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American Gods Neil Gaiman Books

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American Gods Neil Gaiman Books

In a previous review I said that Neil Gaiman's writing style reminded me a lot of Douglas Adams and now I wonder if I was more correct than I originally thought. American Gods is a story about the Gods and mythical characters of various pantheons and folklores living in America, mere shadows of their former selves. Taking on the roll of semi leader is Odin himself who now eeks out a living as a con artist. `In Life, the Universe and Everything' Douglas Adams had Arthur Dent meet the actual Norse god Thor at a party and in one of his final books, `The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul' Adams explored the idea of Norse gods living in Britain in a greatly weakened state. Odin, in particular, had descended into a condition where he lived only for the luxury of a nice hospital bed and an attending nurse. So is it just a coincidence that Douglas Adams and Neil Gaiman wrote about nearly the exact same topic? There is also a tie-in with Gaiman's later book, The Anansi Boys, as Anansi the Spider is featured in this book as an aging black man with yellow gloves and wonderful stories. Regardless of whether this is an homage to Adams or merely some cosmic coincidence this is an absolutely fantastic book. You could also argue that American Gods is a continuation of the theme established in the 1984 film The Neverending Story where the power and ultimately existence of fantasy creatures are dependent on peoples beliefs or lack thereof.

Between Douglas Adams and Neil Gaiman, Adams had a much keener wit but Gaiman is a better storyteller, in fact he is one of the best storytellers I have ever read. Gaiman's first novel, Stardust, was a good but flawed effort but the other two I've read including American Gods' have been spectacular. Gaiman is one of those writers who makes it look effortless with a light breezy style. He manages to bring the reader into his world which is always just slightly askew from our own.

My biggest and perhaps only issue with the book is that it reads like the directors cut of a film with all the deleted scenes left in. At just shy of 600 pages I would say that trimming the book down to a leaner 400 or so pages would have tightened up the story significantly. There are even a few side stories completely separate from the main one that, although well written, could be jettisoned with no loss to main plot. If you just can't get enough of Gaiman's writing you may want every sentence retained but personally I found these occasional diversions unnecessary and even the main plot felt like it could have used some tightening. Still, I never found it ponderous despite its length.

I read this entire book during a two week trip to Asia saving at least a quarter of the book for the flight home and it definitely made the journey easier. This one is a page turner and I was more than pleased with the ending. From my experience endings are the hardest thing for a writer to pull off and after nearly 600 pages Gaiman had damn well better deliver. Although I'm giving Gaiman top marks its unlikely I will read it through a second time. It has neither the brevity of a Douglas Adams book or the grandeur of a series like Lord of the Rings but with some serious trimming might make an excellent film.


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American Gods Neil Gaiman Books Reviews

As the title of this review clearly states, I saw the TV series before I read this book, in fact I did not know this book existed and I was quite certain that it would not be a book I would enjoy reading, after all, the series revealed all the secrets.
Well I was wrong this book is full of highways and byways, I touched in the series treatment and in fact has more depth than those eight epidodes could ever dream of and although it never got to the end of the book, in fact it did not even make it to the House on the Rock, the series was an excellent way for me to pick up something that I should have read years ago.
The characters all fully drawn, the plot is well paced and the author is true to his premise throughout, which for me anyhow make this a five star book. When archetypes are needed they are used and used with a deliciously ironic effect. This is the sort of book I could put down and come back to, until of course I received the final chapters. Although the ending is foreshadowed more than once, and I will not spoil any else's enjoyment of this book by pointing it out, I was caught up in the narrative that I could not suspend my disbelief for long enough to puzzle it out. Although I look forward to another season of American Gods, knowing what I know now, will certainly allow me to cast a more critical eye on the transformation of this delightful adventure to the small screen, and I expect great things from the screen writers as they weave the rest of this tale into their streaming video offering.
Dear, dear how I've loved this book. After a long hiatus from reading novels, I picked this one up on the basis of others' reviews. It was everything that I could have asked for in a fantasy novel a diverse set of compelling characters, a sense of mystery and doom, emotional connection, a sense of history intertwining with the present. Clearly a modern classic and, though it is set in America, a work that plays with the idea of interweaving history, fantasy, and action in a way that is reminiscent of the the classics of the fantasy genre. A beautiful book and a world and vision that I hope Gaiman continues to explore for years to come.
This is the 10th anniversary edition that I'm reviewing, which means that there should be 10 years worth of reviews already, and anyone who is a Neil Gaiman fan will have already read it.

That said, here goes it an old idea that you've seen before in a couple of Star Trek episodes and who knows elsewhere the Greek gods or some other gods (in this case, pretty much all gods, in any pantheon that ever existed) are (or were) real! They derive their power from being worshiped, and only die if they are forgotten.

The twist believers bring their gods with them when they emigrate. We have old world gods in the new world. New gods don't get along with the old ones, and a conflict ensues.

We follow one individual, Shadow, who isn't himself a god, but who might be employed by one, on journeys to various odd locations in the U.S. which are focal points of power. Not knowing much lore, he nevertheless has to do his best to fulfill his employer's missions, feeling his way through potential dangers and political intrigue.
In a previous review I said that Neil Gaiman's writing style reminded me a lot of Douglas Adams and now I wonder if I was more correct than I originally thought. American Gods is a story about the Gods and mythical characters of various pantheons and folklores living in America, mere shadows of their former selves. Taking on the roll of semi leader is Odin himself who now eeks out a living as a con artist. `In Life, the Universe and Everything' Douglas Adams had Arthur Dent meet the actual Norse god Thor at a party and in one of his final books, `The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul' Adams explored the idea of Norse gods living in Britain in a greatly weakened state. Odin, in particular, had descended into a condition where he lived only for the luxury of a nice hospital bed and an attending nurse. So is it just a coincidence that Douglas Adams and Neil Gaiman wrote about nearly the exact same topic? There is also a tie-in with Gaiman's later book, The Anansi Boys, as Anansi the Spider is featured in this book as an aging black man with yellow gloves and wonderful stories. Regardless of whether this is an homage to Adams or merely some cosmic coincidence this is an absolutely fantastic book. You could also argue that American Gods is a continuation of the theme established in the 1984 film The Neverending Story where the power and ultimately existence of fantasy creatures are dependent on peoples beliefs or lack thereof.

Between Douglas Adams and Neil Gaiman, Adams had a much keener wit but Gaiman is a better storyteller, in fact he is one of the best storytellers I have ever read. Gaiman's first novel, Stardust, was a good but flawed effort but the other two I've read including American Gods' have been spectacular. Gaiman is one of those writers who makes it look effortless with a light breezy style. He manages to bring the reader into his world which is always just slightly askew from our own.

My biggest and perhaps only issue with the book is that it reads like the directors cut of a film with all the deleted scenes left in. At just shy of 600 pages I would say that trimming the book down to a leaner 400 or so pages would have tightened up the story significantly. There are even a few side stories completely separate from the main one that, although well written, could be jettisoned with no loss to main plot. If you just can't get enough of Gaiman's writing you may want every sentence retained but personally I found these occasional diversions unnecessary and even the main plot felt like it could have used some tightening. Still, I never found it ponderous despite its length.

I read this entire book during a two week trip to Asia saving at least a quarter of the book for the flight home and it definitely made the journey easier. This one is a page turner and I was more than pleased with the ending. From my experience endings are the hardest thing for a writer to pull off and after nearly 600 pages Gaiman had damn well better deliver. Although I'm giving Gaiman top marks its unlikely I will read it through a second time. It has neither the brevity of a Douglas Adams book or the grandeur of a series like Lord of the Rings but with some serious trimming might make an excellent film.