American Gods: A Novel (original 2001; edition 2003)

Totally lost interest in this story. Don't know if it was me or the story. The first 1/4 of the story was riveting, but it seemed to have taken a turn for the worse after that. It lost me at the point when Shadow and Mr. Wednesday entered into a different dimension via a carousel and it was revealed that Mr. Wednesday is actually the Norse god Odin. Kind of just got weird from that point on. Just not my writing style I guess. Moving on. ( )

Certainly an interesting read. As usual, Mr. Gaiman astounds me with the depth of his imagination and the way he can so easily provoke reflection. Just be warned that the book is long enough to drag in a few places (and there are a couple of unanswered questions; for instance, who was going after Mad Sweeney about that coin?) and that unless you have a much better understanding of myths and legends than I do, you might want to keep a google search handy so you can look up what Shadow is dealing with. Overall, a good read if you're looking for philosophy and new ideas. ( )

Neil Gaiman se embarca a escribir la Gran Novela Americana desde su estilo, plagado de grandes poderes, dioses antiguos y un torrente de erudición inagotable. La premisa es simple, los Dioses existen, y los inmigrantes de la Vieja Europa se los llevaron consigo a América, una tierra nueva por conquistar para ambos. Ahora tienen que competir contra las nuevas deidades del presente -el teléfono, las autopistas, la televisión- en una batalla que cambiará el paradigma para siempre.

La novela recuerda a muchos trabajos anteriores de Gaiman, por encima de todos a The Sandman (las figuras de Odín o los dioses egipcios también se paseaban por las legendarias páginas del cómic de DC). No era fácil, el planteamiento es tan prometedor como ingobernable, y muchas veces corre el riesgo de decepcionar a sus lectores. Pero Gaiman sortea las dificultades que pueda haber por el camino y consigue la hazaña de darnos una novela muy amena, entretenida y en apariencia ligera, con muchas capas de profundidad en las que rascar, sorpresas inesperadas y muchos dioses que (re)descubrir. ( )

Neil Gaiman se embarca a escribir la Gran Novela Americana desde su estilo, plagado de grandes poderes, dioses antiguos y un torrente de erudición inagotable. La premisa es simple, los Dioses existen, y los inmigrantes de la Vieja Europa se los llevaron consigo a América, una tierra nueva por conquistar para ambos. Ahora tienen que competir contra las nuevas deidades del presente -el teléfono, las autopistas, la televisión- en una batalla que cambiará el paradigma para siempre.

La novela recuerda a muchos trabajos anteriores de Gaiman, por encima de todos a The Sandman (las figuras de Odín o los dioses egipcios también se paseaban por las legendarias páginas del cómic de DC). No era fácil, el planteamiento es tan prometedor como ingobernable, y muchas veces corre el riesgo de decepcionar a sus lectores. Pero Gaiman sortea las dificultades que pueda haber por el camino y consigue la hazaña de darnos una novela muy amena, entretenida y en apariencia ligera, con muchas capas de profundidad en las que rascar, sorpresas inesperadas y muchos dioses que (re)descubrir. ( )

Excellent! ( )

I decided to re-read this novel recently. I first read it in 2011 (after I heard that HBO is opting it for a television adaptation) and finished it feeling as though I was missing something about the novel. Re-reading it I appreciated the scope and scale of the novel this time around and enjoyed the overall flow of the novel. I still feel a little hollow about the character of Shadow; despite of everything he went through and a few moments of character growth, I did not feel that he developed much over the course of the novel nor did I feel empathic towards him. The secondary characters he comes across throughout the novel were a lot of fun and interesting in their own way. You could read my full review of the novel over at my blog: http://www.rulethewaves.net/blog/?p=4612 ( )

Complex and funny. Gaiman= Genius ( )

Perhaps this book came overhyped by my friends, as it left me a little dissappointed. Overall it was a good read, but long, and I found Gaiman's other novels such as "Neverwhere" better. ( )

I liked this story more for how I thought other people would like it than for myself. Sad, magical, and vivid, AMERICAN GODS did more to impress me with the mythology than make me believe in any of the characters. ( )

Read from April 22 to May 07, 2013:
The second time around it's even better. I read it slowly this time and everything that I (apparently) found confusing before were all cleared up. It's such an impressive book (and so dense -- I definitely recommend taking it slow). Gaimain takes on SO much and pulls it off almost flawlessly.I'm still quite surprised by how passive he is, but even Wednesday calls him on it later.

