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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
While I was into the story of Shadow himself, I quickly tired of the chapter-long tangents about other gods in America that did not directly relate to Shadow's narrative. I also got fed up reading about coin tricks (it's a visual trick and boring and confusing to read on the page), and his wacko dreams-not-dreams that occurred nightly, it seemed.
When I was trying to decide whether to keep going halfway through, I asked someone what the main twist and ending was and I am thrilled I decided to quit.
When I was trying to decide whether to keep going halfway through, I asked someone what the main twist and ending was and I am thrilled I decided to quit.
Spoiler
I would've been pretty pissed had I read another 350+ pages only to find out that Wednesday/Odin started the "war" for his own ego and to gain power from the bloodshed. What an a-hole.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's just not the kind of book that I enjoy reading.
The pace is fast, but there are too many characters and it is not easy to remember them.
Some stories were okay, like how Colombus was not the first to arrive to America. I liked the sotry of the car iun the ice and what was hiding in the trunk.
But, overall, nothing amazing.
The pace is fast, but there are too many characters and it is not easy to remember them.
Some stories were okay, like how Colombus was not the first to arrive to America. I liked the sotry of the car iun the ice and what was hiding in the trunk.
But, overall, nothing amazing.
When Shadow is put on trial, I remember being struck by what exactly it would feel like to see your sins, big and small, paraded in front of you. The daily lies of our existence.
4.2 stars.
I couldn’t decide how I felt about the book right until I finished it. There were moments I was considering putting it down, because the pacing seemed to get interrupted by these interludes that I just wanted to rush through to get back to the main plot line.
However, I’m glad I forced myself to slow down and appreciate novel, especially the interludes. They were eerie and haunting with their historical familiarity mixed with a mythological presence that permeates the entire novel.
This story is not one to be rushed through and devoured. It intentionally seems to be a collection of vignettes across the United States set against a humming tension akin to the opening to “Something Wicked This Way Comes” by Ray Bradbury. The summer is hot, there is an excited quality to the whole event, a fascination with the carnival coming to town, but also a clawing sense of wrongness, something is off but the harder you try to look at it the more it seems to disappear into the background. As different characters warn our protagonist(?) throughout the story: “There is a storm coming”. You can feel the electric anticipation and you find yourself bracing yourself for the first bolt of lightning to shoot out of the climactic pages.
The inclusion of the multiple mythologies was fascinating to me as well, and Gaiman seemed not to only lean on the popular ones from Western tradition either. Our main character, Shadow, was an interesting and passive character through which to immerse the reader in the reality and unreality happening around him.
I might read this again just to catch some interesting tidbits and imagery I may have missed the first time.
I couldn’t decide how I felt about the book right until I finished it. There were moments I was considering putting it down, because the pacing seemed to get interrupted by these interludes that I just wanted to rush through to get back to the main plot line.
However, I’m glad I forced myself to slow down and appreciate novel, especially the interludes. They were eerie and haunting with their historical familiarity mixed with a mythological presence that permeates the entire novel.
This story is not one to be rushed through and devoured. It intentionally seems to be a collection of vignettes across the United States set against a humming tension akin to the opening to “Something Wicked This Way Comes” by Ray Bradbury. The summer is hot, there is an excited quality to the whole event, a fascination with the carnival coming to town, but also a clawing sense of wrongness, something is off but the harder you try to look at it the more it seems to disappear into the background. As different characters warn our protagonist(?) throughout the story: “There is a storm coming”. You can feel the electric anticipation and you find yourself bracing yourself for the first bolt of lightning to shoot out of the climactic pages.
The inclusion of the multiple mythologies was fascinating to me as well, and Gaiman seemed not to only lean on the popular ones from Western tradition either. Our main character, Shadow, was an interesting and passive character through which to immerse the reader in the reality and unreality happening around him.
I might read this again just to catch some interesting tidbits and imagery I may have missed the first time.
(3.5/5) I thought the premise of the story was extremely interesting. The thought that we the humans give the gods their power via worship/recognition was really intriguing. Then, the context of the new and old gods added an additional twist that was quite thought-provoking. A little bit dark and a little bit meandering at times but overall a really interesting read.
Entertaining, mystical adventure story. I really enjoyed researching some of the obscure myths and places Gaiman mentions in this book. The middle has a bit of a slow down, but it ramps back up to full tilt energy in the last third.
3.25/5 ⭐
The story is really amazing and I love the spin on all the various Gods. Laura is probably the most interesting character to me in this book, despite not being any sort of God.
It was an incredibly boring read to me, however
The story is really amazing and I love the spin on all the various Gods. Laura is probably the most interesting character to me in this book, despite not being any sort of God.
It was an incredibly boring read to me, however
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated