Rating: 
Summary: Would be hard to live up to all the hype
Review: I admit it, I read the reviews, believed the hype and eventually bought this book hoping to be challenged. The only challenge that I really faced was finishing it. Not because it was too difficult to follow from an intellectual level, but because it was relatively boring. The characters are one dimensional, the plot twists are contrived, and the only thing it made me think was, "do I want to finish this?"
That said, this is not a horrible book. But on the other hand I don't feel that it lived up to my expectations. Perhaps if I hadn't read the glowing reviews I wouldn't have had such high hopes and would have enjoyed the book more.
Rating: 
Summary: I Want My Money Back
Review: On the cover of my copy of the book, was attached a little sticker that announced: "As good as Stephen King or your money back!" Well, I want my money back because this book isn't as good as any of King's, it's much, much better. Don't let the bad reviews fool you, this is vintage Neil Gaiman surpassing his writing found in 'Sandman', and further exploring the Jungian theme of archetypes. If you liked Sandman you will love this.
Rating: 
Summary: misplaced accolades
Review: I'll keep this short and sweet. This book was one of the most frustrating of the year for me, and I'm not sure why so many people are blown away by this book. The plot is very awkward and very little seems to happen throughout the novel. Why the book is 600+ pages is beyond me as it seems to me it could have been half that and noone would be the wiser (but still equally annoyed). The only thing that I really enjoyed about the novel itself was the concept of all the gods living amongst the regular joes. Great concept, poor novel. It seems to me this is one of those books that is "hip" to have read but in actuality it's a steaming pile of dung.
Rating:
Summary: Gaiman is one of the greatest writers of this generation.
Review: I personally feel Gaiman is without peer among fantasy writer's right now. Despite a mediocre review of Neverwhere, I think American Gods triumphs in all the right places. This is an excellant work. I think many people feel the work is saying alot without saying anything and that the work just treads water for 600 pages, but I don't think they really understand why the work paces itself the way it does. Of course it could just be my opinion of why it takes this approach and no I'm not gonna share or detail it. Despite how compelling my arguement may be I know I will not change any minds. I also know some reviewers out there exist simply to shoot Gaiman down because of his cult status and his fanatic followers. I think if you go looking for something wrong in something you'll find it and most of the reviewers I've read with negative comments did just that. Their arguements against the work seem vague as if they do not even really understand what it is they didn't like about it. "They just did." It just takes them a couple of paragraphs to stretch that one sentence into what they think can pass for observant criticism. This work is excellant don't be fooled.
Rating:
Summary: Tragically So-So.
Review: I bought this book amidst critical acclaim and some really great hype. And maybe that was a bad thing. It probably made me expect more from American Gods than one should fairly expect from any novel. Still, I can't change the past, and the fact remains that I found Gaiman's novel to be strictly average in almost every facet.The main plot follows a man named Shadow (ugh) who has recently been released from prison after his wife died in a car accident. With nothing left in his life, Shadow gains employment under the mysterious Mr. Wednesday and enters into a world of con artists and grizzled old gods. Now, with a plot like that, you'd think the story would write itself and you'd have an excellent novel on your hands. Well, you would ... if you didn't bog the entire project down with thinly-veiled allegories galore. Don't get me wrong: I didn't miss the point of the book. I "got" all there was to get. But just because a book forces blunt symbolism into its story like jamming a square peg into a circle hole DOESN'T make it a classic. American Gods will make you think a bit, but its hardly the life-altering tome some of these people are trying to make it out to be. It probably didn't help that the only likeable people in the story were a few of the supporting characters (primarily Wednesday and Mr. Nancy). All in all, its not going to kill you to read this book. It isn't what I'd call terrible. But if you've read anything even remotely similar to it, you'll be wishing it was THAT you were reading instead of this.
Rating:
Summary: Did I Like This?
Review: Quite honestly, I am not sure. Gaiman's premise sparks with imagination---as I am unfamiliar with most of the writers that he thanks in his Acknowledgements---as to whether or not it is his own imagination or that of others, I am not sure. The main character, ex-con,Shadow, seems like a nice enough guy who reads Heroditus and has garnered quite a few other literary allusions even though we are told that his education is basic. On the eve of his release from prison, he discovers his wife has died in a car accident, a little later on in the story he learns that she died in the company of her lover, Shadow's friend. With this crushing truth weighing down upon him, Shadow meets and accepts a job with Mr. Wednesday, a man who seems to turn up when you least expect him and knows a little too much about Shadow's life. Suddenly, Shadow finds himself immersed in a battle royal in which Wednesday and an assortment of odd characters struggle to maintain some hold on an America they were forced to voyage to while in the believing minds of Old Country immigrants. Wednesday and his cronies are the old gods---Odin, Bast, and a cast of others---old, cranky and disillusioned by their diminished presence in American life as they are rapidly replaced by new gods of technology, wealth and power. Wednesday tells Shadow that "a war is coming"--a war in which the two will battle for supremacy.
