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A review by vigneswara_prabhu
American Gods, Volume 3: The Moment of the Storm by P. Craig Russell, Neil Gaiman
5.0
Rating 5 out of 5 |Grade A+; Hypnotic, Liberating, Final
Last on American Gods, the spark for the battle between the Old Gods & New Gods was ignited, with the very public execution of Odin. A recently escaped Shadow, alongside Mr. Nancy & Chernobog must rally what remains of their forces for the inevitable confrontation. But what secrets & mysteries lie behind the veil; which tree was Shadow missing, hidden amongst the forest. That, and more on the concluding Volume of Gaiman’s American Gods.
It still amazes me, how Gaiman is able to extrapolate the origin myths of Ancient gods and apply them to the magical realism like world of this story. At one point, somewhere in the middle, Shadow, after retrieving Wednesday’s body, is resolved to hold vigil over it, as per the dead god’s request.
What does that entail one might ask. Well, it involves being tied to a decrepit yet large tree on the backyard of a farm owned by three homely sisters. And to lie restrained to it over 9 days and nights. In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s the creation myth of All-father, who underwent much the same trial, being hung on the world tree, in exchange, obtaining all the knowledge in the world.
And boy is Shadow’s trial mind boggling, and hypnotically nauseating. Along the way, we are acquainted with his long forgotten memories, revelations from the past, meeting some former acquaintances, ultimately being lost in the vast nothingness. The Illustrator Scott Hampton doesn’t miss a beat, translating Gaiman’s fantastic prose to equally fantastic canvases.
The climax of the whole event was, in some senses anticlimactic, but also fitting, with the whole ‘Gods are con men' theme which Gaiman was going for throughout the story. Without revealing too much I’ll just say this much.
Usually in stories, you see Gods intervening in midst of moral affairs; Deus ex Machina
But here, we have Shadow, a mortal intervening in matters of the Divine with much the same effect; Mortalis ex machina. Pardon my Pig Latin.
The whole side plot with Shadow's dead wife also ended, which was a mixed bag. One, she did serve a purpose in the narrative. But two, I didn't really like what she was in relation to Shadow's character development. But, hey, it can't all be perfect.
Another thing which I like about Gaiman’s stories is that usually, the story doesn’t end with the Climax. There is no happily ever after. We spent a long epilogue, essentially wrapping up loose story threads, and much of it is quite cathartic in nature. It’s almost as if all the tension we’d built up over the narrative just evaporated, and now we are content to just gaze at the stars. Plus, there is a surprise cameo by my namesake, the mouse demon riding god of Hindu Pantheon.
Last on American Gods, the spark for the battle between the Old Gods & New Gods was ignited, with the very public execution of Odin. A recently escaped Shadow, alongside Mr. Nancy & Chernobog must rally what remains of their forces for the inevitable confrontation. But what secrets & mysteries lie behind the veil; which tree was Shadow missing, hidden amongst the forest. That, and more on the concluding Volume of Gaiman’s American Gods.
It still amazes me, how Gaiman is able to extrapolate the origin myths of Ancient gods and apply them to the magical realism like world of this story. At one point, somewhere in the middle, Shadow, after retrieving Wednesday’s body, is resolved to hold vigil over it, as per the dead god’s request.
What does that entail one might ask. Well, it involves being tied to a decrepit yet large tree on the backyard of a farm owned by three homely sisters. And to lie restrained to it over 9 days and nights. In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s the creation myth of All-father, who underwent much the same trial, being hung on the world tree, in exchange, obtaining all the knowledge in the world.
And boy is Shadow’s trial mind boggling, and hypnotically nauseating. Along the way, we are acquainted with his long forgotten memories, revelations from the past, meeting some former acquaintances, ultimately being lost in the vast nothingness. The Illustrator Scott Hampton doesn’t miss a beat, translating Gaiman’s fantastic prose to equally fantastic canvases.
The climax of the whole event was, in some senses anticlimactic, but also fitting, with the whole ‘Gods are con men' theme which Gaiman was going for throughout the story. Without revealing too much I’ll just say this much.
Usually in stories, you see Gods intervening in midst of moral affairs; Deus ex Machina
But here, we have Shadow, a mortal intervening in matters of the Divine with much the same effect; Mortalis ex machina. Pardon my Pig Latin.
The whole side plot with Shadow's dead wife also ended, which was a mixed bag. One, she did serve a purpose in the narrative. But two, I didn't really like what she was in relation to Shadow's character development. But, hey, it can't all be perfect.
Another thing which I like about Gaiman’s stories is that usually, the story doesn’t end with the Climax. There is no happily ever after. We spent a long epilogue, essentially wrapping up loose story threads, and much of it is quite cathartic in nature. It’s almost as if all the tension we’d built up over the narrative just evaporated, and now we are content to just gaze at the stars. Plus, there is a surprise cameo by my namesake, the mouse demon riding god of Hindu Pantheon.