Rating: 
Summary: I just have to be personal in this one
Review: I have to be personal in this one. I read a lot, since I was 5 I read a lot. I prefer history books or books with a "theme", like detective storys etc. It is very rare that I can get hooked on a book that I do not know where it will lead me. This one does. In forty something years of reading this is the second book that has me reading nonstop trying to figure out what the next page will bring me. It has little to do with the overall story, but mostly the sheer joy every page of it brings. (the book that had me first feel it was "lonesome dove" by Larry Mc Murtry). This guy knows his mithology and mostly he knows how to write in a way that you can almost taste the words, instead of just swallowing them in the haste for the plot.
It is a tremendous pleasure for those of us who like the written word
As I said, this is a very private feeling and I apologize for those wanting more sensible reviews
Rating:
Summary: The Gods Have Spoken...
Review: AMERICAN GODS is a flummoxing experience- the nonplussed state you find yourself in as you make your way through the heady tome is a more than pleasant one. At so many points, multitudes of junctures, vast numbers of interphases, a marveling feeling tends to spontaneously coalesce in the mind of the reader (at least, I'd imagine it would), a warm, smiling sensation which at first whispers then speaks then all-out shouts a sermon proselytizing the incredible experience Neil Gaiman has summoned from the apparently vast spring of his creativity. This is a literary victory in the ongoing battle against jejune efforts, mediocre attempts, total failure of executions- this is a book which can and should be examined and absorbed by all those who complain that fine modern-day works are rare commodities; such staunch devotees of obligatory standards will find much to reward with GODS, and their precious cache of valuable jeweled praises will be significantly less heavy following the experience. GODS centers on Shadow, a man who is forced into a cocoon of sorts when he is sent to prison; he doesn't realize it, but when he is released, his life has undergone a total metamorphosis, as thorough and complex as the conversion of chrysalis to moth. Destiny has taken over, fate has intervened- and in what form does this metaphysical hand appear? His name is Mr. Wednesday. Strange, charming older gentleman. Before Shadow knows it, the man has breached his world, become a part of it. He knows things about Shadow, stuff he shouldn't be privy to, but is; he's also persuasive, with a charmingly disarming and dominant personality, so it doesn't take long for Shadow to agree to Wednesday's offer of employment. This alliance denotes the commencement coordinate of Shadow's sojourn, a journey of fantastic- and phantasmagoric- pathways and stops. He comes to realize that Wednesday is more than just a man- such nomenclature begs the most hyperbolic interpretation of the term 'understatement', in fact. Further, all of the 'man's' cronies exist beyond the reaches of normal scientific reason. Put quite simply, they are gods. Gods of old, gods of yesteryear, gods of statures which brimmed with effulgent power and royal hierarchy in a forgotten past; they aren't what they used to be, they are archaic in the current cultural landscape, irrelevant anachronisms relegated to second-fiddle ghosts which roam the land and take whatever odd jobs that come their way. So what happened to them? Progress. That noun which strikes awe and fear in the faces and the intellects of those who are steadfast in their ways and stubborn with respect to acceptance of displacement- and who are the displacers? Well, the new gods of course. The industrial complex of deity worship is not a static sector, it is as prone to demographic shifts and market realignments as any ordinary business. As an example, take what you are utilizing to read this very review- cyberspace has become one of the freshly-vibrant new entities which has captured the staunch faith of so many of the country's flock. And then there is television; it's been around a lot longer than Al Gore's purported invention, but it is still a young lord compared to Wednesday and his ilk. Shadow finds out early on that his boss is planning something big- war. An immense fiery fight to take place in the land of the idols. He and Wednesday traverse the country, stopping at sacred spots full of mystical power and visiting the dwellings of many of the obsolete totems of mythology; like a president calling on the heads of state of foreign countries to talk up a coalition, he does his best to rally the troops and get them in fighting order. But that's all superficial stuff; there's more going on here than just the oncoming storm. Shadow meets many oddball characters- including his reanimated wife- and he learns much about the extra-reality which exists in addition to the normal three-dimensional world he's always known. The above synopsis cannot be construed as anything approaching exhaustive in nature; from beginning to end, GODS sweeps you along an ever-shifting, highly-detailed presentation of plot...every twenty pages or so sees a new road about to be taken. Straight, linear tendencies are not welcome by Gaiman- instead, he wants to fill your mind with an intoxicating dose of grandiose vision as quickly as possible. The core essence of this predilection cannot be captured by a simplistic statement such as "the pacing was quick", however- yes, you could characterize the novel as fast, but not necessarily in a quantitative sense, for it does possess a fairly substantial word count...for want of better phraseology, it perhaps could be said that GODS's pacing is "intellectually swift", since the number of quality ideas/concepts packed into the chapters was maximized at an optimal level; in some odd, contradictory fashion, the reader is left with the feeling that he/she raced through the work at a silver-hot clip, even though each notion is developed in the fullest of fashions and did not possess the usual attributes of taut prose construction. A useful illustration of this thesis can be found in the interludes, devices which provide not only substantive background material about the old deities and their coming to America, but also support the main story and inject some contrasting rhythms for the sake of variety. Gaiman essentially retells stories- in contemporary guise- from the expansive collection of extant mythoi, tall tales which have become catholic by now to the global culture; this is an important subtext to the yarn, for even though it can be enjoyed without prior expertise on figures such as Odin and Loki, reexamination of the total arc through such a lens will only enhance the value of the shenanigans. The author's style/voice was rather functional and cursory in the beginning, but as the timeline advanced, it became amazingly metaphorical, literate, and lyrical. Complex and entertaining, AMERICAN GODS is profusely recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Neil's new flavor
Review: Gaiman's American God's deviates from the light-hearted story-telling, with slightly darker underlying themes found in 'Stardust' and 'Neverwhere'. The book's structure is more like comic book frames than a flowing, page-turning story. I was thrown at first by this shift in style, but gradually sunk into the book all the same. It is a mythic story told on a high-scale and plopped down into the world we live in. The characters are unique and memorable, the voice, clear and certain. Again, I didn't read it as quickly as I had his other books, but this one requires more attention. And when I reached the conclusion, I found the long, hard journey quite satisfying and worth the trip.
