Rating: 
Summary: '...a good place for men, but a bad place for gods'
Review: following in the same vain as his recent neverwhere, gaiman tackles similar themes on a grander scale.
neverwhere dealt with isolated legends of london, and their basis in actuality. how human perceptions miss what is within our grasps.american gods paints with large strokes, across the canvas of the usa. the reader follows shadow, a recently released convict, on a long strange trip through the powerful places of the country. his traveling companion, and new employer, is wednesday, a man who is more than he seems. the gods are real. gaiman has researched his material well, and inserts a hard sci-fi feel, to a more fantasy oriented narrative. there are gods from wherever people have come to america from. there are new gods that developed here. a storm brews between factions...the old gods, are dying, from being forgotten, and are on the verge of being replaced by newer gods, such as television, automobiles, wireless devices... shadow is still unsure of his role in all of this, and is brought through a number of interesting places...most of them visitable to the rest of us. gaiman does a wonderful job making this book readable. (yes, it is long...about as long as any other 608 page book, so don't complain about that) gaimans wit is inserted all through the book, creating a work which cuts between poingance, and hilarity within pages of itself. plot lines are entwined, new twists are added, and things do eventually resolve. the gods are real...
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Read
Review: And it was. A really good read. Yes it lacked characterization of the "new" gods, but the gist of the plot really didn't have anything to do with their personalities. Or even the personalities of the "old" gods for that matter. This wasn't a novel written for characters. It was written, like so many of Gaimans books, for the moral idea. It was a novel about how people's beliefs take form if they're strong enough, how society and life causes those beliefs to change and die, and how people casted off where they came from for where they went to. The war wasn't about a clash of gods, but a clash of ideals. And how one man gets to walk the path between the two. I understand several people didn't like the book. They felt it was contrived, lacked character development, that the plot was rushed, and the ending unfulfilling. (But don't you find the final chapter interesting to say the least?) For the what the book was meant to be about (ala Gullivers Travels), a reflection of the loss of native spirituality for the modern convinieces, I thought Gaiman did an admirable job. I would recommend this book to anyone who isn't into just reading for a fun story, but wants something to make them think as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Gaiman is an intriguing talent. While the ideas which drive his writing remain inventive and interesting, his ability to capitalize on these ideas is lacking. This results in books which appear interesting in brief plot reviews and back covers, but are unsatisfying when read as books. American Gods suffers from poor characterizations, bad dialogue, and ideas which are never explored past the superficiality of the back cover. Indeed, the main plot consists mainly of creating a world which could be fairly interesting, but then spending the latter half of the book destroying it with slapdash plotting. The poor plotting makes it seem as though Gaiman was merely trying to get the book out on time by throwing things into the book and resolving any problems by deus ex machina. On the other hand, I found one of the subplots to be fairly compelling. In all, though American Gods is full of ideas which could be interesting if explored, this book never reaches its potential.
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I was very much looking forward to reading this book because I really enjoyed Neverwhere. The premise and beginning of American Gods were great but the second half was terrible. The "plot twist" and climax were very poorly thought out and not interesting in the least. It seems like Gaiman got tired of writing this book half way through and just scribbled down some nonsense to finish it. I'll think twice before reading another of his books.
Rating: 
Summary: The Domino's pizza of literature
Review: Large, apparently full of interesting bits, but ultimately completely unsatisfying. I was left with the feeling that I shouldn't have bothered, and would ultimately regret my decision to indulge.
An enormous disappointment after Gaiman's previous excellent "Neverwhere" Avoid
Rating:
Summary: A mess of mythic proportions
Review: Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" is a skewed, surreal and ultimately disappointing revival of the American Road Trip novel. Gaiman's writing is evocative enough to drag the reader from chapter to chapter, and he builds tension nicely, promising the reader a finale that will not only explain the thin-as-dishwater plot, but also resolve the dangling plot points he scatters along the way. In the end, Gaiman seems in a hurry to close the book, and rushes through conclusions quickly, dismissing a few as he goes.
The author does a nice job of introducing the "gods" of old into the modern American scene, but fails miserably to give any characterization to the "new" gods, and that comes off as a complete injustice to the reader. After all, the story is building to a climatic battle between the two forces, and yet the reader is not allowed a clear view of the purpose or intent of the "new" gods.