Sounds great, doesn't it? Well, it is in parts. I found Shadow's sojourn into the small lakeside town in Michigan throughly entertaining--in fact if Gaiman had concentrated his efforts on making that his major plot, I think he could have successfully spun off all of his major themes in a more concise and precise manner that would not have left the reader scratching his head at major points in the story. Not being that well-versed with some of the gods and legends that Gaiman alludes to, I would have found an appendix detailing some of the minor aspects of this lore paramount to my understanding and enjoyment of the story.
After reading this nearly 600 pager, I regret to say that I don't think that there was much to ponder over, other than the rather obvious message that American life is consummed with immediate success and gratification rather than those which are founded on ritual and tradition. Shadow's role is never fully defined; other than his experience on the tree, he is very American; voyeur rather than participator---he may feel more alive, but what he does with that life, the story never defines.
Bottom line: Many of the other reviewers claim that Gaiman is a better comic book writer than a novelist. I have not read his Sandman series, but I have read some good graphic novels that promote conversations and make good observations on modern and not-so-modern life in an entertaining way. On a whole this book, does not do this. A good premise basically goes wasted. The tale of Hinklemann and the one untainted town in Michigan should have been given a little more detail and basically the same story could have been told with more impact. Recommended to those who want to read a 600 page book with aspirations to compare it with "The Stand".
Rating:
Summary: decent, but lacking
Review: I finished American Gods this afternoon. A very interesting read, and some memorable lines and whatnot. The writing style was wanting in some aspects, but that didn't detract from a decent story. The ending was a bit of a downer, but I was satisfied with the way the author tied things up. The idea of Jesus hitch-hiking in Afghanistan was humerous, if inaccurate (any good Muslim would have stopped for the prophet Isa (pbuh)). Odd thing, though...I mean, where was Jesus in America and, more importantly, where was God? People believe in them, correct? But apparently, only pagan, technology, and intagible gods exist in a country where the majority of people worship in the major monotheistic traditions. Hell, even the gods of the Hindus make appearences, but God, the deity with the most worship on Earth? Nope. Or Jesus, who exists (according to the book) in Central Asia? Don't count on it. Also, how does Shadow take all of this in so calmly? Mr. Gaimon would have us believe that one's wife dying is a perfect excuse to accept the most bizarre of circumstances (gods? undead wife? etc). Yeah, no dice. The man just floats through the book, almost entirely unphased by his encounters with deities and demons. The reader will encounter much difficulty in sympathizing with such an obscure, flat character. The most admirable things about him is the fact that he hooks up with Bast. Finally, it confuses me that a god lives on belief, but can be killed by bullets. Whatever. A decent read that went down easy for someone who lives on never-ending fantasy series, but it suffers from plot-holes, character development, and the writing style could use some polish. Interesting, but would not buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Only the gods are real
Review: Shadow has been in prison three years and is being paroled soon. He's let out early due to his wife's death. With nothing left to go home to, Shadow is approached by a man who calls himself Wednesday who basically wants him to be an "errand boy", but Shadow's job description goes way beyond that as he travels across the country with Mr. Wednesday. He learns about himself, life, beliefs, and people. This was my first Gaiman novel. I've read some of his comics, but this is the first novel that I've ever read by him, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I like mythology, and this presented a whole cast of "godly" characters for me to figure out. That's some of the fun in the book, recognizing mythological characters and saying, "I know who that is!" Despite what Shadow (and others) see as character flaws, he was perhaps one of the most endearing characters that I have ever encountered. Despite what he's been through, despite everything, he seems to have no trouble accepting what he's told by these gods. It's obvious he's a bit skeptical, but the side that believes seems to outweigh the side that doesn't believe. That gives Shadow somewhat of a naive quality. This made him very likable, very human, even though you don't know much about him or his family. You don't even know his real name, but you can tell that he's a good man, and while others think he's big and dumb, you can see that he obviously isn't. And the gods were amusing for the most part, they've "adapted" to the ways of new world by using what they know to get by. So, we have goddesses who are prostitutes, gods that are embalmers, gods that specialize in conning others, and a whole range of gods in between. And you have the new gods--Internet, media, etc--who want to get rid of the old gods. But what really made this story really enjoyable for me was the fact that I was tricked. I'll admit that many of the things in this book is obvious, but while I was paying attention to many minute details, I missed the most obvious thing of all. This book wasn't without flaws like any book. There were some odd sentence structures in the book and sometimes didn't even seem necessary, but the sheer force of what a good book this is made most of that easy to overlook. I will definitely reread this in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Hmmmm! See I'm going against the grain then I say I liked it