Rating: 
Summary: Torture
Review: I don't get it. After reading and re-reading Neverwhere(one of my all time favorites) I anxiously looked forward to Gods. What a disappointment. I forced myself to finish it, figuring it would soon pick up a bit. Never did. Too cute, too convoluted, basically unreadable. Can't wait to get to something more interesting (although The Pennysaver would be) after wasting 2 weeks.
Rating:
Summary: tape is too heavy, but the printed version is great
Review: I had the unabridged audio cassette version of _American
Gods_ out from the public library. It's very well done
(except for the female voices, which would be better in
the male reader's own voice instead of the silly falsetto
he uses), but it was too intense for me, listening at
read-aloud speed to a grim-sounding voice. I had to
return the tape and wait until I could acquire the book.
The book is great! I wouldn't recommend it for teens who
are young enough to get parental input into what they
read, because of violence and a little weird sex, but
there was not too much of that for a sensitive adult.
Rating:
Summary: Plot as tired and old as it's characters
Review: American Gods could have been an interesting book about the journey of one man into the ancient and powerful. At the same time, it could have been a humorous commentary on the American lifestyle. Over a wide variety of colorful characters, it could have been a unique and informative illustration of many cultures' beliefs and folklore. Unfortunately for the reader, it is none of these things. Instead it is a long meaningless treck. The "gods" are all the same character with different accents and vocabularies, and spout the same cryptic messages intended to add mystery to an obvious plot. However, the schlock mysticism can barely paste over the thin plot and the reader is always ten steps ahead of the protagonist. The novel is not slow-paced, as some readers have claimed, but is merely bland. This is a book full of could-have-beens. There are a few good points. The writing is clear-headed, and some might appreciate the comic-bookish framing and pacing of the scenes. The Wednesday character is likable for a good portion of the book after his cliche introduction, as is the protagonist's wife when she isn't speaking as a self-help guru. The story is pretty well balanced, there's just not much too it. Overall the book is a fine beach read, but don't expect any deep meaning, or to learn anything.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: It's a wonderful story, thrilling, passionate, you just can't stop reading until the end. It's one surprise after another, and when you think it couldn't get better it gets. I was stuck to this book from the very beginning to the end, specially because of the two greatest characters (Wednesday and Shadow). It's just great.
Rating: 
Summary: paean to greater gods of literature
Review: After discovering that this book won the Hugo this year, I picked it up. Although the book is readable, it is not remarkable. I found myself thinking among the overt and covert references to literary texts and authors how much better it would be to re-reading Vineland (Pynchon) or Mr. Bloodmoney (Dick). I also found myself thinking of a statement made by one of Asimov's characters in the (early) Foundation Series about how it wasn't necessary to develop original material when you could mine the classical authors. The atmosphere and motif of the story immediately reminded me of Night Watch by Sean Stewart, a much more evocative and compelling work if not quite attempting the same level of commentary. There were obvious nods all around to other authors including Delaney and Zelazny. I'm not going to read it again to pick up on any more. This isn't really intended as an complete indictment of Mr. Gaiman or his novel - I just expect more from a Hugo winner.
Rating: 
Summary: waste of time
Review: this book is just terrible, and i regret that i even spent a moment of my time and money for this nonsense. first of all there was no plot and evrything was vague. i was kept wondering what the real story was wether it was about the gods, about the main character shadow or laura who rose from the dead. the writer did not seem to know how to connect these characters together and just went from scene to scene which were irrelevant. i don't know what the hoopla is all about this author and i'm purely disappointed. after reading the reviews on the first page of the book i expected to at least enjoy the story but sad to say this is a terrible book.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book!
Review: I was completely caught off guard when I picked this one up. Had no idea what I was getting into. A fantastic, journey into the mystical. Complex and very straightforward all at once. Refreshing. Gaiman shows incredible knowledge of mythology and its place in the human psych. An enjoyable journey that I didn't want to end.
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