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.
Rating:
Summary: A Road Trip Across America
Review: American Gods by Neil Gaiman is a rollocking road trip through and American littered by Gods large and small that people have been bringing to America since they could get over on boat. Gaiman again takes material and mythologies that are familiar and but dated and brings them to the modern world. This fun fast read that takes detours, back roads, and fast highways that mimic the American Road Trip experience. It's a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning scope and magnificent depth
Review: Neil Gaiman's AMERICAN GODS is simultaneously an epic, a treatise on religion, a road trip story, a coin trick instruction manual, a murder mystery, a war novel, a tale of self actualization, and a love story. At any given point in GODS, there are six or seven different plots occurring -- but Gaiman juggles them admirably and never lets anything drop. In Gaiman's previous works, GOOD OMENS (with Terry Pratchett), STARDUST, and NEVERWHERE, the reader knew exactly in which genre the book belonged. GOOD OMENS was an apocolyptic comedy, STARDUST was a fantasy/love story, and NEVERWHERE was a dark fantasy thriller. AMERICAN GODS is the first of Gaiman's novels in which the cliches of the genre are meaningless -- because AMERICAN GODS transcends the genres it encompasses. This makes for a novel of stunning scope, and Gaiman's talent makes for a story of magnificent depth. Our hero is Shadow, a man of indeterminate ethnic origin. He's big, and he can hold his own in a fight, but he'd rather not. His favorite book is Herodotus' HISTORIES. His life story is unfolded for us little by little, and we delight in every new revelation, because Shadow is truly our hero. The novel's structure is a bit like THE GRAPES OF WRATH, in that about every other chapter is not about the hero at all, but about a different storyline altogether. I admit that initially this structure irritated me, but then I realized that these "mini-plots" were just as fascinating as the "big plot." Although one reviewer complained of the "predictable" plot twists, in my mind there was nothing predictable about GODS. I found myself actually cringing with fear at some points because of what was happening to the hero -- and I had never suspected it. The host of supporting characters is simply awesome. From the most ordinary human being, the chief of Lakeside Police, to the most fun god, Mr. Nancy, Gaiman describes each new person or god just enough to let us know who s/he is, then plunges onward. The result is perhaps the largest cast of characters I can remember reading about, and yet the reader is satisfied with each and every character. One warning before you pick up this book: it is not a happy book. For those who are familiar with Gaiman's work, this revelation is no surprise. But for those who want just another summer reading book . . . death and disappointment abound in GODS. The murder mystery is solved (and solved well), but it leaves the reader with a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Shadow learns a lot about himself, but a lot of it is bad news. Some wonderful, seemingly good characters are (like Hunter in NEVERWHERE) actually very, very bad. Shadow never seems to catch a break in his personal life, either. These aren't drawbacks, mind you, but things to consider before starting the very, very *long,* addictive read. I feel as though I have not done the book justice with my rambling review. So here's my final statement: AMERICAN GODS is truly one of the finest novels I have ever read. If you have the time to invest, I strongly urge you to purchase AMERICAN GODS. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Quite impressive
Review: A friend of mine told me, more than once, that I had to read this book. He was quite insistent about the whole thing because he knows I have an abiding love for all things mythological, especially Norse. I had picked it up, put it down, you know the routine, but didn't acutally buy it till I had a long plane ride looming in front of me. Turns out I should have listened to my friend to begin with(and I liked the book enough to actually tell him that, too.) The thing that caught my attention, and held it as the book went on, was just how clever Gaiman was in terms of weaving bits of Norse mythology throughout the story. I sat there, shaking my head, smiling, as something familiar popped up, fell into place. This whole aspect of it was so wonderfully done that that would have been enough to sustain me, to keep me thinking about the book long after I reluctantly put it aside. But, the thing is, Gaiman created some really wonderful, compelling characters to popluate his America. Shadow was a wonderful protagonist. I liked being in his mind, following him around, waiting to see how he'd handle whatever was going to come at him next. He's never adequately described(except for everyone constantly pointing out that he's "big")and yet you get a picture perfect image of him in mind. And there is a score of secondary characters that, as long as they meant you no harm, you'd eagerly welcome into your life. There are some aspects of the novel that seem unfinished. One particularly that I would like to have seen more of was Shadow's encounter with Bast--it seemed like there should have been something more there and I would have ate it up if there had been. And there are other little tidbits/questions that are never assigned an answer or explanation. However, this doesn't take away from the novel, but instead compels you to come up with some explanation of your own. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, didn't want to put it down, and will definitely pick it up to read again. Plus, I just bought *Neverwhere*, so Gaiman must have left a favorable impression in my mind.
