American Gods

Rating:
Summary: Gaiman's masterpice.
Review: American Gods is the pinnacle in the great career of Neil Gaiman. A tapestry of unforgettable characters that take us all on a journey of History and self-discovery. Gaiman weaves a tale that has heart, heartbreak, Good Vs Evil and tradition versus progress. It's a joy of a ride and I suggest you take it with him.

You will not forget this book.


Rating:
Summary: Gaiman's masterwork!!!
Review: Shadow is let out of prison early due to the death of his wife. While travelling home he meets a strange character named Wednesday, who hires him as a personal bodyguard. Together they set on a journey to collect all the old Gods who came to America, as Wednesday himself is the father-God, and face the final battle against the new American Gods born out of TV, internet, etc. Gaiman superbly describes how each God arrived in America and what happened to them, what our advanced civilization did to them and us. The writing is a masterwork of fiction. A fabulous journey into the world of unreal.



Rating:
Summary: Lock the door and throw away the key
Review: First things first. I rarely read comic books or graphic novels (nothing against them, it is just they aren't my métier), so I'm not biased to review a Neil Gaiman book -- actually I have never read anything wrote. "American Gods" was my first experience approaching Gaiman's universe, and it left me with mixed feelings. I know this book has won prizes and hype, but that doesn't mean much nowadays -- when prizes are rather political.

However much I found the idea very interesting and thought provoking, I have to admit that "American Gods" is poorly executed and lacks a good editing. Gaiman seems to be the kind of writer who is dominated by the form of the book he is writing -- instead of he himself dominating the form. Due to his graphic novels experience, he seems not to give credit to his reader's imagination. The fact that a novel doesn't have images affects his descriptions, making the text over-repetitive and over-explained.

Gaiman is what we could call a key-in-the-pocket writer. For instance, if he has to tell you that a character found something important in a room. He begins by saying that this character has a key in his pocket, then this person will get the key, introduce it in the key hole, turn it, grab the doorknob and bla bla bla... until he says that the character found a bos in the room. All the previous actions don't count to make texture or to move the story forward. So cut the beating around the bush short, please. This is where an editor would step and tell "Neil, my dear, let's work a little more in this text. You can thrust the ellipse. They can be effective".

But, since Gaiman has a graphic novel God status, nobody seems to have courage to tell him how poor his text is. But we can't hate this writer. If on the one hand, he has all these problems with his texts, on the other, after boring you with pages of painfully useless descriptions, he comes up with such a brilliant sentence, that you feels like patting him on the shoulder, like a friend who has a problem but we are okay with it.

But it is still something to think of how somebody writes a book with almost 600 pages and don't develop a character at all. Supposedly "American Gods" is a kind of quest that the protagonist goes through. In the beginning Shadow, the man, lacks personality and will. So, one hopes he will have acquired at least one in the end -- or that being in contact with Gods will change him. But not, this is not what happens. He is supposed to be an average guy, and that's why Gaiman made him so plain -- that's the only explanation. But Shadow doesn't have an average guy appeal.

The narrative, that is rarely put forward, is fragmented and confusing -- in place of being epic and meaningful. However "American Gods" is a page-turner, it is never memorable. The over repetition and stereotypes character never accomplish much. I believe that Gaiman wanted to writer an allegory criticism the contemporary America -- or the Western World as a whole-- but he never delivers it. For one thing, he could start writing Americans speaking Americans, and not British. Just because he uses the word `carousel', instead of `merry-go-round' doesn't mean they are talking American.

One of the best things of reading "American Gods" is that it made me enjoy Chuck Palahniuk's novels even more. Gaiman seems to have the same coolness of the creator of the "Fight Club". But while the American writer knows how to keep it short, moving and with a point, Gaiman is exaggerated, sometimes boring, and doesn't know where he is really heading to. He could have made a great book with "American Gods", and should start by locking the door and throwing away the key. Because, so far this is much ado about nothing.


Rating:
Summary: Not as good as it could have been
Review: Never thought I'd see the day. Never thought I'd say this: This is the first Neil Gaiman book I put down halfway through. Kind of stunned here, but there we have it.