Review: I can see that many reviewers seem to think this effort by Neil Gaiman is somewhat of a disaster. The criticisms range from a thin plot, even thinner characters and that the story seemed to go nowhere (aha! a clue?). IMHO one of the main reasons for such criticism is because Mr Gaiman is more well known for his comic book stories than his novels. Perhaps for the reader of this book who is a fan of Gaiman's comics, the story would have been better told through a graphic novel. On the other hand, perhaps Gaiman's comics writing style was a little too evident in the book. For me, I think the book should be translated into a graphic novel (notice how I avoid the word comic) which would be great. I think one of Gaiman's strengths which shows up in the book is his graphic style of telling a story. When reading the book I could mentally picture the scenes being drawn. And this should be a positive aspect of the book - how many novelists are able to so evoke such imagery from simple words? As for the thin plot and thinner characters...well, to each their own I guess. But I did not find the plot thin. Instead, I felt that it was a pretty good examination of several cultures and their respective beliefs which have come to the US and taken root there. Not being an American, I found it interesting to read that the US has at some time or other been the host of such diverse cultures - although the suggestion that ancient Egyptians established a colony in Florida could be where the fiction part of the novel comes into play. As for the characters...well the Odin character was definitely interesting. An old man with many (non-magical) tricks up his sleeve...to raise cash. Shadow, the main character, on the other hand, does come across as rather confused. But this should not mean that the reader (and reviewers) should confuse his confusion for poor characterization. Shadow is a man just out of prison, who meets a tricky old man who shows him some really strange tricks along the way...and to top it all, Shadow's dead wife is coming along the journey in full physical form. Yes, I guess this makes it a "road story" but so what. I like to think of the journey is the interesting part and the end, if there is an end at all, is something which really isn't important at all. Once again, good story; open your mind as you read it and you might like it. On the other hand, if you don't like the direction its taking after the first few chapters, then the option to stop reading is always there.
Rating: 
Summary: Paradoxical
Review: How can a book with such good writing and interesting ideas be so excruciatingly boring? There's a damn good story in "American Gods," but unfortunately, it's a short story stretched to nearly 600 densely typeset pages. I found this book meandering, and the side trips weren't all that worthwhile. As a writer myself, I appreciate exposition, character studies, etc. But where is the plot, and why does it seem like he's making it up as he goes along? That would be the only excuse for the glacial movement of the story, the haphazard connections between characters, the sense that he's just trying to fill pages, the derivative storylines and characters. If it weren't for the basic descriptive skills, or the curve I'm using as a fan of Gaiman's in general, this book wouldn't get stars from me. That being said, the characters aren't quite one-dimensional, as many reviewers have said. Much of the descriptive writing is beautifully wrought, even when describing things not so beautiful. The dialogue has moments of snap and crackle. The ideas and concepts are fascinating. But. The only thing that kept me reading to the end was to see if, for a "road" story, it actually got anyplace. And it really didn't. The most telling thing is in the acknowledgments, where Gaiman gives a tip of the hat to Harlan Ellison and his "Deathbird Stories," also about the withering of the gods. Well, not so much a tip of the hat as a big, wet, sloppy kiss with a promise of breakfast later. And he's right. Ellison's book deals with these concepts, and does so with style and grace. His stories--and make no mistake, they are stories, they do not wear out their welcome--his stories are light on their feet, jabbing into the dark places, haunting the reader no matter how many times you read them. (That goes for most of his work, frankly.) "American Gods," on the other hand, is more like Wile E. Coyote with an anvil for a parachute, if anyone still believes in Wile E. In short, a beautifully written but poorly crafted and interminable novel using stories, ideas and plots from far superior works. A great disappointment, and I say this as a fan.
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