Rating: 
Summary: weak writing and messy editing
Review: i was excited about this book when it first came out. i'm a big fan of gaiman's graphic novels and i thought that 'american gods' would launch him securely onto the stage of great sci-fi / fantasy authors. the book starts off well. the main characters are evocatively developed and the hints about the upcoming war between the gods are intriguing. the problem with the book is that it's basically a road trip novel. a trip that gaiman obviously took himelf. because of this, he's too anxious to get to the next location so he can reveal some new facet of americana which, as a brit, he must find incredibly exotic. the effect is a rushed travelogue that eventually takes center stage over the main characters. this book reads like it was hard to write. it reads like it suffered from endless revisions and endless edits. the result is impressively stiched together - but it's still stitched together. ['are we living in an age where sex and horror are the new gods?' - frankie goes to hollywood, 1984]
Rating: 
Summary: Not a bit of "light" reading by any means...
Review: I think that this book is good. I think that Neil Gaiman is a talented writer, and his style is unique and lyrical in its own right. As the title states, the gods of old are alive and kicking on American soil. Some are swindlers, some are prostitutes and some are crazy. Any person who has a basic knowledge of folklore and stories will recognize them and their avatars. Norse, Egyptian and Hindi gods are spread out within the pages of this book, and it is quite easy to recognize and define them. We meet leprechauns and spiders and techo-punks as well.
The philosophy of Mr. Gaiman is borrowed from and earlier piece of writing that states--in effect--that all the theological choices and platforms were borrowed from other cultures that brought their dieties here. As the modern world enroaches upon the territory of the spiritual, the gods have been thrown away and new ones are taking thier place.
No longer do people pray to the gods of old and worship them as they used to, now the world is in the thrall of another, more powerful, pantheon. Credit cards, television and technology have replaced Odin, Asanzi and Anubis as the chosen powers that be.
This is more of a moral fable, a cautionary tale spun with great amounts of intrigue and suspense. Some of the plot threads are a little loose, but they are snapped into place and woven tightly into the tapestry by the end of the novel. All in all, this novel is a great work of fiction, but be warned, it takes a little bit of work to get through this novel. That is why the rating is at 4 stars. I don't like the fact that I had to "work" to get through this novel, sometimes it really was a chore to read. But the book is still good. I have never read a book by Neil Gaiman before, and I think that with the close of this one, I will give a little more thought to his other novels...and a few of them might even find their way onto my bookshelf.
Rating: 
Summary: Curious, and very entertaining
Review: I loved this book. The whole concept is fascinatng. When early immigrants came to this country from overseas, they brought the gods of their myths and folklore with them, and those gods are living among us. Some of them even getting into bar room brawls and the like. This book had me alternately laughing out loud and scratching my head wondering what kind of mind had created this book. (I have since read other Gaiman novels, and now I understand completely.) The end may have been mildly lackluster, but still I found it to be a provocative, absorbing, and very worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: A Writer for the Highly Literate
Review: Take a wonderfully warped and dry British sense of humor, add a liberal dose of literary and historical allusion, sprinkle in pop culture with a poetic voice, and stir with a fine sense of sarcasm and you have Neil Gaiman's latest novel. (In fact, that describes darn near everything Gaiman writes!) That's Gaiman! AMERICAN GODS is a delightful romp across Americana and a close look at why we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously on this side of the pond. Imagine the gods of the old countries coming over with the immigrants. Imagine Odin as a cross country con man traveling salesman. Thoth and Anubis running a funeral home in (where else!) New Orleans. Think of America as the microcosm and imagine what the macrocosm might be. This is imagery that stays with you and sets you chuckling to yourself months later. Gaiman may not be for everyone--if you like simplistic adventure in soundbytes and special effects don't even try him. But if you are well read, have a highly developed sense of humor, and an appreciation of fine language coupled with wit--Gaiman is your man. Neil Gaiman's writing is the stuff that will stand the test of time. And when you've finished AMERICAN GODS, go read GOOD OMENS!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read God Lovers
Review: Finally finished reading American Gods! I didn't want to put it down once I started reading. I love the theories about Gods ... how they came to exist ... the "humanity" of them ... beauty! I wish there were more books like this. There is a conversation between Odin and Eostre where he is trying to win her to his side and she points out that Easter is still celebrated. Odin asks their waitress what the word Easter means and the waitress replies that she is Pagan and doesn't know anything about that Christian stuff! *pelts waitress with Ostara eggs* "I think it's like Latin or something for 'God has risen', maybe." Odin then asks her who she worships and the woman couldn't name a single goddess ... she says the female principal or some such thing. Mother, that gave me a laugh! "Say 'Nevermore,'" .... There was alot of humor in this book. Not at all expected, considering the serious events, deaths, incarcerations and persecution, but most definitely appreciated. A sub-plot mistery was rather obvious from nearly the start of it, but not in it's entirety. Major plot twist towards the end that seeemed obvious throughout the book, but only once they began to reveal it. Definitely a good read. I'd definitely recommend it ... in fact my husband is reading it right now. I feel a bit bereft now that it's over. If this is a fair representation of his work, I'm going to have to pick up another Gaiman book.
Rating:
Summary: Awe inspiring
Review: Neil Gaiman just keeps getting better. Ironically, we have to look to an Englishman to write the best book on American culture in many years. What I like most about Neil Gaiman is his ability to incorporate fantasy and myth into his novels while retaining a feel that is intimate, and while creating characters that you come to deeply identify with and care for. No matter how far out his novels get, they remain deeply human, and that is an incredibly difficult task for a writer.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting concept
Review: This book was interesting, especially if you are a little familiar with folklore or mythology. The ending left me a little disappointed, but the getting there was great.
Rating: 
Summary: First novel in 4 years I left unfinished
Review: I've read maybe 90-120 novels the past 4 years ranging from classics like Shakespeare's plays and 19th century Russian novels to Tolkien and Stephen King. For some reason American Gods left me with an utterly disgusted feeling after 70 pages. I threw the book in the trash at Seattle airport. Maybe it was a way too realistic description of our time and society.
Rating:
Summary: I'm Usually Able to Summon Enough Suspension of Disbelief...
Review: I was really expecting more out of this book; the incredible premise behind it is probably much too difficult to live up to. Jesus is referenced only once in the entire book...two lines are used to describe him as a 'lucky son of a virgin'. Little details about all the deities takes up most of the space in the book and not enough attention is paid to the 'modern gods'. And why would gods like Odin and the rest even remain at all? The only example of a modern day pagan god that seemed believable in the slightest was that of Eostre, which was humorous in depicting our fascination for mumbojumbo (I wonder if she is in league with Deepak Chopra?). Nope, sorry, I just can't swallow this whole theory of the importance of mythological characters. Greed, technology, media have ALWAYS been important to people. The way many of the mythological gods are treated seems a little too precious as well. There really wasn't much of a reason to care about the protagonist either.
Rating:
Summary: Slow, But Worthwile
Review: This dark story was slow at first for me, but I became more and more engaged as the story progressed. Gaiman does a wonderful job of creating fantastic characters that drive the story along.
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