Some will find this novel brilliantly plotted and clever. I found it thin, weak in characterization, and lacking a satisfying conclusion. I skimmed the last 75 pages to finish book, and regret the impulse buy that made me pick it up in the first place.
Rating:
Summary: Unclear...but good..... :)
Review: I am still not sure whether I liked this book, I need to think about it some more, but right now my opinion is wavering toward "yes". This was my second reading, but it was almost like my first since I read it one year ago and I forgot many things. There is definitely a lot to digest here; it is impossible to pick up everything your first time through. I think that it helps to have a knowledge of mythology--the more the better, and not just Greek mythology. It encompasses Norse, Egyptian, some Eastern European mythology. Having read this book, I now want to learn more about the subject. American Gods is an interesting portrait of America, at times dark, at times humorous, but always clearly written and I would recommend it. Note that there is some adult material here.
Rating:
Summary: Gaiman's over-rated as a novelist for this one
Review: After "Neverwhere", I was looking forwards to "American Gods". Unfortunately it's not his best work. Sure, all the cool stuff is there - new modern Gods of plastic and wire coming up against old ones of blood and trickery - but it's curiously un-compelling. The whole book feels as it could have been more cohesive. Many of the creatures and gods Shadow and Wednesday meet have little impact on the final showdown between the pantheons, and it makes the scenes episodic. "You know what would be cool? If they met the original Easter. And hey, genies are neat. I'll write a short throwaway scene with them in it." It feels like Gaiman just wanted to introduce as many different religious myths as he could. And he HAS done his research, there's no mistake. I appreciate how much work has gone into looking it up - it's interesting so see just how OLD the variations on our myths are. The problem is that they don't really flow into the plot, which is a bit thin as it is. The climax reflects this: it makes sense in its way, and it's not TERRBILE. But it'll leave you wanting something deeper, a little something more, especially from Neil when we know he can do better. Another thing that fell flat were the new Gods of the modern age. Aside from a few interesting scenes with Media not much of them stood out for me. The Deity of the Internet, for example, was ripe with potential. He acts obnoxious in a few short scenes and then degenerates into gibbering. It's disappointing. Good points, well, hey, it does have its cool bits. As I said, the research into religions shows and it adds some nice verisimilitude to the story. The character interaction works, and it has some lovely descriptive scenes. (The ones detailing the decay of Shadow's dead wife's body were particularly riveting) But in the end the flaws overbalanced the fun of reading it for me - It came off as a merely adequate piece of work, especially from Gaiman. Some more editing would probably have netted it another star. I wouldn't purchase it but simply take it out from the library.
Rating:
Summary: Gaiman's best yet!
Review: This is most certainly Neil Gaiman's best work yet, transcending the fantasy/SF categorization. Shadow has spent the last three years in prison and is on the verge of parole when he learns that his wife has died in a car accident. A mystery man named Wednesday follows Shadow from airplane to restaurant, offering a job he can't refuse.
When Shadow accepts, he finds himself pulled into a war for survival between ancient and modern gods. A lesser writer easily could have gotten bogged down by arcane mythology or overdone battle scenes; Gaiman doesn't. He keeps the story moving--it's amusing and horrifying by turns. Characterizations of the gods as modern beings are wonderful; I particularly enjoyed Anansi as the ribald Mr. Nancy. Guessing which god is which is just part of the enjoyment in this book. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Way, Way Too Long
Review: I'm sorry to have the only negative review thus far, but I've got to be honest. "Epic" is a good word for this book, but it is not a good book.
There are too many characters, many different plots (which I normally don't mind, but in this case I found them confusing), and the main "plot" was (in my mind) not a plot at all, but a mish-mash of stories about old gods from various parts of the world and how they had lost their power in today's world.
Some of the subplots (such as the murder mystery) and the inhabitants of the town of Lakeside were brief respites from the otherwise tiresome, dragged out, dark, and sad aspects of this book. I found myself not really caring about any of the "gods", and found the resolution of their "battle" anticlimactic. The main character's fate is comparable to Jesus dying for the benefit of others; then he is resurrected, but this event just doesn't make sense in the context of the book. I would advise avoidance of this book unless you want something long, dreary, and scattered. Usually I take books I've read to the library for others to read. This one I am tempted to throw in the recycle bin.
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