What was wrong with it? Well, first of what was right with it. Interesting ideas and interesting incidents- the bank scam Wednesday pulls with Shadow, the Arab cab driver who meets an effrit (though I didn't like the homosexual sex scene- we have Clive Barker to thank for that, no doubt) and the notion of gods being made from malls and TV- not just metaphorically speaking, but actual gods. Good idea, that, not scintillatingly original, but in Gaiman's hands it should have made a damn good book. It didn't ... well, if it did, I couldn't get to it because these things annoyed me: (1) Like Cliver Barker when he sets books in America, he didn't get the accent right. Americans don't say: "I should rather think not!" That's how Brits talk. Gaiman probably doesn't watch enough TV to get the accents right. It bugged me just enough to keep bugging me. (2) The protagonist Shadow was wooden. He had no personality. Everything he said was a one-sentence retort to whatever had just been said to him. "Yeah. I think so too." "No. It doesn't." "Where are we going?" I guess the thinking is that Shadow was the 'straight', as in comedy. But he had no personality at all, nothing to like or hate about him, nothing to make you give a damn. Gaiman did this in Stardust too, but it wasn't very problematic ... Stardust was good enough in other regards to make it work. He did it in Neverwhere, which was more noticeable ... the protagonist in that book was as wooden as Shadow, but had a touch of wimp about him at least, enough to invoke pity at certain points in the book. They call this type of character 'everyman,' supposedly an archetype of some kind. I don't approve, especially not if it's going to be what you use every time. The protagonist is the one you follow around, there ought to be some substance to him. Shadow was a gruff ex-con, part of his makeup being he don't feel much, don't think much and don't say much. Ohhh kay, fair enough. That doesn't seem to justify 600 pages of his adventures. I don't like Gaiman's protagonists and think he could put a little more effort/imagination into them.


Rating:
Summary: ...
Review: I bought this on a whim after seeing it for sale at a used bookstore. The only thing I'd read by him prior this was the amazingly funny "Good Omens," which he co-wrote with the great Terry Pratchett. While a bit darker in tone, and not the avalance of jokes that "Good Omens" was, I was happy to find that "American Gods" was still farily humorous.

The main character, Shadow, is set in the present day and has the same level of understanding at how the world work as we do. He lives (albiet in prison), has joys and tribuation and looks forward to getting out. Unfortunaty, the way he gets out of prison is less than ideal. With his whole world smashing around him, Mr. Wednesday offers a helping hand in the form of a job.

Early on, Mr. Wednesday displays some... unusal qualities. It doesn't take too terribly long to figure out what he is (a god created in the minds of people long ago) and what he's trying to accomplish (surviving against modern gods)... and in doing so needs to unite all the different "old" gods.

Shadow ends up his assistant, and as a result his perception of the world has to change. (I mean, how many people will have the television god talk to you in the form of Lucy from I love Lucy?)With his new position he sparks a lot of interest in the god sub-culture... and a lot of danger.

Overall the book is written well. Toward the end things get a bit confusing and muddied, however, by the time the book rolls to it's conclusion, everything feels in order. The characters are mostly written well, with one exception.

Shaddow runs into a girl named Sam. She is one of those interesting girls whom can make or break a story. Unfortunately, after her first appearance, she drifts into the background and only makes a few more appearances. She should have become a semi-main character, instead it feels like she was discarded.

The writing does tend to feel a bit pop culture, it won't be a stunning epic. But it is a fun and enjoyable read. And unlike one reviewer tried to imply, the book isn't all violece and sex. While there are two or three graphic sex scenes, they aren't long and easy to skip over. The violence actually seems minimal for a book like this and isn't overly gruesome or reveled in.

Rating:
Summary: Could Not Stop Reading....
Review: I loved this book. I read so many books that end up being so similar to each other in one way or another. This book just shattered that problem and did so within two pages. I have not had the pleasure of reading any of Mr. Gaiman's other books, so this was a first for me. A wonderful first. I will be purchasing all of his books in short order. Although, I may just sit back and read this one again, just to enjoy the ride one more time.

