Rating: 
Summary: A Dark Look at America
Review: I was surprised by how much I liked this book - I'd never been
able to get into Gaiman's work before (particularly Sandman), but
I found this to be one of the strongest works of modern fantasy
I've ever read.This is a different kind of road trip and it tells the stories
of many gods, both living and dead.
Rating:
Summary: A shambolic, shamanistic trip thru the USA and mythology
Review: Remember how ornery the Norse, Greek or African Gods are in mythology? How petty? How vengeful and selfish? Neil Gaiman portrays them just that way, and the comparisons to America's new "Gods" (and American folk in general) are very insightful and pretty amusing. Neil Gaiman is a storytelling genius when working in comics. In Sandman, he was able to sum up eons of myth or contradition in the span of one or two panels of a comic page. In the print medium, the pace is a little slower. The digressions that made his comics work so thoughtful and enjoyable are a little more frustrating here. Plus, there are numerous sub-plots involved. The fact that everything gets cleared up at the end is satisfying and if there's a few "deus ex machinas" along the way, well what'd you expect? It's about Gods after all. If you've ever felt like the desires of "American culture" are at odds with people's spiritual needs, you should enjoy this book. I think that's what Gaiman's getting at here, and the answers aren't nearly as highfalutin' as one would think. They're discomforting -- sometimes mundane, sometimes horrifying -- in short, the way "Old World" Religions probably actually were when they were still taken as literal truth.
Rating: 
Summary: A book you live...
Review: Quite honestly, I found this novel to be both amazingly beautiful and beautifully amazing. From start to finish. If you are too busy reading these reviews and not the book, well, then you will never understand. Thanks, Neil, for a truly moving experience.
Rating:
Summary: Someone has to make this book into a movie!!
Review: I originally heard about Neil when a friend recommended Good Omens(GO) (co-authored with Terry Pratchett) about 10 to 12 years ago. After reading GO a second time a few years ago, I started to seek out other works by the authors. After reading a couple of each of their works, I can now separate out their contributions to GO. (My guess is that Neil does the dark drama, and Terry adds the Douglas Adams type humor) It was by chance that I heard about American Gods earlier this summer, the premise sounded unique enough to keep it at the top of my list until it arrived at a local bookstore. This book is easy to read and the detail is such that you really feel you just watched a movie. Plus, being from the midwest, I can relate to a lot of the places mentioned in the book. This just adds to visualization!! The book has several twists and great foreshadowing (no pun intended since the main character is Shadow). The characters are definitely unique in literature. As far as I know, this is definitely not just another recycled plot. I am usually intimidated by books this long because I tend to lose interest. However, I read this book in record time. It draws you back to find out what's happening. Based on AG and GO, I am now reading Neverwhere and hope to have the same experience.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting insight by a gifted writer
Review: I've read just about everything put out by Neil Gaiman with the exception of Good Omens (I just can't seem to get around to reading that one). Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed each and every word of this exquisite story about myths and rituals or the lack thereof in American culture. Much of what the characters speak about ring true and Mr. Gaiman does a great job of making the reader connect with the underlying themes sprinkled throughout the book. A Thought provoking book that will keep you wondering about the things you believe in.
Rating:
Summary: Still Going Strong
Review: I have read several of Gaiman's works, and this one rates with his others as being one of the best I've read. With characters that you remember, and plot twists that come at you from no where, I routinly stayed up till past dawn reading this book. Even the ending after the climax had a few twists left in it. I recomend this book, as I believe you will truely enjoy it. If you don't have a more open minded view of things however, I wouldn't sugest it. The most importent thing is to loose oneself in the story, and this one almost drags you kicking and screaming into it. A true Gaiman classic.
Rating:
Summary: Sandman 101
Review: If you consider how crappy most "fantastic" books are, this one is a real gem. However, take it from a rabid Gaiman fetishist: the man can do much better than this. As a matter of fact, American Gods reads a lot like another "Sandman" instalment - think of it as yet another one of the dozens of side stories in the Dream epic. Hell, it even has cameos of many Endlesses!
You get it all: weird and very dark humour, charismatic and enigmatic characters galore, hidden and not-so-hidden references to any mythology you can think of, lots of witty and quite dead people... just like a condensed Sandman. So it's all very good, ain't it? Erm... not really, no. In a number of places, things really look rushed and overlooked (eg. a scam scheme gets explained wrong, three characters meet by chance in the very same remote place to get the story going - think General Hospital logic -, there are a few typos...). No major problem, of course, but you'd really expect something better from one of the world's most prominent contemporary writers. I also guess that the book might appeal more to non-US readers than the opposite, but this is just a hunch. As an Euro-snob myself, I found a few descriptions cruelly funny indeed....
Rating: 
Summary: Deadlines, Deadlines, Deadlines
Review: Disclaimer: Am a diehard Gaiman fan...have read everything he has written (more than once), own signed limited editions, etc. While I was enchanted by the potential of this book, I was not blown away reading it. It has all of the trappings of Gaiman's work....mythical & transformative themes (this one involving an archetypal journey into the heart of America), wierd and endearing characters, twisted and dark subplots, rich layers of historical reference, and magical juxtapositions of worlds and dimensions with the "commonsense and everyday". But I was left feeling like this was a pre-final draft with many of the concepts remaining hazy and underdeveloped, not crisp and polished, perfect and savory. Possibly a reflection of an unrealistic publisher's deadline?
Rating:
Summary: A contemporary fantasy with sophistication and style
Review: This is one wonderful read. From beginning to end, Gaiman hooks the reader with humor, history, fascinating little side trips on the road to the heart of America. From the bar fight with a leprechaun and the beginning to the pagan crucifixion at the end, the book is wrought with stylish images, keen imagination and a look into the soul of a country of blended immigrant cultures. What a wild ride!
Rating:
Summary: An extremely well-written book
Review: As a big Gaiman fan, I'm probably prejudiced in favor of his books, but I still have to say that I was quite taken with this book. I bought it the day it came out and was done with it in less than 24 hours. Without trying to give anything away, I have to say that I really enjoyed all of the obscure references made in American Gods to (what else) various gods and other mythic figures. The concept, while not necessarily original, was presented here in a fresh perspective. The main character, Shadow, while at first glance a rather shallow character, turns out to be exceedingly deep and multi-faceted upon closer inspection (sorry for all of those literary clichés).
One should not go into this expecting Stardust II. At the same time, while American Gods shares a tome similar to that in the Sandman series, one shouldn't be looking for another Morpheus story. This novel is a category into itself in Gaiman's repertoire. In other words, being a Gaiman fan is no guarantee that you'll like it; at the same time, even if you didn't like his other books, this novel might still be accessible.
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