Such a good book.

I am curious as to what the additions were to this edition (I wish it were annotated or something) -- one that I DO know is the extra at the end between Jesus & Shadow. I can't wait to see the TV show AND I *hope* a sequel happens sooner than later.

September 2008:
First, this was a combination of audio book and reading it myself. The audio book was actually better than reading it on my own! Great book though. Even though God is everywhere in this country...does he really exist here. Very original idea. It's kind of like Percy Jackson for adults.

However, there are certain parts of the book that were confusing. The main character isn't too forthcoming with information so at times I got a little lost. Despite that though, it's a good read and an even better listen. ( )

Loved it! Although I think I could give 5 stars if I read it again when I am not horribly sick and half paying attention.

I really loved the idea of the old gods interacting with the new gods of America. It was a very clever story line and the character building and such was fantastic.

Now I have to go nurse myself back to health with copious amounts of vitamin C, but you can be sure that I will be reading this book again.

Recommended. ( )

I love this book, and I've read it so often. The concept is amazing, and I love all the little details. It kind of makes me want to go to America on a road trip... ( )

I got hooked from the first few pages, and it would've been a 5 Star book if the last 100 pages or so hadn't felt so rushed. But still well worth the read. ( )

I was swept right off my feet and it sneaks up on you in a big way. At the beginning I felt like the story was just too strange for my taste. Soon enough I found myself with my kindle in my hand every free moment.

A blend of old and new, the story begins with Shadow just as he is released from prison, soon after, on his way home to resume his pre-prison life he meets Wednesday - a god of the old world and beliefs. Shadow is soon employed by Wednesday and finds himself on a mission to rally the 'old gods' against the new. The old gods were brought by newcomers to the country and have faded as new gods have grown in influence I.e. media. This setup is just the portal to a deeper story that I will certainly visiting over and over again. Brilliant.

( )

really weird book. ( )

After being so cruelly disappointed in Anansi Boys, I had to go back and see if this was as great a book as I remembered it being. This is a dangerous exercise, always, but this time it worked out okay. The second time through, I could stand back a little and see Gaiman at work. In other words, I didn't fall so deeply into Shadow's world this time, however, my admiration for this book remains untarnished by a re-read. ( )

Sorry, I hate abandoning books, but this is just not for me, and I was never one to read books just because they're famous. I loved Neverwhere, but this one... I just can't get into it. I'm on page 170 or thereabouts, and it's just not connecting: too american, too 'wrong type of male' (sort of Jeremy Clarkson type), too alien... ( )

I should have written this review earlier, just after reading the book. It was such a rich tale, sometimes confusing, that I'm no longer sure what to say about it. Gaiman was born in England but I believe lives in Wisconsin now, and has a good eye and ear for all our American foibles and contradictions. If you want a better analysis, read Jon's review. I do recommend this book to anyone who is not afraid of fantasy. ( )

Posted on my blog:

The first exposure I had to Neil Gaiman was reading Stardust while tromping around Germany in high school. It was an interesting experience. It took me a bit of talking to people to realize that Gaiman was aiming for a trippy experience that purposefully broke the confines of traditional writing (or something like that). Then I read American Gods when I was in Germany the second time (I’m sensing a strange theme….) and I enjoyed it much much more. I also find it amusing that my dad had been trying to get me to read it for ages and it took homesickness to finally make me listen. That and it was one of the only books that I had heard of in the English fiction section of the German bookstore. It’s still a bit trippy, but it is a road trip in book form with some old gods thrown in for variety, which is about what you would expect from Gaiman.


