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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Amazing concept, terrible execution. It's almost as if the author forgot that the characters he was writing were even supposed to be gods and just made them all superficial mafia members that were super uninteresting. Shadow was a great protagonist for about 10% of the book until his character became big oaf mafia sidekick #3. Only reason this book gets 2 stars instead of 1 is that the idea of gods who draw power from being worshipped is such a cool idea, but that's also why it's so disappointing that he managed to make it boring.
Niel Gaiman is definitely one of the great fantasy writers! It took awhile to complete because his pace matches Tolkien and Lewis. Shadow was a flat character and I wish he had more interesting layers.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Made me realize just how ill-informed of global mythology I am!!!
Reviewing the 2020 Annotated edition specifically—
I love American Gods, it having been either my first or second Gaiman book (I read it and Anansi Boys at almost the exact same time, and forget which was first). The annotated edition uses the 10th Anniversary text.
The notes are, in some cases, very helpful—they explain who certain obscure gods are, the lore behind references made about gods, and identify changes between the manuscript (first draft), first edition, and tenth anniversary editions of the text. However, there were places I felt the annotations were lacking—like being directed to go to a website with a typed-out URL, rather than summing up the information in the note. Or, perhaps most annoying in the entire book for me, the moment when Klinger, rather than explaining in his annotation what the “Black dogs of the moor” are, recommends that readers consult his annotated edition of Sherlock Holmes for that information.
Still, I love and have always loved the world Gaiman built, and if the notes are perhaps a bit thin on the ground toward the end of the book—well, maybe I could work up some courage and pencil in a few notes for myself on the next read-through. There’s plenty of pages for it.
I love American Gods, it having been either my first or second Gaiman book (I read it and Anansi Boys at almost the exact same time, and forget which was first). The annotated edition uses the 10th Anniversary text.
The notes are, in some cases, very helpful—they explain who certain obscure gods are, the lore behind references made about gods, and identify changes between the manuscript (first draft), first edition, and tenth anniversary editions of the text. However, there were places I felt the annotations were lacking—like being directed to go to a website with a typed-out URL, rather than summing up the information in the note. Or, perhaps most annoying in the entire book for me, the moment when Klinger, rather than explaining in his annotation what the “Black dogs of the moor” are, recommends that readers consult his annotated edition of Sherlock Holmes for that information.
Still, I love and have always loved the world Gaiman built, and if the notes are perhaps a bit thin on the ground toward the end of the book—well, maybe I could work up some courage and pencil in a few notes for myself on the next read-through. There’s plenty of pages for it.
Deep, dark and haunting with a large, really well written cast of characters that suck you in. The fantasy aspect is also everything you'd hope it would be- large and grandiose but still very human. And not without surprises, of course.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
shadow baby get behind me…. GET BEHIND ME
A book unlike any other I've read. Weird and wonderful!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The only thing I took from this was that there was a vagina monster. I did not enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Violence