false 4407 39 After three years in prison, Shadow has done his time. But as the days, then the hours, then the hours, then the seconds until his release tick away, he can feel a storm building. Two days before he gets out, his wife Laura dies in a mysterious car crash, in apparently adulterous circumstances. Dazed, Shadow travels home, only to encounter the bizarre Mr. Wednesday claiming to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America. Together they embark on a very strange journey across the States, along the way solving the murders which have occurred every winter in one small American town. But they are being pursued by someone with whom Shadow must make his peace... Disturbing, gripping and profoundly strange, Neil Gaiman's epic new novel sees him on the road to finding the soul of America. 1970226 book 2001 American Gods total:26694|5:10308|4:9782|3:4861|2:1331|1:412| 26694 108325 35490 2854 2 55 false false Fri Nov 30 21:05:33 -0800 2007 Fri Nov 30 23:56:29 -0800 2007
In fact, I had three big problems with this book. (I'm vague at times to avoid spoilers.)

First, his characters are s...more...]]> 5 19 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 02 18:34:54 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 23 00:06:46 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 14 false false Thu Feb 21 00:11:54 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 16 03:58:26 -0700 2009
This was on my to read list and given I’ve never heard of the guy before it must have been recommended to me by someone. No idea who, though. It is a little surprising that when I looked no one I knew had reviewed this book. What had inspired m...more...]]> 5 19 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Sun Jun 08 21:00:55 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 28 10:02:28 -0700 2008 3
Much like any Neil Gaiman sto...more...]]> 4 8 false false Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Jun 24 07:20:25 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 19 08:20:34 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 9 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Jun 05 06:17:01 -0700 2007 Mon Jan 21 13:11:41 -0800 2008
I'll start with the idea: I will not claim that the ultimate idea behind this book is particularly ...more...]]> 5 8 false false Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Wed Aug 29 08:04:44 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 29 08:19:20 -0700 2007 this book is one of the most creative descriptions of my own understanding of theology. gods do not exist on some eternal plane, but they rise and fall with the cultures and peoples who support and worship them. these gods hav...more...]]> 3 8 false false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Jun 29 14:29:20 -0700 2007 Fri Jun 29 14:29:39 -0700 2007 Neil Gaiman's voice as expression in the delectable Anansi Boys and other treats (MirrorMask and select episodes from The Absolute Sandman), I thought I'd give American Gods another shot. Years ago, after it had first been released, I purchased it on the strength of r...more...]]> 1 7 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 01 06:42:30 -0700 2008 Sat Nov 22 05:54:34 -0800 2008
Well, I've read Gaiman now.

H...more...]]> 3 6 false false Thu Apr 24 11:35:02 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 15 11:11:42 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 23 22:20:05 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2001 Mon Dec 29 09:53:49 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 29 10:02:10 -0800 2008 American Gods is so different, and rambling, that I think it takes a couple of readings to take it all in. Play spot-the-god, enjoy the interludes, be happy to have grown up in Lakeside, CA and not the Lakeside in this book (shudder).
A good story about this one: I pre-ordered it and had it ma...more...]]> 4 2 false false Thu Feb 05 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Oct 02 23:10:14 -0700 2008 Thu Feb 05 00:35:36 -0800 2009 Good Omens, which he co-authored with Terry Pratchett-- and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Both books took well-known themes and twisted them into something new and unique, and I really enjoy that. I will definitely be reading more of Gaiman's work.
...more...]]> 4 2 false false Mon Jul 14 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 08 17:06:37 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 14 23:10:19 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 2 false false Fri Mar 14 17:27:51 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 19 18:07:04 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 5 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Jan 18 14:18:42 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 18 14:22:04 -0800 2008
American Gods, the fourth novel by Neil Gaiman is an unholy mess. (I’m writing as a fan.) Yet it’s also an intriguing, engrossing read.

The premise goes something like this: Shadow, an unlucky ex-con, gets out of prison and is almost imme...more...]]> 4 2 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 28 15:12:54 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 28 17:59:30 -0700 2007 Anansi Boys first as it sort of hits my embarrassment squick and I was forced to abandon/skim the book. As a result, the American Gods universe didn't hold my interest as it should. It didn't help that the back flap had c...more...]]> 3 2 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue May 29 13:12:22 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 19 12:55:43 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sat Nov 07 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun May 31 21:26:23 -0700 2009 Sat Nov 07 17:54:50 -0800 2009 American Gods. I tried a few years ago and I just couldn't get into it. This time I got into the rhythm of the novel and couldn't put it down. It is a fascinating tale about old gods, new gods, and a man named Shadow who fits into the picture in a way he can not...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Dec 24 17:08:58 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 24 17:21:06 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 3 false false Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Fri Dec 28 06:07:49 -0800 2007 Fri Dec 28 06:10:17 -0800 2007 more...]]>