Title: American Gods
Author: Neil Gaiman
Length: 588 pages (paperback)

Strengths:

Interesting, out-of-the-box, but well done characters
It takes place in real towns in the US
The plot is trippy but very interesting and as long as you accept that it won’t be perfectly logical, you’ll probably have a good time
Who doesn’t love random gods from random old religions popping up?
While we’re on it, who doesn’t love learning about all of the most random tourist attractions in the states.

Weaknesses:

I don’t really remember the end of the plot, but I think it got much more illogical toward the end, and I definitely don’t remember how things all ended up being connected, which could be meaningless, or a bad sign
No romance, all trippy comedy (not necessarily a bad thing, just saying)
It’s a bit long when I look at it again, though it didn’t seem long at the time, but that could just be the homesickness

Summary: It was a New York Times bestseller for a reason. It really is a good read if you are all right with feeling a bit disoriented at times when you are reading, and from the Neil Gaiman I’ve read, it’s the tamest so far (of the two I’ve read >.>). I always find references to old gods from dead religions highly entertaining and interesting, and the way they explain things about what happens to gods when their religions die out actually makes a lot of sense. It’s a pretty easy read, though not a fast one unless you have nothing to do while you sit on a bus.

More reviews at http://www.onstarshipsanddragonwings.com/ ( )

This was my first of Gaiman's novels-- not counting [b:Good Omens|12067|Good Omens|Terry Pratchett|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1282880574s/12067.jpg|4110990], which he co-authored with Terry Pratchett-- and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Both books took well-known themes and twisted them into something new and unique, and I really enjoy that. I will definitely be reading more of Gaiman's work.

I really liked the concept of this book. In a very amateur way, I enjoy mythology, mysticism, religions, rituals and belief structures. By "amateur way" I mean that I am interested in these things, but I'm too lazy to actually "study" it. I like the entertainment that mythology and the like offer, I like the escapism. One passage that I really liked from the book represents this perfectly:

"Fiction allows us to slide into these other heads, these other places, and look out through other eyes. And then in the tale we stop before we die, or we die vicariously and unharmed, and in the world beyond the tale we turn the page or close the book, and we resume our lives." (pg. 323)

Anyway... This is one of those rare treats of a book that never fully give up their secrets on the first reading. As I was going through, I marked some passages that made me sit back, reread and just absorb them. One, which I found almost heartbreakingly sad and cruel, is:

"A whole life in darkness, surrounded by filth, that was what Shadow dreamed, his first night in Lakeside. A child's life, long ago and far away, in a land across the ocean, in the lands where the sun rose. But this life contained no sun-rises, only dimness by day and blindness by night.

Nobody spoke to him. He heard human voices, from outside, but could understand human speech no better than he understood the howling of the owls or the yelps of dogs.

He remembered, or thought he remembered, one night, half a lifetime ago, when one of the big people had entered, quietly, and had not cuffed him or fed him, but had picked him up to her breast and embraced him. She smelled good. Hot drops of water had fallen from her face to his. He had been scared, and wailed loudly in his fear.

She put him down on the straw, hurriedly, and left the hut, fastening the door behind her.

He remembered that moment, and he treasured it, just as he remembered the sweetness of a cabbage heart, the tart taste of plums, the crunch of apples, the greasy delight of roasted fish.

And now he saw the faces in the firelight, all of them looking at him as he was led out from the hut for the first time, which was the last time. So that was what people looked like. Raised in darkness, he had never seen faces. Everything was so new. So strange. The bonfire light hurt his eyes. They pulled on the rope around his neck, to lead him to the place where the man waited for him.

And when the first blade was raised in the firelight, what a cheer went up from the crowd. The child from the darkness began to laugh with them, in delight and in freedom.

And then the blade came down."

