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amyingomar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bittersweet_symphony's review against another edition
4.0
Gaiman is doing his damnedest to keep mythology alive, to show why genuine mythic symbols and characters matter so much, even in the 21st century. We need new gods, new myths, to understand the difficulties of living in our present age. He uses a road-tripping tale, and a tapestry of colorful and oftentimes crass gods, from all over the world, to celebrate the lives of the many immigrants who created America, hinting at how the gods and fables they brought with them shepherded them through life in a new world.
One of his greatest insights from American Gods, which is included as an appendix scene in this volume and not the original text, serves as a call toward mythology, away from the dogma and division of orthodox religion: "Have you thought about what it means to be a god?...It means you give up your mortal existence to become a meme: something that lives forever in people's minds, like the tune of a nursery rhyme. It means that everyone gets to re-create you in their own minds. You barely have your own identity anymore. Instead, you're a thousand aspects of what people need you to be. And everyone wants something different from you. Nothing is fixed, nothing is stable."
As an Englishman, Gaiman, a contemporary master of mythology, portrays a gritty, earthy, dreamy, but grounded version of America, where the old gods have become shadows of their former selves, having lost much of their power as their former acolytes have forgotten them or almost completely rejected any real belief in them, denying the gods of their strength and missing out on the opportunity that comes from a life guided by mythological beings and forces. It's a thriller where the old gods have all but completely lost ground to the new gods of technology, tv, and consumerism. This leads to a war to end all wars among the gods. Shadow, our protagonist, plays a key part in the story, but refreshingly is not cast as a sort of "chosen one" come to save the world.
We are nothing without our gods and legends, Odin, Anansi, Horus, Buffalo Man, and even Jesus. In a world that becomes increasingly unmoored from religion, secularizing, Gaiman's tale shows us why we should not completely forget our mythological foundations, that we need them to carry us through the next century of challenges--global climate change, artificial intelligence, evolving gender norms and family structures, shifting moralities, globalization, and the loss of personal and cultural identities.
We stand on the shoulders and skeletons of many generations of gods: "it goes without saying that all of the people, living, dead, and otherwise, in this story are fictional or used in a fictional way context. Only the gods are real."
One of his greatest insights from American Gods, which is included as an appendix scene in this volume and not the original text, serves as a call toward mythology, away from the dogma and division of orthodox religion: "Have you thought about what it means to be a god?...It means you give up your mortal existence to become a meme: something that lives forever in people's minds, like the tune of a nursery rhyme. It means that everyone gets to re-create you in their own minds. You barely have your own identity anymore. Instead, you're a thousand aspects of what people need you to be. And everyone wants something different from you. Nothing is fixed, nothing is stable."
As an Englishman, Gaiman, a contemporary master of mythology, portrays a gritty, earthy, dreamy, but grounded version of America, where the old gods have become shadows of their former selves, having lost much of their power as their former acolytes have forgotten them or almost completely rejected any real belief in them, denying the gods of their strength and missing out on the opportunity that comes from a life guided by mythological beings and forces. It's a thriller where the old gods have all but completely lost ground to the new gods of technology, tv, and consumerism. This leads to a war to end all wars among the gods. Shadow, our protagonist, plays a key part in the story, but refreshingly is not cast as a sort of "chosen one" come to save the world.
We are nothing without our gods and legends, Odin, Anansi, Horus, Buffalo Man, and even Jesus. In a world that becomes increasingly unmoored from religion, secularizing, Gaiman's tale shows us why we should not completely forget our mythological foundations, that we need them to carry us through the next century of challenges--global climate change, artificial intelligence, evolving gender norms and family structures, shifting moralities, globalization, and the loss of personal and cultural identities.
We stand on the shoulders and skeletons of many generations of gods: "it goes without saying that all of the people, living, dead, and otherwise, in this story are fictional or used in a fictional way context. Only the gods are real."
cerizeseries's review against another edition
4.0
I did not see that coming. <--- That is my review.
GUYS. I finished it. My creys. After eight months.
GUYS. I finished it. My creys. After eight months.
slawler's review against another edition
4.0
I love Gaiman, but this one took me a long time to get into. I'd try again and see how the second read goes. Loved the premise and some of the characters.
zachnachazel's review against another edition
2.0
This just wasn't my genre of fiction. As a non-fiction reader it takes a lot to get me engaged. Unfortunately, the story, and the writing just didn't do it for me.
sabrinajamess's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5
I love the way he writes
I love the world he created and how strange and surreal everything felt
I am inspired to road trip through middle America now
Shadow is not very interesting, but the story around him is what is actually important
I love the way he writes
I love the world he created and how strange and surreal everything felt
I am inspired to road trip through middle America now
Shadow is not very interesting, but the story around him is what is actually important
peyton_honeck's review against another edition
3.0
The writing was good and I liked the concept of the story. But it just didn’t grab me. I liked it enough to finish, but was ultimately a bit disappointed.
mollyhodg's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
It took me a while to get into this, but the strong character development really gripped me. I found Shadow to be very interesting and especially enjoyed all of the time spent in Lakeside and the general road trip vibes. Hated the way women were written about, very boobily.
crystalsparkles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0