rec'd by Erin, Mindy's friend in NYC

Gaiman's finest work. If only all fantasy were this smart, subtle, and gripping. Some of the images (Bilquis, Czernobog's hammer-blow, the funeral home) are unforgettable. ( )

I have read this book before and enjoyed it, so I knew what to expect from American Gods. Saying that, I don't remember it being quite so difficult to get into. It wasn't until Shadow reached Lakeside that for me the story took hold. I wasn't too sure about the little vignettes, personally I find these a distraction from the main plot even though I realise they’re a deeper part of the backstory.
I did like Shadow as a character. Although he comes across as detached from what is going on around him, I enjoyed that aspect of him. I liked the fact that he accepted what was happening to him. I’ve read far too many books where the fantastic intrudes on real life and a large portion of the story deals with the character accepting all possibilities other than the actual one (Thomas Covenant readily springs to mind.) I thought all of the characterisation was spot on. You could’ve taken any of the characters and given them a book of their own.
One of the Gaiman’s greatest strengths in this book is the subtlety in the storytelling. It would have been easy to overload the story with the older Gods’ history or to list the new Gods created from our world now. Instead Gaiman let the reader’s intelligence and interest do the work. That aspect reminded me of Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, letting the reader get more out of the story if they want to. There was also that element of subtlety in Shadow’s characterisation and the overall story too. Shadow’s ability of slight of hand. Showing one thing but something else happening underneath. The fact that the war between the old and the new gods was a smokescreen. All these elements I found added to a richly layered and enjoyable story. ( )

I can't say too much about the plot without giving it all away; much of my enjoyment of the book was from slowly figuring out exactly what's going on. The story starts with Shadow, a man whose wife is killed two days before he was due to be released from prison. On the plane home, a man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday offers him a job which, upon learning that his best friend - who owned the Muscle Farm where Shadow was going to work - is also dead, Shadow accepts. From there he goes on a crazy journey all over middle America, meeting gods old, new, and otherwise. It was a long book - over 600 pages - but it didn't drag or jump around in time too much, and things were described well enough that I really felt like I was there. Sometimes I was a little confused as to where it all was going, but the end was satisfying. Now I want to visit some of those old run-down roadside attractions mentioned in the text, especially the House on the Rock. ( )

I just finished American Gods last night. I agree with someone else on this site who said that the author didn't build any sympathy for the characters. I didn't care about any of them. I also felt the writing style and plot devices tended towards cliché. Some of it was interesting and/or entertaining, which is what got it the second star. Wouldn't recommend it. ( )