After finishing the book, I came back to this passage and found it even more interesting after learning the implications. I feel like when I revisit this book there will be a TON of missed references sprinkled throughout the book. I look forward to it. ( )

I like the kind of book that when you finish you just stop to absorb what you've read. no matter how many times I read American Gods it makes me stop and think when I've finished (and while I'm reading). This is the kind of power that Neil Gaiman has with his writing. It pulls you in and makes you stop for a moment. ( )

Davvero molto particolare e onirico! tratti difficile da seguire per i troppi personaggi in gioco. All'inizio mi aspettavo potesse rivelarsi una gran delusione, in realta mi ha sorpreso positivamente ( )

This book finished far better than it started; the first 100 pages had a cursory quality to them, though ultimately the story improved (and grew a little more believable, even as it grew less believable, an odd statement but likely clear to those who have read this book).

I'm wavering between three and four stars; it was intricately plotted and an interesting story, but at times it seemed a little loose, and it still isn't entirely clear to me why Shadow was so important to the gods that he was brought in at the level he was.

Zelazny did this sort of thing about as well as anyone, and I don't know that Gaiman's work measures up to this standard, though I liked it far better than Stephen Brust's recasting of Lucifer's fall (To Reign in Hell).

Others have compared it to Stephen King's The Stand, whose characters never quite sprang to life for me.

Gaiman's book does nicely gather steam and offers up a satisfying finish, and it'll probably creep up to four starts by the time I'm done writing this review, though I don't really understand how they're making a series out of the thing.

After reading the book, I'm not sure I'll watch. ( )

*note to self.copy from Al. ( )

I’m sorry, I can’t give this book a fair review. Partially because I love it so freaking much, and partially because it’s hard for me to describe the book.

Sure, I could probably go on about the plot or the characters, but the thing about American Gods is that it’s a book that when I put it down, I can’t stop thinking about it. And that’s just the first thing I love about it; that there’s so many themes that Gaiman touches on but there’s no one specific “THIS IS IS WHAT THE BOOK’S ABOUT” moment.” Just the initial concept of how gods come into being may drive the story, but that’s not just what the book’s about. I’d give you a laundry list, but I can’t even delve into the themes and ideas that all get discussed.

The mythology is rich and varied. You don’t have to know every culture that Gaiman references throughout the book, he covers each deity and background skillfully without bogging the reader with explanatory details. And how he uses the gods and myths that do appear is so well-crafted, it feels like the events depicted could have happened in real life. Gaiman blurs the line between reality and fantasy so well that I can really see Odin working as a two-bit conman. This is also added with the side stories of the different gods and mortals who brought their beliefs to America. In other hands, I’m sure that the tracks into other plotlines would have been clumsy, but Gaiman uses them to add so much more depth to the world. And speaking of blurring the line between fantasy and reality, I get so lost in this book that even the real world locations that get mentioned in the book feel like they’re made up or couldn’t possibly be real.

I said in my review for The Graveyard Book that Gaiman rarely has defined heroes and villains (depending on the book), and American Gods is no exception. There are characters who do unspeakable things, yet, these characters are still pitiable and even likeable. (Doesn’t excuse what it is that they do, though.) Shadow’s a good guy who’s done bad things, but he never sugarcoats his actions or tries to justify them. Wednesday is…Wednesday. It’s hard to go into specifics because I know there’ll be spoilers involved. But even the new gods, who are supposed to seem like the ‘bad’ guys, have moments of humanity and compassion.

And the writing of this book and the plotting—just, no words that I can physically use. It’s a very slow build-up but once everything’s moved into place, the plot just takes off. I’ve read this book roughly about fifteen times since I first picked it up, I know the twists and I know the surprises. EVERY time I’ve read it, though, I’m still finding new clues, new bits that I missed, subtle hints to the reveals (and they are there).

This is just about the closest thing to a perfect book that I own. Like I said, I’ve read it so many times, and yet, I still love it. I’m never bored or tired of the plot, I want to know more about this world and just…yeah, again. No words.
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