American Gods
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How long does it take to get into this book?
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Jul 12, 2013 07:25PM
I loved the book, but the pace is pretty glacial throughout as I recall. I hate to discourage someone from reading a book that I enjoyed, but I'm not sure it's going to get much better for you if you're not already into it. I read it a few years ago though, so maybe I'm wrong about whether it picks up after a bit.
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It takes a while to get into the novel, but I don't remember it taking that long. It just might not be a good fit for you. It isn't my type of book, but I read it for a book club and ended up really liking it.
It was slow going for me as well, but I'm glad I persisted. Gaiman is becoming one of my favorite authors.
I love Gaiman and this is my favorite book of his. I was actually hooked from the very beginning.
ST wrote: "I'm going to keep reading, I really want to like Gaiman books so hopefully I just need some more time."I started with some of his short stories.
The action is slow, building up to something. The joy is in the little stories Shadow has as he moves around with Wednesday - little scenes that don't seem to mean something, but they do. If you aren't enjoying those little scenes, I don't know that you will make it through the book to know what it all leads up to. If you are, have faith and keep reading.
:: This was the first Gaiman book that i read, and i had the same feeling 1/3rd of the way in. It was quite slow in the beginning and you cannot really be sure of what Shadow is up to. But persevere and the second half of the book is quite amazing. However, i do have to say that the sequel - Anansi Boys - was a lot more fun to read.
This is the first Gaiman book I've read; I just finished it last week. I thought it was a little slow starting, but everything comes together nicely. I was hooked early on just because I liked the idea of bygone gods living among us.
I recommend sticking with it, you may be surprised. Also, it's going to be an HBO series later this year.
Neverwhere is pretty good. I would also recommend checking out the recent BBC radio play.
ST wrote: "I'm going to keep through it. Is this a common thing with Gaiman to slowly lead up to something big? I couldn't decide if I wanted to read Neverwhere or this but I chose American Gods. How are th..."Neverwhere was the first of Gaiman's books I've read, and American Gods the second.
I thought Neverwhere was faster paced and more interesting, although I did finally really like AG. I loved Neverwhere!
If you're not into it after 100 pages, this is probably not your cup of tea.
It does come together. Although I agree it does take a while to get there. I read Neverwhere second and thought it was better paced. I also loved its characters.
Gaiman has a strange, almost surreal sense of style, plot and character. He is unique. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure I like it. However, I am sure that I like that his work is different. I haven't quite been able to lock down how it's different, but his voice is like some sort of funhouse mirror view of literature that is not unlike his stories: accurate but warped.It might take more than one book to "get into" his work. I'm sure some folks have a "love at first sight" reaction to him, but I'm finding it more like a distraction turning into curiosity and developing into fascination. I don't think I'll ever quite get a handle on his prose, but that's probably a good thing. If I figure out exactly what it is that he's doing, his work might lose it's appeal.
So, if you have the time and the inclination, give it a chance. In the long run, I think it's worth it.
"American Gods" is a somewhat tough book to be initiated to Gaiman. It is a bit deeper and darker than his earlier works. A good start for Gaiman would be "Stardust" or "Neverwhere" and his short stories. I would even suggest his "Sandman" series of comics.
it was my first gaiman book and i havent went back since.. the book had a lot of good idea's but i really didnt enjoy it. I might try Neverwhere at some point in the future.
This was my first Neil gaiman novel and I must admit I was gripped from the start. This marked the beginning of my Neil gaiman love affair.
I was a little confused at the beginning of American Gods and it took me awhile to sort things out. But it is good, bits and pieces keep recurring to me at random times - I guess depending on what goes on around me. I've also read and listened to, Neverwhere (my son gave me the audio) and really like it. Also the Graveyard book is really, really good.
Started reading Gaiman because of the book he wrote with Terry Pratchett.
Absolutely love Gaiman. I first read Neverwhere which completely astounded me with its imaginative range. Next was The Graveyard Book . I found the very concept fascinating. I was immediately hooked by American Gods . Once again, the very thought of gods from different countries, ages, belief systems coming together was very interesting. I also enjoyed Gaiman's Coraline....childhood fears find a voice. Have become a fan.
Depends on how you read it. Gaiman leaves hints, constantly and everywhere. In case of American Gods they are mostly mythology-related (a large man in a _pale_ suit with a glass eye). So if you treat his books like a trivia game of sorts, then you need about 15 seconds to "get into it". Um, now that I think of it, I am not really sure how can you read Gaiman's stuff in any other way... :)
Dmitry wrote: "Um, now that I think of it, I am not really sure how can you read Gaiman's stuff in any other way... :)"I think you're on to something there.
He does do an awful lot of referential work, which makes it layered quite deeply. I think some folks really just read the first layer, and that's fine, but it would make Gaiman's work somewhat slow and awkward. If you are looking at layers below/behind that surface layer you see an awful lot more action and complexity.
This was the first book that I read by Gaiman. I bought it for my Kindle app, so I don't know exactly what page I was on... but about 3 minutes after I started reading, I was already hooked! I thought it was one of the best books I've ever read. Lol. I have since been devouring every Gaiman book I can get my hands on!
It is a great book however the pacing is kind of glacial so it might take a while for you to get into it. However its well worth the effort.
Great book! Recommended
As I remember, the book's action is pretty slow for the first few chapters, but it will pick up eventually, and I really recommend sticking with it!
I don't think I ever got into it - there are some good bits but I largely agreed that it dragged. I'm planning to read Gaiman's other books at some point, which hopefully will be more enjoyable!
