American Gods (American Gods, #1) in The Sword and Laser

Aug 10, 2017 Shaunesay rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is the first Gaiman that I have read myself versus listened to. I was finally motivated to read it with the show coming out. It was a struggle for me. It was slow. But I liked the concept, new and old gods gearing up for a war with an ordinary man (as far as he knows) caught up in it. I liked the characterization of the old gods, Vikings, Egyptians, etc. and the new gods like Tech Boy and Media, Shadow himself, poor guy, who seems like just a nice, caring guy constantly bemused by what's ha ...more

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Aug 14, 2013 Patrick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction

My first introduction to Neil Gaiman was a good friend in college shoving a copy of The Sandman into my hands and imploring me to read it. I did, and I've never forgotten it--even if the memories are a bit hazy. Outside of hearing Gaiman's name or seeing his delightful commencement speech, I had never read anything else by him. With The Ocean at the End of the Lane coming out, I decided to read what many seem to acknowledge as Gaiman's classic work: American Gods.

American Gods is the story of Sh My first introduction to Neil Gaiman was a good friend in college shoving a copy of The Sandman into my hands and imploring me to read it. I did, and I've never forgotten it--even if the memories are a bit hazy. Outside of hearing Gaiman's name or seeing his delightful commencement speech, I had never read anything else by him. With The Ocean at the End of the Lane coming out, I decided to read what many seem to acknowledge as Gaiman's classic work: American Gods.

American Gods is the story of Shadow, a man who at the beginning of the novel is just being released from prison, serving time for robbery. He's anxious to return home and to his wife. He learns just before his release, his wife was killed in a car accident. As Shadow returns for the funeral, he meets a man named Wednesday, who hires Shadow. And the story unfolds from there, with Shadow driving Wednesday around, keeping a low profile, and so on. Wednesday is, of course, the Norse god Odin (whom the English Wednesday is named after). And, well, Wednesday is a god, though not in the conventional sense, which I won't explain, for the novel does give some suggestions as to what a "god" is, but--and I think wisely so--Gaiman leaves a bit obscure. The gods of the novel are part of the landscape and don't need much explanation. And many gods and goddesses appear, including the new gods of entertainment and other new fangled things. The conflict between the new and the old, the remembered and the forgotten, the found and the lost is a major theme of the novel, which Gaiman explores with a light hand, saving it from being both silly and didactic.

Gaiman is a quite a story-teller, and the novel is very well-written, with engaging characters. Shadow and Wednesday are masterfully crafted (as is another character that I won't mention to spoil a mild plot point). Other characters are quickly captured in a few lines and pop distinctively. This novel knows how to build a world and how to use that as backdrop. I recall from an interview with the director of L.A. Confidential, Curtis Hanson, who said that he asked the set designers, costume designers, and so on to spend an extraordinary amount of effort to capture every detail of 1950s Los Angeles--and that he would film it as if it didn't matter.

I will admit I found the ending a bit of a let down. Not that it wasn't good, but the build up to it seemed to promise much more, which left me dissatisfied. Perhaps this was intentional on Gaiman's part, though I'm not sure I would find that any more satisfying. Nonetheless, this is a novel well worth one's time ...more

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Feb 06, 2013 Zen rated it liked it

Shelves: scifi-fantasy, the-thriller

I read this book with my heart in my throat half the time... even though there was no reason for it (except some sort of lingering creepiness that wouldn't go away) ...more

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May 17, 2012 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: urban-fantasy

This book was pretty weird but also really cool and chilling and fun. I really liked it, even though it took me forever to get through it. The idea of what a god is was really interesting and cool, and I loved thinking about Gods in that way. I also really enjoyed the twists at the end. Usually I want to feel a strong connection with the main character, but I felt Shadow was really just a shadow of a character until ~80% of the way through the book, and strangely that suited me just fine. I like ...more

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