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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Segunda lectura, en este caso en audiolibro de lujo: está a medio camino entre audiolibro clásico y adaptación dramática porque tiene un reparto variado y generoso, aunque no está actuado ni recortado ni nada. Con la barbaridad de relleno que tiene este libro, se agradece que me lo hayan leído, la verdad: así lo he podido colar en ratos tontos, desplazamientos, gimnasio…
Del libro no voy a decir nada que no se haya dicho ya en todos estos años. Es una obra monumental, pero a cuya historia básica le sobra mucho metraje que está ahí como ambientación, para hablar de culturas en las diversas olas migratorias a los EE.UU. Curiosamente, nos quedamos más con las motivaciones del resto de personajes que las del protagonista, que parece ir dando tumbos por la vida, algo muy lógico por otra parte si pensamos en el infinito tablero de juego con que los dioses juegan con nosotros.
Tengo curiosidad por ver en cuántas temporadas piensan adaptarlo a serie y hasta qué punto quitan paja… o no.
Del libro no voy a decir nada que no se haya dicho ya en todos estos años. Es una obra monumental, pero a cuya historia básica le sobra mucho metraje que está ahí como ambientación, para hablar de culturas en las diversas olas migratorias a los EE.UU. Curiosamente, nos quedamos más con las motivaciones del resto de personajes que las del protagonista, que parece ir dando tumbos por la vida, algo muy lógico por otra parte si pensamos en el infinito tablero de juego con que los dioses juegan con nosotros.
Tengo curiosidad por ver en cuántas temporadas piensan adaptarlo a serie y hasta qué punto quitan paja… o no.
The checkers episode in this novel reminded me of a junior high school class trip from Hammond, Indiana to the Armour & Company meatpacking facility in Chicago in the 1950's (prior to their closing in 1959). (Although my mother had wrung the neck of some of our chickens for dinner when we lived in Coffeyville, Kansas - I am definitely a city child and prefer being insulated from farm life!) If I had known of Jainism (and their belief that animals and plants, as well as human beings, contain living souls.such that each of these souls is considered of equal value and should be treated with respect and compassion) I would have been a devotee following our outing as I refused to eat meat for several weeks!
Since being from Coffeyville, I have a familiarity with neighboring Cherryvale, Kansas but was unaware of Louise Brooks (or Vivian Vance) for that matter.
I am confident that few think of Old World gods when we work with our weekly calendar and view our schedule for such as Hump Day (Wednesday) to realize our regard for any of them, but this novel calls our ignorance to account. (p.s. In my opinion, many of those Old World gods would be considered today more like our sport mascots!)
I have read several novels about the Golem and Jinn but I was unaware of the Ifrit who was imaginatively depicted as a cab driver!
I found http://frowl.org/gods/index.html very informative about much of the material and geography (as I have familiarity with many of the locations mentioned and bitter regard for winter experiences as a school child in the Calumet Region of Northern Indiana)!
Since being from Coffeyville, I have a familiarity with neighboring Cherryvale, Kansas but was unaware of Louise Brooks (or Vivian Vance) for that matter.
I am confident that few think of Old World gods when we work with our weekly calendar and view our schedule for such as Hump Day (Wednesday) to realize our regard for any of them, but this novel calls our ignorance to account. (p.s. In my opinion, many of those Old World gods would be considered today more like our sport mascots!)
I have read several novels about the Golem and Jinn but I was unaware of the Ifrit who was imaginatively depicted as a cab driver!
I found http://frowl.org/gods/index.html very informative about much of the material and geography (as I have familiarity with many of the locations mentioned and bitter regard for winter experiences as a school child in the Calumet Region of Northern Indiana)!
Great book, ending a bit disappointing. NG's style is dark and captivating, as always.
Love Gaiman's imagination and while it was kind of slow and meandering in parts, the ending was very satisfying (and it's one of those "road novels" so the traveling and meandering is supposed to be part of it's charm, I think).
I'm subtracting a star because I never got past the fact that Shadow is always just like "Oh, now this other super weird thing is happening. Okay, that's cool. I won't question it... at all... ever." I can imagine several reasons why he might have gone along the whole time, but I would have liked him - at least at the beginning - to be like "What is going on here? This is insane! But I'll believe it because X." I was ready to give it 3 stars because of this, actually, but the end really was good enough to round it back up to a 4.
I'm subtracting a star because I never got past the fact that Shadow is always just like "Oh, now this other super weird thing is happening. Okay, that's cool. I won't question it... at all... ever." I can imagine several reasons why he might have gone along the whole time, but I would have liked him - at least at the beginning - to be like "What is going on here? This is insane! But I'll believe it because X." I was ready to give it 3 stars because of this, actually, but the end really was good enough to round it back up to a 4.
A shadow is neither light nor darkness. Just like Shadow Moon who is wandering somewhere between dream and reality, life and death. Raised without knowing who is his father, moving from country to country following his mother, Shadow never belonged anywhere until Laura came. With Laura's death, Shadow is left alone again, but then he meets the mysterious Mr. Wednesday (whose name will immediately reveal the true identity to mythology buffs). Thus begins the journey through the landscape of America, its highways, and the roadside attractions, the places of worship. It is also a path to discovering the secret of Shadow's true self and to where he belongs, but the cost of all this can be high.
America is like a collage, made up of numerous nations who came into it across oceans, bringing with them their traditions and beliefs. Their gods and legends. This is what Gaiman expanded on in "American Gods," a concept that is nothing new, which Gaiman himself acknowledges in the afterword. This novel is also a byproduct of Gaiman's work on the comic "The Sandman", in which he also dealt with dreams and gods, so as if he took some unused ideas, added a bit of road novel, and served to us a novel that leads to an alternative America that continues to be walked by the gods of old.
Gaiman is a great storyteller, but he also clings too much to comic storytelling that sometimes doesn't work best in another medium, case in point this novel. Story arc after story arc within one frame story in the novel leads to slow rhythm and occasional delays in the plot, and even sometimes to parts that deviate from the rest of the novel and would function better as a separate whole, say a novella.
There are a few other problems that will bother readers (probably not Gaiman fans), but the novel is saved by its symbolism and ideas, and almost prophetic nature because today the New Gods rule the world, as well as Gaiman's talent for storytelling.
America is like a collage, made up of numerous nations who came into it across oceans, bringing with them their traditions and beliefs. Their gods and legends. This is what Gaiman expanded on in "American Gods," a concept that is nothing new, which Gaiman himself acknowledges in the afterword. This novel is also a byproduct of Gaiman's work on the comic "The Sandman", in which he also dealt with dreams and gods, so as if he took some unused ideas, added a bit of road novel, and served to us a novel that leads to an alternative America that continues to be walked by the gods of old.
Gaiman is a great storyteller, but he also clings too much to comic storytelling that sometimes doesn't work best in another medium, case in point this novel. Story arc after story arc within one frame story in the novel leads to slow rhythm and occasional delays in the plot, and even sometimes to parts that deviate from the rest of the novel and would function better as a separate whole, say a novella.
There are a few other problems that will bother readers (probably not Gaiman fans), but the novel is saved by its symbolism and ideas, and almost prophetic nature because today the New Gods rule the world, as well as Gaiman's talent for storytelling.
Despite a few negatives (Shadow being a boring character the main one) I really enjoyed the premise of this book, very easy to read and some wry observations. It was a good holiday read!