American Gods

What happens to the old pagan gods that people bring with them to a new land, when worship erodes? How do they cope with the material world of America? Gaiman's concept is delicious, and he carries it out with a wicked wit - what better undertaker than an Egyptian god, after all? The story gallops along as our hero discovers that all is not fair in love or war, even, or especially, for the godhead.

The consensus n my book discussion group was that if the person read the 10th Edition with the stuff Gaiman added back in, it was too long. I didn't know any differently, so I must say I liked it as I read it (the updated version).

The various versions of the old gods, dealing as they must with current culture and economics, is both humorous show more and somehow sad. But there are bigger thoughts in this book: immigration, how people come here and eventually abandon the ancient, transactional gods; monotheistic religions that Gaiman doesn't bring in, those that superceded the same ancient gods well before the related populations came to the U.S. Then the comparisons - all our technological gods: money, TV, cars, electronic communication, bigness, power, worshipped more and more in spite of, or with the connivance of, current leaders. What does it mean to keep your word, have a sense of personal honor? What would you sacrifice for what you want? And what do life and death mean, however many times you go through them?

The novel is eminently readable, even in the long version, which seemed to fly by. I could almost cast the movie in my head as it went - Brian Cox, perhaps, as Mr. Wednesday? Any other suggestions? show less

‘’Gods die. And when they truly die they are unmourned and unremembered. Ideas are more difficult to kill than people, but they can be killed in the end.’’

Why do gods have to fight and die? Isn’t there enough space in people’s hearts to accommodate everyone, as in the old days? New gods and old gods, but it seems that they aren’t all powerful as such. They need the mortals to believe in them, otherwise they simply cease to exist.

I initially thought I wouldn’t write a review about Neil Gaiman’s gloriously dark, strange and haunting classic. I mean, what can I say that hasn’t been said? And then, I thought ‘’come on, it’s an honour that you have the chance to write a review that will occupy a teeny tiny corner in show more this endless space that is Internet. (...too much Tech-boy influence…) So these are my two cents for a book that my review cannot do justice to.

It has been on my lists for years, right after I read ‘’Coraline’’ and ‘’Stardust’’, but the marvellous TV series made me started it sooner than I thought. I couldn't possibly wait to witness the conclusion in 3-4 years on the telly, when the book was on my shelf. And this gives me the opportunity to say that the spirit of the book was perfectly captured and transferred to the small screen (unlike other examples…) and the expanded parts made the essence of the book even more significant, at least to me. As Wednesday and Shadow start a road trip in preparation for the war that is coming- a fight between the old gods, the values that created the country and the new gods that bring corruption and progress built in sand (yes, that is my personal conclusion….) - we, the readers, find ourselves on a journey that gives us much to think of. Is the old world a better place? Are the values that bring hope and comfort to the people to be destroyed by media, technology and the new World? I believe that each one of us can draw their personal conclusions.

‘’We like to be big. Now, in these shabby days, we are small. The new gds rise and fall and rise again. But this is not a country that tolerates gods for long.’’

Gaiman’s writing is exceptional, obviously. There are so many beautiful quotes, so many dark moments of terrifying awe that clearly show why he’s considered a master of his Art. The themes he relates to the people who shaped America -by force or by their own free will- the cultures and the gods that crossed the ocean to protect those who believed in them and ended up almost destitute, couldn’t be more relevant to our current times. Gaiman doesn’t take sides, in my opinion. He presents gods and goddesses from all pantheons with respect and a hint of bittersweet remembrance, perhaps, for the lost pedestals and the wasted sacrifices through the ages.

The parts that I consider the jewel of the book are all the ‘’Coming to America’’ chapters that show how the real heroes of the story are the people,not the gods. My favourites are the story of Essie Tregowan, a young woman from Cornwall who tries to make her fortune by shady ways, the story of Wututu, a slave girl during the late 1700s and the story of Atsula, a prehistoric priestess. They are among the most moving literary pieces you’ll ever read.

Not much can be said about the characters, they are gods and they crave love and devotion. Are they really that different to humans?I don't think so. Shadow I loved, I don’t understand why many refer to him as being ‘’simple’’ or even devoid of personality. Yes, of course, he is simple. A simple human being thrust in the middle of a fight between all mighty deities. He is loyal, clever and kind, a character at a loss and at a crossroads, one who the reader can understand and identify with, if that is possible.