There is a novella based around Shadow in Neil Gaiman's short story collection Fragile Things: short fictions and wonders for those that liked it. I really enjoyed Anansi Boys which I don't think anyone on this thread has mentioned (apologies if someone did and I missed it), it also centres around gods (old African type gods mostly) but has a faster paced plot than American Gods. I think the main character in Anansi Boys, Fat Charlie, is more initially likeable than Shadow, and the tone is lighter than American Gods.
I normally do not like this type of book, preferring my characters in fantasy to be stock, and pretty much high fantasy (no character development for me!) ... HOWEVER... I really liked this book, it was first of all, well written, and secondly, the characters made sense. It was different, which I find I enjoy.
All Hail Neil Gaiman!!
I finished it 3 years ago and I'm still waiting for it to have an effect. Sorry to be so facetious, but for me it just wasn't a book that lived up to its hype.
I'm a big Gaiman fan but did not like this book at all. The only scene I really loved was in "The House on the Rock" and that only because I had been there and could see it in my minds eye.As others have said, Anansi Boys, Neverwhere or Sandman are so much better.
This one was slow but it's sequel The Anansi Boys was brilliant. Great to read, l read it in a couple of days were as it took me a couple of weeks to get through American Gods.
It's slow starting book, bot be sure. But it needs to be slow to set up the relationships between Shadow and the old gods. We have to see life from Shadow's point of view so we can relate to him. Once he and Wednesday get on the road the story finally picks up. It doesn't have the pace of Neverwhere or Anansi Boys because those are different kinds of books. The first is a heroic adventure based on a TV series and the second is, at its core, a comedy. American Gods is an epic story and epic stories generally start out slowly, drawing the reader in to the world.
This is not an action book. It's for readers to contemplate. A slow trip through the countryside rather than an F-1 race around the track. You're supposed to reflect on the passing landscape and how it is changing. Gaiman's work is truly poignant in a time of religious division and abandonment in America.
ST wrote: "I finally finished the book! The ending was better but I think it was a bit too slow paced for my liking. I will still check out Gaiman's other books though."This one is the most difficult and complex. The other books move more swiftly. My favorites are Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neverwhere, and The Graveyard Book.
I found it slow going. The end did improve though. I preferred Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere to this.
Kenneth wrote: "This is not an action book. It's for readers to contemplate. A slow trip through the countryside rather than an F-1 race around the track. You're supposed to reflect on the passing landscape and ho..."hasnt there pretty much always been religious division?
Of course. However the distinction is subtle. America was not and to some extent still is not a homogenous culture with internal strata. It is an amalgamation of disparate cultures trying to reconcile their place within the whole. As such, the role of these religious icons is distinctly different in the context of America compared with other locales. Thus Gaiman's story could not be set in other than there.
Kenneth wrote: "Of course. However the distinction is subtle. America was not and to some extent still is not a homogenous culture with internal strata. It is an amalgamation of disparate cultures trying to reconc..."There's plenty of this shit in Europe, even glasgow where i stay is a whole mixture of cultures trying to exert their influence and has been since day 1. First between Protestants and Catholics (which still rumbles violently along today) and now along with many other cultures.
I loved this book, as well as Anansi Boys, which takes place in the same "universe".I had a friend who read and didn't like it, but after a discussion, he didn't get any of the mythological references, none of them.
Gaiman is a storyteller, the campfire, ancient variety. His short story collections are hands down my favorite reads of his... granted I've been a fan since his Sandman comics. All in all, he's just got a very old style to telling you a story.
Ah it's definitely a myth book. The more you know the more interesting it is.
I've enjoyed lots of Gaiman's other stuff but he didn't nail this one. Great idea, weak execution. Promised a lot, delivered little.
I actually listened to this as an Audible selection, and with a cast of readers, rather than one actor doing different voices. Hearing it like that really played up the idea of myth and folklore as an oral tradition that plays throughout the work.
Oh that sounds enticing Elizabeth!
I really never got into it. I thought the concept was interesting, but did not care much how it was developed.
Elizabeth wrote: "I actually listened to this as an Audible selection, and with a cast of readers, rather than one actor doing different voices. Hearing it like that really played up the idea of myth and folklore as..."The full-cast reading is amazing. The voices bring so much more depth to the characters and their motivations. The George Guidell read is also good, but the full-cast version feels like the way it should have been done all along.
I liked 'American Gods' a lot, but I'm coming round to the opinion that 'Anansi Boys' is even better.
I agree with that, it took me about a week to finish American Gods, which is slow for me. Anansi boys was the better book I thought, it only took me a couple of days to read it. It was fun as well. But I'm still glad I read American Gods first.
Son, I done tole you...SIX! Six, for the last and final time, six!
One chapter. The opening blew me away and the rest of the book was an amazing journey. A masterpiece of imagination.
ST wrote: "I'm about 130 or so pages in and I am not yet gripped by this novel. Just wondering if it is just slow to develop and keeps getting better or am I just not enjoying it? (hopefully it's not the lat..."It's funny; I love Neil Gaiman, but I'm not sure why. I often find the novels a bit meh, and yet I always await them so eagerly when I hear they are coming out. I think there is a certainly element of warmth to his writing that attracts people, and then you discover that he is a really cool human being, and you keep reading. If AG hasn't worked for you, do yourself a favour and read the Sandman graphic novels; you will discover why his readership is so loyal, which you won't understand if you just read the novels. From there, you might find yourself drawn into his work and understanding his pacing a bit better. On the other hand, maybe not. Either way, you will have read the best of his work and one of the coolest things ever written by man, and that's not such loss.
It took me a while to get into the story as well, but the short stories in between is the real joy that kept me going, I loved AG!
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