American Gods (American Gods, #1) in Jakarta's Bookworms

Jan 29, 2012 Uci rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Persembahan Neil Gaiman untuk Amerika, negara besar yang setelah ditinggali cukup lama oleh imigran Inggris ini, terbukti tidak seperti yang terlihat di film-film. Buku tentang perjalanan, perenungan, pencarian, dan seperti biasa, curahan hati serta unek-unek Gaiman tentang dewa, tuhan, alam semesta dan kehidupan :)

Saya menikmati membaca buku tebal ini pelan-pelan, mengikuti perjalanan Shadow melintasi wilayah midwestern Amerika yang 'ajaib'. Menyimak legenda-legenda kuno yang hidup dan berkemba Persembahan Neil Gaiman untuk Amerika, negara besar yang setelah ditinggali cukup lama oleh imigran Inggris ini, terbukti tidak seperti yang terlihat di film-film. Buku tentang perjalanan, perenungan, pencarian, dan seperti biasa, curahan hati serta unek-unek Gaiman tentang dewa, tuhan, alam semesta dan kehidupan :)

Saya menikmati membaca buku tebal ini pelan-pelan, mengikuti perjalanan Shadow melintasi wilayah midwestern Amerika yang 'ajaib'. Menyimak legenda-legenda kuno yang hidup dan berkembang di tanah baru namun tua ini. Bertemu dewa-dewa lama yang hidup nelangsa, dibawa ke Amerika oleh para imigran yang memuja mereka di negeri asal nan jauh: Afrika, India, Irlandia, Islandia; namun lama-lama terlupakan, sampai-sampai ada dewi yang harus melacur agar tetap dipuja orang dan bisa tetap hidup. Juga dewa-dewa baru yang kuat tapi mudah tergantikan, mengikuti perkembangan teknologi yang silih berganti. Kalau dewa lama hidup dari pemujaan dan persembahan darah manusia, dewa baru juga begitu. Ada dewa-dewa mobil di sana: kontingen yang kuat dan berwajah serius, dengan darah di sarung tangan hitam mereka dan gigi krom mereka: penerima korban manusia dalam skala yang belum pernah terdengar sejak zaman Aztec. (hal. 695)

Saya juga menikmati kala Gaiman bermain-main dengan konsep agama dan Tuhan. Bagaimanapun, agama itu dari definisinya adalah metafora: Tuhan adalah impian, harapan, wanita, seorang yang ironis, ayah, kota, rumah dengan banyak kamar, pembuat jam yang meninggalkan kronometernya yang paling berharga di padang pasir, seseorang yang mengasihimu--bahkan mungkin, meskipun semua bukti menunjukkan sebaliknya, makhluk dari kahyangan yang satu-satunya minatnya adalah memastikan bahwa tim sepak bolamu, pasukanmu, bisnismu, atau pernikahanmu langgeng, sukses, dan menang atas segala perlawanan. (hal. 659)

Aku percaya akan adanya tuhan pribadi yang peduli padaku dan mencemaskanku dan mengawasi segalanya yang kulakukan. Aku percaya akan adanya tuhan yang tak acuh yang menggerakkan alam semesta lalu bersenang-senang dengan pacar-pacarnya dan bahkan tidak tahu aku ini hidup.

Dan akhirnya, saya setuju dengan Shadow. Kurasa aku lebih suka jadi manusia daripada dewa. Kami tidak memerlukan orang untuk percaya kepada kami. Kami tetap saja melanjutkan hidup, bagaimanapun caranya. Itulah yang kami lakukan." (hal. 699) ...more

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Dec 01, 2014 mina rated it liked it · review of another edition

A long and tiring read. The last 100 pages is the only part that interests me.
However, I like the surreal feeling of the book.

The rest of this review contains spoiler. You have been warned :)

The basis of this story reminds me of the one in Pratchett's Small Gods. Gods gain their power from the faith of the people who worship them. In this book, the ancient gods as well as the modern gods in America were continuously worrying over their waning power. I particularly feel sorry for the ancient gods A long and tiring read. The last 100 pages is the only part that interests me.
However, I like the surreal feeling of the book.

The rest of this review contains spoiler. You have been warned :)

The basis of this story reminds me of the one in Pratchett's Small Gods. Gods gain their power from the faith of the people who worship them. In this book, the ancient gods as well as the modern gods in America were continuously worrying over their waning power. I particularly feel sorry for the ancient gods. Two gods were so hungry of power they made a plan which involved the (start and the) destruction of Shadow's life and the destruction of all gods in America.

About this Shadow guy, I don't understand why Wednesday actually needed him, why he needed to hide him away under the protection of various ancient gods, and why the modern gods wanted him to come over to their side. Shadow did nothing particularly important during his (let's say, first) life. He was slow in thinking (although he eventually figured everything in the end better than everyone else), he was not very successful as bodyguard (Laura had to come to save him several times), he did not really help recruiting ancient gods to war (other than losing to Czernoborg in checkers). He was just a driver. And this man kept dreaming weird dreams everytime he fell asleep. I would be afraid of sleep if I were him. Maybe it was his fate, he was not really a human, wasn't he?

I also wonder who was this other power who sent for Easter to bring Shadow back from death.

According to this book, does it mean that there are a lot of copies of a particular god everywhere, as long as the people on the land worship and believe in him/her? After all, Shadow met two Odins. And it was also mentioned that the gods travel with the worshippers, across the ocean, across the land. Interesting.

I am not so sure whether I really want to continue to Anansi Boys (Gaiman mentioned that he actually wrote Anansi Boys before the American Gods so it is not a sequel), although some teaser pages at the end of this book made me curious. We'll see. ...more

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Feb 23, 2017 cindy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Don't know how to review this book, except for one word, Superb! Although the main theme was ordinary betrayal and playing one side against the other, but the details, background stories and premises were far much unordinary, or maybe I should said plainly unorthodox.

I recommend to read this book while stay connected to the internet, there are vast amounts of infos, data, myths, legends, geographic locations, etc, that may not be familiar to non-american readers (or anybody), but they are real ...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Indah Threez Lestari rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: indonesian, punya

119 - 2012

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Jan 27, 2010 El bintang rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasi, life, dewa-dewa

Shoot me. What a great tale!
kata-kata yang dipilih Neil refers to many means
shock baca ada ifritnya
hyahaha...selalu mebuat pembaca berpikir terlalu dalam dan tersesat.
berbicara tentang tuhan, keyakinan, prasangka, keberadaan manusia-manusia dan tentu sekali lagi gw percaya bahwa there is something from the writers to share to the world. Even that I'm not sure if i do like it but yea i got it^_^

...more

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Nov 12, 2007 Daniel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Woohoo I finished all the 588 pages of it. First the plot seems to be complicated, sub-plot seems more like a distraction, but it's all make sense in the end.

I just wish My friend lends me this book before Anansi Boys.

...more

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