The edition of my copy contains a short interview with Neil Gaiman and a novella, ‘’The Monarch of the Glen’’, along with an essay by Gaiman called ‘’How Dare You?’’ (I love that name!) All of the above are great reads. It is a book that shows much and hides even more. It wants us to contemplate on a number of themes that are larger than life,impossible to be answered, and yet they will be sought after by generations as long as mankind exists.Those who claim the opposite are simply lying to themselves. And thank the goddess of Literature for Neil Gaiman.

‘’ ‘’Gods are great’’, said Atsula, slowly, as if she were comprehending a great secret. ‘’But the heart is greater. For it is from our hearts they come, and to our hearts they shall return.’’
...and perhaps, sometimes, we should listen to our hearts…

*Disclaimer- I will not engage in any religious discussion of any form. If you belong to the clan of the very few ones that go around looking for a fight, turn around and go elsewhere. You will find no response here. It is my conviction that religious beliefs is the most personal of issues and I do not discuss anything religious or anything that has to do with politics. My religious beliefs are my own and concern noone. And I will not tolerate any aggressive comments towards specific religions or religion in general, towards atheism,atheists, non-believers and the like. You get the drill. Comments regarding religion of any kind will be deleted and flagged. Thankfully, there is space for everyone in this awful (?) world and respect is the thing.Thank you:)* show less

Fifteen years after its initial publication, it seems almost beside the point to review Neil Gaiman’s masterpiece *American Gods.* As with all great works of literature, however, it is timeless.

On the surface, it’s simply a beautifully written contemporary rendition of the classic transcultural heroic monomyth—the protagonist, Shadow, upon his release from prison, is recruited on a murky mission by a mysterious stranger. Reluctant to accept the mission, he decides to help the stranger. Along the way, he encounters obstacles and villains, receives supernatural aid, encounters a unique “damsel in distress,” ventures to the underworld, saves the world (he thinks), and ultimately learns more about himself than the world(s) he show more inhabits.

But it’s also an analysis and critique of American culture and values from the perceptive perspective of a non-American. With skills of observation sharp enough to rival de Tocqueville’s, Gaiman examines a quintessentially American conundrum—how do we reconcile the faith, spirituality, beliefs, and culture of our past with the ambition, materialism, technology, and commercialism of our present? Can these sets of values coexist productively, if at all? And what impact does the struggle between them have on individual lives? Grand questions indeed for fiction—and that’s just one element that makes *American Gods* a monumental work of literature. show less

I'm not entirely sure how well everything Gaiman put in here really gels, and it probably requires a reread, but there are such gems interspersed.

Shadow's vigil is a sublime piece of literature rarely encountered.

Samantha Black Crow's extended monologue below tickles an entirely different literary bone of mine

"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’re true or not. I can believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and Marilyn Monroe and the Beatles and Elvis and Mister Ed. Listen—I believe that people are perfectible, that knowledge is infinite, that the world is run by secret banking cartels and is visited by aliens on a regular basis, show more nice ones that look like wrinkledy lemurs and bad ones who mutilate cattle and want our water and our women. I believe that the future sucks and I believe that the future rocks and I believe that one day White Buffalo Woman is going to come back and kick everyone’s ass. I believe that all men are just overgrown boys with deep problems communicating and that the decline in good sex in America is coincident with the decline in drive-in movie theatres from state to state. I believe that all politicians are unprincipled crooks and I still believe that they are better than the alternative. I believe that California is going to sink into the sea when the big one comes, while Florida is going to dissolve into madness and alligators and toxic waste. I believe that antibacterial soap is destroying our resistance to dirt and disease so that one day we’ll all be wiped out by the common cold like the Martians in War of the Worlds. I believe that the greatest poets of the last century were Edith Sitwell and Don Marquis, that jade is dried dragon sperm, and that thousands of years ago in a former life I was a one-armed Siberian shaman. I believe that mankind’s destiny lies in the stars. I believe that candy really did taste better when I was a kid, that it’s aerodynamically impossible for a bumblebee to fly, that light is a wave and a particle, that there’s a cat in a box somewhere who’s alive and dead at the same time (although if they don’t ever open the box to feed it it’ll eventually just be two different kinds of dead), and that there are stars in the universe billions of years older than the universe itself. I believe in a personal god who cares about me and worries and oversees everything I do. I believe in an impersonal god who set the universe in motion and went off to hang with her girlfriends and doesn’t even know that I’m alive. I believe in an empty and godless universe of causal chaos, background noise and sheer blind luck. I believe that anyone who says that sex is overrated just hasn’t done it properly. I believe that anyone who claims to know what’s going on will lie about the little things too. I believe in absolute honesty and sensible social lies. I believe in a woman’s right to choose, a baby’s right to live, that while all human life is sacred there’s nothing wrong with the death penalty if you can trust the legal system implicitly, and that no one but a moron would ever trust the legal system. I believe that life is a game, life is a cruel joke and that life is what happens when you’re alive and that you might as well lie back and enjoy it." show less

