Rating: 
Summary: It's not you, it's me
Review: I don't understand it. I loved Neverwhere. I love fantastical quests through small-town America. I love mythology. Yet I hate this book. I promised myself that I would read half of it before I put it down, but I think I'm going to welch. My major complaint is that the book is dull, dull, dull as dishwater. I liked the main character while he was in prison. I wish he'd stayed there. His wife died. Who cares? He plays chess for his life. Who cares? He helps rob a bank. Who cares? I'd rather watch a documentary on the Hoover dam. I was quite surprised to come here and see how many people loved this book. What am I missing?
Rating: 
Summary: Even good for the first-time reader.
Review: I picked this book up at a bookstore with no real expectations. The cover is what initially caught my interest, and the blurb was sufficiently attractive, but I never expected this great a read. I figured the book would be a quick, entertaining read, but I fell in love with the book about halfway through. Gaiman's writing is so captivating to me, I can feel and understand every word uttered, and I enjoy it. Soon enough, I found myself completely entwined in the story, feeling everything. I often found a slight grin on my face, or a furrow in my brow, and that's what makes it all worth it. I didn't feel the book was too short at all, (keeping in mind that one of my favourite books of late is House of Leaves, which is like 700+ pages in its twisted glory). I think this is a great read for anyone, weather you are a first-time Gaiman reader or not.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but not great read
Review: Having really enjoyed Gaiman's previous works, I was looking forward to reading 'American Gods'. When I finished the book, my feelings were mixed. I've encountered the idea of gods existing only because we believe in them (and subsequently, being reduced or dying because we stop doing so) before, in Terry Pratchett's 'Small Gods'. However, the latter book is much more haunting and disturbing in the execution of the main theme than is Gaiman's work. 'American Gods' gives you plenty of small, interesting stories embedded into a few larger ones which somehow fail to take off. The fact that it could have been so much more is disappointing. Shadow, the main character, is dispassionate and cool in the face of events which should have mere mortals running for them thar hills, so you tend to be as well. Christianity, a major belief of American society, plays no role. Gods are killed without there being any significant impact on people---kinda weird if you consider the death of modern gods. The wrapping up of the major plotline is over before you realise what's happening. 'American Gods' is not badly written: Gaiman is certainly too talented for that. There are beautiful scenes which bear his unmistakable style: the story of the happy, and mysteriously thriving town of Lakeside is my personal favourite. But to see those highlights appear in subplots which are (too) loosely connected to the main one gives you the distinct impression that Gaiman overstretched himself. It's a nice book and will keep you occupied for a while, but it's certainly not as great as 'Neverwhere' or 'Stardust'.
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.
|
