'll get into those more.
Book Review: A creative and fun take on an old theme
Summary: 5 Stars
Seeking something a little lighter than my usual fare, and simply wanting a fun summer distraction, _American Gods_ was enthusiastically recommended to me by a friend, telling me this was just what I was looking for. He was right.
The story is an easy one for close readers to quickly pick up on - Gaiman gives plenty of hints about "mysterious" characters to reward the attentive; I was immeadiately drawn in. Those not familiar with the character names and plays on names may feel a bit left out of the joke; fear not, the story is rewarding in its own right.
Without giving away much (did I mention the story is fun and rewarding?), the hero, Shadow, is hired by a mysterious man to help him recruit equally mysterious men and women from around the country in anticipation of a major showdown. Figuring out who these people are, where they came from and how the showdown will play out had me blazing through the book. The fun and rewarding part? Watching the plot and character's true identities slowly revealed, and (along with Shadow) trying to figure out what the importance of the showdown is, and how the heck he will get out of it. For those with more serious (or "literary") tastes, there is much to like here as well: think James Frazer meets Margaret Mead, with a healthy dose of action.
Gaiman is a master storyteller, as this book certainly demonstrates. Its a fun summer read. Highly recommended.