Wonderfully humorous, playfully unpredictable, very stylish. I'd been putting this off, but I wanted to sample this author's work at some point and I'd already read the related short story that appears in the "Legends II" anthology. This is one of those cases where I regret waiting so long. For some reason I'd expected a drier more literary piece that might be tough to wade through, given Gaiman's high-brow reputation and knowing its subject matter is ancient gods from a wide variety of pantheons. Instead it has a wonderfully casual approach. There's a knowledegable literary sheen to it (don't miss Sam's quick reference to Schrodinger's cat), but laid over top of what is a straightforward "goodguys vs badguys" story (until it isn't). I show more like the fine balance this novel strikes between taking itself seriously and resorting to tongue-in-cheek. Also, as someone who's toured the real House on the Rock in Wisconsin it was a fun cameo to find it featured in fiction. A long ending finishes things up, but really well done and I wouldn't have cut a word of it. show less

Gaiman re-images the gods of myth and legend and places them squarely into the culture of modern America and in tension with the gods that our modern culture has created: technology, media, movies, music, and so forth. The wild card in the coming storm of old gods vs. new gods is the young man, Shadow. Gaiman writes with a fluid style that moves the reader smoothly through the plot, which he unfolds grudgingly, a piece at a time drawing the reader steadily deeper into the story. Gaiman creates a modern mythology that mixes old gods with new idols and in the process offers a commentary on the transitory nature of faith, belief, and culture. Gaiman's story is not just an interesting read, but really draws the reader into a deeper show more reflection on the place of belief and faith in our modern society dominated by the industrial military complex. This is well written, fast paced, and intricately developed. It does contain strong language, violence and sexual content, but they give a sharp edge to the story that leaves no doubt that it is set in our cultural context. The plot twists and turns challenge the reader and almost assuredly will leave the reader surprised at the end. show less

This is one of the most original novels I’ve read in a long time. It tells the story of forgotten gods brought to America in immigrants’ beliefs over many centuries. The story is told through the picaresque experiences of the main character Shadow, who is just getting out of prison at the beginning of the book, though there are digressions throughout the book that are told from other points of view.

Early on a mysterious old man named Wednesday hires Shadow. It seems a storm is coming and Shadow is hired to protect Wednesday, avatar of Odin, the All-father. The coming storm is to be an epic battle between the old gods and the new. The old gods are all the old world gods from Europe, Africa and Asia. The new gods are all the modern show more gods like media, technology and transportation.

The book is full of amazing characters. The portrayal of the gods as normal, yet shady and/or shabby people like butchers, undertakers, grifters, and hookers is fascinating. Gaiman uses his gods as metaphors for American beliefs, hopes, and sorrows. None of the gods are happy – many are pretty psychotic. Shadow and a couple of the gods turn out to be good, but most of the characters are ambivalent – not really bad or good.

While I do believe this is a great book, it can also be very disturbing. It is very gory in places, it’s much more sexually explicit than I like in a novel, and it does drag in a couple of places. I missed some of the gods who weren’t included and had not heard of many of the gods who were included. The greatest god turns out to be the Land itself, and Shadow is a tragic hero.

American Gods is an odyssey through modern America. The immigrants stories interspersed throughout the story are very sad. I wish I could have gotten to know Shadow better, but it’s typical of Gaiman to leave you guessing about some of his characters. I recommend this book for adult fans of Gaiman’s books, as well as for people who like a little fantasy in their reading, though this is very realistic, gritty fantasy. I listened to this as an audio book performed by George Guidall. Guidall is an excellent narrator for this book, and there was an added bonus of an interview with Neil Gaiman at the end. show less