Rating: 
Summary: A fun read, but probably over-hyped
Review: An ex-con named Shadow is hired by a mysterious man named Wednesday (and if you know your etymology or classics, you kinow who he is) for a series of odd, and I do mean odd, jobs. Soon Shadow's involved in a coming war between the old gods --- gods like Ananasi the spider, Ibis, and Kali, brought to America by the beliefs of immigrants --- and the new gods --- things people worship with thier time and interest, like TV, the Internet and cars. It's an interesting premise, and Gaimain tries valiantly to make this a Great American Novel: it's a road trip (aren't they all?), uses small towns as its settings, and there's even a murder msytery of sorts. Many reviews complain of 'sub-plots'; there really aren't any, just background material which help bring what's happening behind the scenes into clearer focus. In all, it's a perfectly good fantasy read, though I must say I don't understand why it garners quite so much praise (and so many awards). It's good like a Stephen King novel is good: not literature, but an enthralling fantasy / horror story. On the minus side, Gaiman does get a bit bogged down in useless details (he just *had* to cram in the leprechan, and a few words about slavery, and *two* kinds of dead resurrection, and the Fates, and American Indian mythos, and, and...). Also, for a book whose premise is that belief = power, Gaimain completely and unfortunately sidesteps the very pervasive and prominent Christian belief in America (it's not all goths, pagans and lesbians, you know, as nice as they are). Finally, I do wish the book had shown a little bit more of the sly humor that was such a seft touch in Gaiman's 'Sandman.' Shadow is cold and unsurprised by everything, which makes it hard for the reader to empathize with him and gives the entire book an overall impression of taking itself too seriously. Come on, even the Dreaming himself showed a smile now and then.
Rating: 
Summary: Intricate, intriguing, great storytelling
Review: In American Gods, Neil Gaiman has created a new mythology in which the old gods and the new gods battle for supremacy. The story is intricate, the writing absorbing. In the modern American setting, worship has taken on a new meaning.The old gods have become less than godlike -- some are whiney or arrogant, even despondent, and they have lost many of the qualities that put their former worshipers in awe of them. The new gods are less worshiped than they are part of everyday lives (e.g., the internet). One has to wonder how many gods there are, and where they might find a place in the world of humans for whose attention they compete. Gaiman's writing is always a joy and the worlds he creates are dark and intriguing. In this work, however, so many threads are left dangling, so many paths end abruptly, adding little to the story. Yet, once begun, the reader must finish this journey, even though the culmination might be clear early on.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: I find it a lot harder to review a book I love than to review one that I think could be improved, and I really loved Neil Gaiman's American Gods. The book is a fantastic piece of literature, an insightful study of America and American culture, a provocative exploration of religion and belief, and an exposition of masterful storytelling. Prior to American Gods, I had read most of Gaiman's Sandman series of graphic novels. Fans of that series will find that Gaiman's talent for weaving dark, profound, and involving plots transfers beautifully to the format of a novel. At the same time, the book does not read like a script for a comic; Gaiman is at least as much of a master of the purely written medium as he is of the illustrated one. Another group of readers to whom I would recommend American Gods are fans of the work of Douglas Adams. Readers of Adams' Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul will find a fair amount of the conceptual grounding for American Gods to be familiar territory. This is not to say that Gaiman book is a redux of the Tea-Time. The two books share the idea of ancient gods living in a modern world, but treat it in very different (complementary) ways. I highly recommend reading both books, each with the other in mind. To conclude I would like to talk specifically about the audiobook. I "experienced" American Gods by listening to an installment of the unabridged audiobook every night for about five months. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and was enormously impressed with the narration of this one. George Guidall is a phenomenal performer and his carefully nuanced reading of the book added greatly to my enjoyment of the plot. Toward the end of the book, I considered buying the paperback and finishing it on my own as that would have been quicker, but it wasn't hard to decide to leave the reading to Guidall, whose voice had become part of the book's identity for me. I recommend the book on its own, but I recommend the audiobook even more strongly!
Rating:
Summary: good GOD isn't this book going to end?!!!?
Review: It is almost April 1st. I've been chipping away at this book since December. I just cannot get the desire to read it. Parts are well written, and the book grabbed me in the first pages, but it isn't making any sense to me. I'm passed the halfway point so I'm determined to hack through to the end to see what this is about but there are some very lengthy secions of "historical" information that come from nowhere and go nowhere. I can only assume that they'll come together in the end but they are very very boring to read and so far this has not been worth my time.
