Concept: A

Plot Execution: B-

Style: C

I'm struggling with transferring my thoughts of this book to actual concepts, so I'm cheating a bit. Basically, I thought American Gods was entertaining, but somewhat disappointing. Gaiman creates an awe-inspiringly creative universe. But I thought that many parts of the novel were very reflective of his comic book background. I'm not trying to bash that form or anything, but sometimes he seemed to rely on some of the frustrating aspects of comic-book storytelling. For instance, the characters often resembled comic book characters. Look, I realize that that isn't very persuasive, but to paraphrase Potter Stewart, I don't know what the definition of a comic book character, but I know one when I see one.

Also, Gaiman isn't an unbelievably talented writer. Of course, neither am I. I don't want to make it sound like I'm being too harsh on the novel, because I did enjoy it more than I didn't. Maybe I'm being unfair in demanding something more than an author provides, but hey, its my review.

Let me try to sum up my scattershot thoughts the best way I can. For me, a great book should in some way, even very slightly, change the way you think about things. I love books that I think about for weeks after I finish. When I talk to someone has read one of these books, it automatically leads to a great conversation. For me, the longer the conversation is, the better the book. I really couldn't imagine any long conversation about American Gods. Maybe, I'm incorrect, but the most damning thing I can say about the novel is I can't really think of what to say about it.