Rating:
Summary: Darkly Disturbing and Thought Provoking
Review: After serving three years in jail, Shadow's sentence is almost up. He is looking forward to returning to his old life: his wife, his best friend, and the job he has waiting for him in his old hometown. Suddenly his world is turned upside down. He is released several days early into a mind numbly void world, not at all the happy life he had expected. A chance meeting (or is it chance?) with the mysterious Mr. Wednesday sees him gainfully employed against his will, in a position he has learned to fill over the years all too well - driver, occasional heavy, companion. And why not? Everything else in his life is gone: wife, friend, job, and normalcy.

What Shadow does not realize is that he is now working for one of our oldest deities. These deities, these Gods, walk amongst us, live amongst us, and tragically, die amongst us. Their existence is the result of what people have imagined and believed since the beginnings of time. It is the old chicken and the egg paradox - which came first. People or Gods?

In American Gods there is a war coming, a war between the old gods and the new. A war which spurs a road-trip across America, delving deep into the myths and legends of this relatively new world. A war whose prize will be the "very soul of America." A war fought by those clinging to the last staunchly believing souls who keep them alive, and those who harbour the favor of almost all of humanity in our present time. To complicate matters, Shadow is not sure whose side he is on, much less, what he is expected to do.

Shadow learns much as he traverses the land with Mr. Wednesday, both from Mr. Wednesday and from Mr. Wednesday's odd friends. He learns as well from his own chance encounters. He learns about himself and about the world around him. The secrets, which were once carefully hidden from him, begin to come to take shape, and Shadow is left with a far greater understanding of the universe and his place within that universe. He learns of secrets that hurt, and of secrets that heal. However, Shadow's personal journey is perhaps the darkest one of all, and there is no help along the way.

Neil has provided me with the most thought provoking reading experience I think I have ever had. It has forever changed the way I look at things, how I perceive the world around me. Surely, there is room for all of these gods in our world? After all, we are the ones who created them. As is to be expected from Neil, this is a darkly disturbing work, which will hold you captive until you have reached the end of the book, and far beyond. This story will crawl into your subconscious and arouse thoughts you never before have entertained, and may never again. The characters are very strong and believable. They will live on in your memory long after you put the book down. The plot flows along smoothly and unconstrained, sweeping you up and over the waterfall you had no warning was awaiting you.

Review Originally Posted at LinearReflections.com

Rating:
Summary: A Grimm-ly modern fairy tale
Review: Like some twisted offspring of William S. Burroughs and Tom Robbins, Neil Gaiman takes the dark soul of america and lays it under the microscope. Our national fears are examined with the dispassionate care of a mortician sifting through the debris of a tragic accident. Echoes of Jim Thompson and G.K. Chesterton follow these spiritual grifters and wounded innocents down the highways and byways, past the roadside attractions all the way to the center of america. A dark yearning for a vanished purity that was only ever achieved by washing in the blood of innocents, and whose stain can only be covered with more sacrifice forms the animating principle of this powerful work.

Yes, our forefathers were genocidal (...), what of it, do you think that because you are rich and comfortable that you can escape the guilt as well? This book is the crawling worm-track of the american soul, if you want to understand this countries darkest nightmares and pettiest fears, read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Tasty, Yet Unsastisfying
Review: The three star rating that I have given to American Gods is reflective of the ambivalence I feel toward it. I enjoyed reading it, and found it a real page-turner. The concept was fascinating and the mythological elements were interesting and clever in their American guises. So what's the problem? It is akin to the old chestnut about eating Chinese food - after devouring 600 plus pages of Mr. Gaiman's novel I found that I was still hungry, still unsatisfied despite the tastiness of Gaiman's talent.
The problem is that I was expecting an epic. The book's subject matter, length, awards, and reviews all scream epic. I was expecting something deep, meaningful, and memorable. Gaiman's writing talent teased me nearly all the way through that this was indeed what I was reading, yet it never quite delivered. Instead of a memorable epic, what I finally discovered in American Gods was a well-written and enjoyable pulp novel that felt much closer to a particularly well done Stephen King story than it did to an important mythological epic.
I did enjoy reading American Gods. Neil Gaiman is a talented writer, and if you are a fan, you will probably want to read it as well. But be warned to limit your expectations. Despite its length and hype, this book is not an epic, mythic or otherwise. File this one on your bookshelf beside King's The Stand rather than putting it beside Tolkien, Joseph Campbell, or Jung.