Rating: 
Summary: Good writer/Bad book
Review: I picked this book up because I enjoyed Gaiman's Neverwhere. I had expected a book that was about how America (US) is run... or might be run. Being that he titled his book with two very important words I thought that this would be a book with an important feel to it. Instead... American Gods is a book that seems to be made up of Gaiman's nightmares, nightmares that no one but his therapist should be exposed to. The title misleads. These are two words (American and God) that are held dear to many. This book is NOT about America and is NOT about Gods. Rather, it takes place in America and IS about nightmares. I will ask Neil Gaiman to please warn us somewhere on the book about what it IS actually about. I threw my copy away. For anyone considering buying this book: I strongly advise against it.
Rating:
Summary: Strange but wonderful
Review: This was my 3rd Gaiman book. At 461 pages (I read the hardcover version), it was long. Fortunately, I like long books if they are interesting, and this one was. I've been a fan of the old mythological tales since I was around five years old. The idea of the gods having actually existed is not new. Many people already believe that the mythological gods are based on people (not supernatural beings) who actually lived. There are so many different versions of the birth of the world, for example. There are stories about a messiah in various religious ideologies worldwide. Or the All-Father, whether you call him Jehovah, Allah, or Odin. But even if there are similarities in these tales does it lessen the impact for believers? No, we still have faith in our gods. Thanks, Mr. Gaiman, for including 'gods' from the African diaspora, Anansi and the Queen of Sheba. Though I could never think of her as half-demon. Previous reviewers have adequately described the plot and the characters. I'd like to comment on this writer's ability to paint a vivid picture in the reader's mind. And to evoke myriad emotions in the reader, as well. I read the book over the course of a week. Each day, I looked forward to returning to it. The main character, Shadow, was a hero to the core, in my opinion. Though he was presented with many opportunities to go the wrong way, he invariably tried to do the right thing. He's like many of us: We are tossed about on the sea of life, and we survive, sometimes, by the skin of our teeth but we persevere anyway. I liked Shadow a lot. Well, who can recommend another Gaiman book for me to read? So far, I've read Neverwhere, Stardust and this title. I gave all of them five stars.
Rating:
Summary: wonderfully written, thoughtful, but such a downer!
Review: I like Gaiman's fantasy work since it seemed more adult in nature than some authors. Deep thoughts, philosophy, and a more hallucinogenic approach to "other worlds" than say, Mercedes Lackey. American Gods has those traits as well--wonderful writing, sympathetic main character, wit--but is bogged down by a fatalistic air that makes the book kind of depressing. The gods are interesting, the plot is complex... I couldn't stop reading... yet when I finished the book I felt I needed to cleanse my palette with something light and fluffy and silly. So, if you're a fan of Gaiman or dark fantasy, read. But keep something silly on hand for afterwards.
Rating:
Summary: Neil Gaiman's Best Book Yet
Review: Wow. This book is just great. I read it for hours on end, and when I wasn't reading it, I kept thinking about it. This book is Gaiman's best book to date. I've read most of his other books and even some of the Sandman graphic novels, and this is his best work. It's about what happens to gods from the old countries once the people who worship them come to America. What happens to these American versions of these gods? That's one of the main questions tackled in this book. The protagonist is Shadow, a man who is released from jail after 3 years of doing time. His wife dies (very disturbing how) and he flies back for her funeral. He meets a Mr. Wednesday and from there the adventure starts. Full of sadness, happiness, humor, and horror. This book is destined to be a classic. Though it is a bit longer than the usual book, it is definitely worth it.
Rating:
Summary: I had trouble picking it up...even when I wanted to
Review: The book gets off to a good start introducing a very cool idea and some pretty cool characters. The problem is that for the bulk of the book nothing much happens to them. There is little character development and the plot drags on at an awful pace. I found my self liking this book in theory but not in actuality. Read it if you want to but be prepared not to like it as much as you want to.
Rating:
Summary: A book that evokes strong opinions.
Review: This book has caused more arguments among my friends and colleagues than any in recent memory, and for me, that's a good thing. I like the book, others love it, and some hate it with a passion. Flipping through the reviews, I see the same strength of opinion here. The reason to recommend the book is the depth of allusion and the fun you'll have trying to figure who's who. Having a solid background in mythology of all kinds helps, but having a sense of humor and irony is required. The plot's the thing with Gaiman, so throw aside notions of the importance of sweeping literary prose and overly deep characterization: just enjoy the story. If you're looking for beautiful sentences, then look elsewhere. Try to ignore the extreme reviews as well. This is an interesting story about the battle between the old gods (Norse, Greek, Irish, etc.) brought over with the immigrants and the new gods (TV, the internet, etc.). A good concept here ... it is well executed as well. Yeah, Gaiman's not a great writer in the purest sense, and yeah, he is not likely to win the Booker, but some of those writers can't write a story like he can. Live with it.
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