Rating: 
Summary: A fascinating journey through an alternative spiritual USA
Review: At 628 pages, 'American Gods' is a giant jellybean bag of a book with a tendency to sprawl all over the place. The premise of the book is fascinating: Every wave of settlers to America brought their own Gods with them, and when belief in these Gods died, the Gods lived on, making a living as best as they can. Shadow, a released convict, finds himself a pawn in a game played by the mightiest of the Norse pantheon, Mr Wednesday. He finds himself being dragged all over the USA, meeting the surviving Gods living in reduced circumstances, as Mr Wednesday tries to gather them all together to fight the new Gods of the Internet, the motor vehicle, and the rest of modern technology. Sadly, the end is a little anti-climatic. The apocalyptic war that is promised throughout the book peters out with a whimper rather than a bang. However, if the end disappoints, the telling of the story doesn't. Gaiman takes the reader on a fascinating journey, with lots of interesting asides that add to the narrative rather than deflect from it. The writing is both vivid and elusive. Gaiman is a one-off original. I'm off to check his other writings.
Rating:
Summary: The "Gods" must be thrilled.
Review: Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Neil Gaiman's Shadow, for one. Shadow is the hero of 2001's "American Gods," the latest from a contemporary favorite. Gaiman is the acclaimed creator of the "Sandman" comic book series, as well as the author of a short story collection, "Smoke and Mirrors," and another, equally enjoyable book entitled "Neverwhere." Violent and fantastic, erotic at times and hilarious at others, with a mystery (or two) to keep you hooked throughout, "Gods" is a fabulous addition to all of those other titles with the word "American" in them: "Pie," "Psycho," "Beauty" and "Rhapsody" among them. It holds its own. In "Gods," Shadow is a convict days away from his prison release. Before that can happen, however, he learns that his beloved wife, Laura, has been killed in a car crash. After his release, at her funeral, a woman spits on Laura's corpse. When confronted by Shadow, the woman reveals that Laura was having an affair with her husband, also killed in the crash. His world shattered, Shadow stumbles into the employment of the mysterious Mr. Wednesday, who asks him to take on the role of occasional bodyguard, in the interest of protecting some shady dealings and interests. From there, Shadow eventually comes to discover that his new employer and associates are long-forgotten gods, no longer worshipped by humankind and now doomed to live amongst their ranks. Even worse, the new gods of pop culture's worship, like technology, wood and mass media, to name a few, are out to bring down the gods of yore and claim dominance. Along the way, Shadow runs across a few familiar gods (very few - Gaiman has said in online interviews that one of his points was to use old mythological figures that are more obscure, so the use of Greek gods like Zeus is sort of pointless) and fantasy creatures, some of whom are given creepy new spins under Gaiman's imagination. He also finds himself tormented by his dead wife, literally, when a gold coin from a leprechaun proves enough to raise her from her grave. There's more to the story, of course, and Gaiman does a good job of telling it, even if things start off somewhat slow and it's hard to retain all the information he's giving. But Shadow is a great character for an audience to follow, likable enough to keep readers interested and cynical enough to give the fantastical goings-on an air of realism to them. It's a fabulous, fabulous concept in theory and Gaiman has got the goods to make it live up to its fullest potential. All the elements are there, and it proves to be a book where idea and creator are well in sync. The gods must be pleased.
Rating:
Summary: Gaiman Scores Big on This One! Score! Score! Score!
Review: There were several times early in the novel that I wanted to dislike the narrator. He waffled between vantage points and led me to one disjointed scene after another. The story, I felt, lacked polish. But by the half-way point I had gotten into the flow of the narrative and saw how these seemingly confusing literary devices worked toward an overall complete symmetry. Perhaps I can see the early pages as the climbing of a hill on a rollercoaster: loud and herky jerky. But once the ride --the story-- gets past a certain point there's no stopping it. It flowed like a rain-swelled river. The narrator had such a great command of language that even the most outlandish aspects of the story seemed natural to the process. I didn't notice many sharp edges in this tale. The only criticism I may have is that there are one or two instances where the narrator supplied me with a side story that I did not feel contributed to the overall landscape of the novel. Though I enjoyed them, I did not see them as necessary. But as a whole, I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of mythology and supernatural story-telling. I also think aspiring writers would do well to pay attention to Gaiman's style. Roland Petalver
Rating:
Summary: An amazing, addictive read
Review: I have a few levels of books... at the bottom there's the bad books, the ones you're forced to read or you start but which end up being so boring you fall asleep. Then there's mediocre books, which are okay, but more along the 'read once and put on the shelf' category. The next level is great books, which you'll read more than once, and will be rated among your favorites. Then there's 'novel heroin.' These are the books you can't put down, that you finish in one sitting, no matter how long the novel, the ones you think about long after you finish reading. That's where I put American Gods. Neil Gaiman has crafted a hypnotic work, one in which the prose itself literally sucks you into the novel and doesn't let go, even after the last page is read. It's that good. If you need a read for a rainy day, when you have nothing else to do, pick up this book. Make sure you have plenty of time on your hands, though. You won't be able to put it down.
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