American Gods: A Novel
by Neil Gaiman
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Book Reviews of American Gods: A Novel
Book Review: Interesting and engaging, but ultimately unfulfilling
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm pretty divided on this book. On the one hand, I found it interesting enough to keep reading, but I also though it dragged in spots. All the main action really happens at the end; the plot really meanders up til then. It's a more interesting meander than most, but still a meander.
Also, I found his representation of "American Gods" to be incomplete. How can you really talk about mythology or religion or the state of 'gods' in America without delving into Jesus? Yes, he gets a mention, but nothing in depth. I only say this because various versions of Christianity have had such an impact on American life, and still have all too powerful an impact on American politics. Talking about gods in America while side-stepping Jesus unfortunately seems all too much like a decision made in order not to offend. There's also very little mention (if at all) of Mohammed, Buddha, or the Yahweh of Judaism. So he appears to be pretending that there are no Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, or Jews in America, only worshipers of new technology and media. I can accept the idea of television and internet and cars being gods, but leaving out the other 'gods' worshipped by Americans seems very incomplete.
I do always enjoy Gaiman's approach to fantasy however, as a thing just underneath the surface of modern life that you could see, if you only knew where to look. I just wish this book had a deeper statement.
Book Review: Beautifully crafted but insubstantial
Summary: 3 Stars
American Gods, a technically brilliant but flawed novel, sets up the Old World gods as alive in America but not necessarily well. From the great glory they knew at their height in Europe and Asia, they have now become grifters, con men, laborers and clerks. The story takes place amidst a brewing conflict with the "new gods" of computers, credit cards, and the like.
Shadow, an ex-con who committed a crime to cover for his now-dead wife, is taken under the wing of a corrupt Odin to serve as muscle in the upcoming conflict. Shadow and Odin (among others, including Anansi of Anansi Boys) embark on a series of encounters, journeys, stories, and strongly hinted mysteries. Shadow meets such diverse mythological figures as Ibis and Johnny Appleseed, in a miasmic journey across America.
But American Gods, operating with only a minimal story, lacks any sense of importance or urgency. This is reflected by Shadow himself. He is strangely passive, having almost no emotional affect or real reaction to events. To the extent that this is purposeful Gaiman offers only hints as to Shadow's true nature, which might provide some explanation. But real answers never come, and the outcome is unsatisfactory.
Gaiman's craftsmanship, imagination, ear for dialogue and sheer ability should have carried out this premise - for that matter, any premise - better than it did.
Book Review: What You Believe and Dream, You Are. Be Careful.
Summary: 5 Stars
American Gods starts small, but the ending is epic.
Having served three years in prison for aggravated assault, Shadow gets out of jail a few days early when his wife dies. On his way home to the funeral, he meets a man named Wednesday, who enlists Shadow's services as bodyguard, gopher, and servant.
This is no small task, considering that Wednesday is Oden, the All-Father, a god whose had quite enough of being forgotten. Oden is a con and an egomanic whose own quest addresses a question raised early in the book: Why is it immigrants to the US so easily left behind the gods of their homeland when they arrived? What is the connection between belief and place?
These questions lead to the questions of what we call god, what we believe, and how we live what we believe as Gaiman's characters cross America in this and the underworld as well as the cultures that define and redefine it every minute of our days.
In the end beliefs consume us if we let them.
In the end, if we don't, welcome to our world.
Gaiman had me with Shadow every inch of he way. Brilliant characterization, a fantastic and wholly believable plot, and prose that countless other Kindle readers (like me) found worth highlighting and sharing come together to tell the story of America. In the end what is ordinary is extraordinarily beautiful. Because it is.
Book Review: Great concept, but takes a strong commitment to get through some parts.
Summary: 4 Stars
A man who goes by the name Shadow gets released from prison and before he even makes it home his entire world is turned upside down. He is engaged in conversation by another man who knows an uncomfortable amount about him and tells Shadow he needs his help. After their conversation the story seemingly followed Alice down the proverbial rabbit hole.
The book follows Shadow to hell and back, almost literally. He encounters many Gods from probably every region of the world and from every era. The research was definitely thorough, though almost too much so. There may have been a few too many references to Gods that have been long-forgotten. But that is often a complaint of sci-fi/fantasy books, in how they can be too detailed and descriptive.
I cannot rave enough about how much I love this plot. The Gods of old, which were brought to the US by whomever, however devout, are facing a great paradigm shift. The old Gods are being edged out in the US by new Gods who represent more commercialized, Capitalistic and technological ideals. Shadow chose sides with the old Gods, but he has no idea if he made the right choice. But he knows all he can do now is see the coming storm through to the end.
This book took forever to read, was very bizarre in many parts, and the ending was almost anti-climactic. And I still really enjoyed it. Call me crazy I guess.
Book Review: Modern fairy tale done right
Summary: 4 Stars
Neil Gaiman does the modern fairy tale thing very well with this one, which is neat, because I don't usually care for fairy tales. The book is fairly long but I found it very engaging. The characters were cool, the setting very gritty and intriguing, and the research is excellent. I never thought reading about coin tricks could be this interesting, but somehow it is. One thing Gaiman does well is write about places, and you can really feel the atmosphere of all the locations Shadow visits.
I do wish I knew more mythology before starting this book though. Most of the characters are explained well, but some are not, and I feel like I was missing out not knowing the history of some of the Gods.
A couple things bothered me. First, I was not clear on how the mythology of it all worked - how the Gods get their power - and a lot of questions were left unanswered. The other thing that bugged me is the sheer amount of sex in the book. Every couple chapters or so Gaiman threw in yet another sex sequence, and it was just plain excessive. Besides that, I thought the ending was somewhat anti-climactic, but it still worked.
This book is riveting from start to finish. And somewhat funny too (specifically, the part with the raven made me laugh out loud). Definitely a great read for people who like modern fantasy and aren't scared away by adult situations.