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beaktastic's review against another edition
5.0
This book is, quite frankly, one of the genuinely best books I have read in a long while. It's been awhile since I read a book that affected me so much and that I loved so thoroughly. And it's a genuinely well-written book. Definately one of my favourite books of all time now and I thoroughly recommend it.
I remember I bought this book the summer I left school, before I went to Uni. I had heard good things about this book and Neil Gaiman, but hadn't read either and so it seemed like a suitable time. I started to read it, but I had barely started before life, as it does, distracted me and I gave it up. Then, a few months ago, I decided it was time to pick it up again. In the interim 4 years, I had only continued to hear good things about it, and I liked taking a physical book with me to read on my breaks at work, instead of taking my kindle. At the same time, the Fantasy Fanatics group on here that I'm a part of selected it as one of their monthly reads. And so I picked it up again. And I'm so glad I did. It took me several months to get through (since I only read it for 20 minutes once or twice a week while I was on my break), but it didn't feel like it was being drawn out and I immediately found myself immersed in this world the Gaiman skillfully painted each time, and I always wished I had more time on my break to read it.
American Gods follows a man called Shadow, a convict in prison, who is released a couple of days early upon the news that his wife Laura has died. And that is only the beginning of Shadows tale, as he finds himself drawn into and immersed into a war between Gods. When people moved to America, they brought their beliefs (and their Gods) with them. But now these Old Gods are starting to fade, as they get forgotten, and they fight each other for remembrance. But there are New Gods too, ones of technology and innovation, who try to destroy the Old Gods and try to make sure they will survive and don't fall as quickly as they rise. Shadow is employed by a man called Wednesday, an Old God, as he tries to rally the others to fight the New. But American Gods is not just a story of Shadow and Wednesday, road-tripping around America and meeting up with all these Gods and trying to win them over. There's also Shadow's dead-wife Laura, who follows him around America, the peaceful-on-the-surface town of Lakeside, who has a dark secret, but it's also about Gods, and how they change and try to adapt and survive in a modern world that is not kind to them.
The main narrative tale of the book, of Shadow and Wednesday and Laura, was gripping in itself, and a good enough reason to read this book. I found myself hooked quite early on, and the story twists and turns in ways I never expected. Sure, some aspects are quite easy to see through (such as Wednesday's true identity, but I doubt Gaiman really intended that to be much of a secret), but some of it took me entirely by surprise.
But there's also so much more to this story than that. It's a story about Gods and beliefs, and what happens to them over time. If Gods were real, how would they adapt to a world that no longer believes in them like we did thousands of years ago? Do they shrink away? Or do they try and hold on to who they are? Do they change? This is driven home by short interludes throughout the book, which whilst they have no immediate bearing on Shadow's story, are still important in setting up the overall world of the book, and examining gods and magic over time, and how they try and adapt and change to the situation.
This is a rich book, full of amazingly well-rounded and life like characters, and masterfully written by Gaiman. It is one that will stick in my head for years to come and that I will think about for a long time. I drank the mead and sunk into the story, and I'm immensely grateful and pleased that I did. An all-time favorite book of mine.
I remember I bought this book the summer I left school, before I went to Uni. I had heard good things about this book and Neil Gaiman, but hadn't read either and so it seemed like a suitable time. I started to read it, but I had barely started before life, as it does, distracted me and I gave it up. Then, a few months ago, I decided it was time to pick it up again. In the interim 4 years, I had only continued to hear good things about it, and I liked taking a physical book with me to read on my breaks at work, instead of taking my kindle. At the same time, the Fantasy Fanatics group on here that I'm a part of selected it as one of their monthly reads. And so I picked it up again. And I'm so glad I did. It took me several months to get through (since I only read it for 20 minutes once or twice a week while I was on my break), but it didn't feel like it was being drawn out and I immediately found myself immersed in this world the Gaiman skillfully painted each time, and I always wished I had more time on my break to read it.
American Gods follows a man called Shadow, a convict in prison, who is released a couple of days early upon the news that his wife Laura has died. And that is only the beginning of Shadows tale, as he finds himself drawn into and immersed into a war between Gods. When people moved to America, they brought their beliefs (and their Gods) with them. But now these Old Gods are starting to fade, as they get forgotten, and they fight each other for remembrance. But there are New Gods too, ones of technology and innovation, who try to destroy the Old Gods and try to make sure they will survive and don't fall as quickly as they rise. Shadow is employed by a man called Wednesday, an Old God, as he tries to rally the others to fight the New. But American Gods is not just a story of Shadow and Wednesday, road-tripping around America and meeting up with all these Gods and trying to win them over. There's also Shadow's dead-wife Laura, who follows him around America, the peaceful-on-the-surface town of Lakeside, who has a dark secret, but it's also about Gods, and how they change and try to adapt and survive in a modern world that is not kind to them.
The main narrative tale of the book, of Shadow and Wednesday and Laura, was gripping in itself, and a good enough reason to read this book. I found myself hooked quite early on, and the story twists and turns in ways I never expected. Sure, some aspects are quite easy to see through (such as Wednesday's true identity, but I doubt Gaiman really intended that to be much of a secret), but some of it took me entirely by surprise.
But there's also so much more to this story than that. It's a story about Gods and beliefs, and what happens to them over time. If Gods were real, how would they adapt to a world that no longer believes in them like we did thousands of years ago? Do they shrink away? Or do they try and hold on to who they are? Do they change? This is driven home by short interludes throughout the book, which whilst they have no immediate bearing on Shadow's story, are still important in setting up the overall world of the book, and examining gods and magic over time, and how they try and adapt and change to the situation.
This is a rich book, full of amazingly well-rounded and life like characters, and masterfully written by Gaiman. It is one that will stick in my head for years to come and that I will think about for a long time. I drank the mead and sunk into the story, and I'm immensely grateful and pleased that I did. An all-time favorite book of mine.
thatclose28's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
seagul's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 out of 5 but that's not allowed. Neil Gaiman's writing draws you into a fantastical and yet real world about the Gods of America with commentary that still resonates with the America of today, and maybe of Tomorrow as well. Excellent book that I would recommend for an insightful look into the soul of America.
alicesp's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kiko174's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tloughlin91's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
1221cass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0