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A review by mxbluet18
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
4.0
Trigger warnings for American Gods include: racism, sex work; cheating (infidelity); suicidal ideation; murder and imprisonment.
☆
☆
Days before his release from prison, Shadow’s wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America. Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.
•
This book took me the best part of just over a week to read. But sometimes the length of a book is actually a good thing, it ensures that the reader actually understand what they're reading and gets all the necessary background for the relevant characters.
~
That being said, I'm not totally sure I followed the exact intricacies of this one. This isn't the first Neil Gaiman book I've read, and it's not the first to confuse me either. But that's kinda the style of his work from what I understand. While I'm not sure I followed it entirely, I did really enjoy it. The chatactets were really well presented and seemed like genuine people, which is what you want from a book, especially one as long as this one.
~
It was kinda fun to read, especially when it's bringing in the Old Gods, and talking about Norse mythology, but then also Egyptian, Slavic and Arabic. Some of the gods and goddesses I recognised from other versions in other mythology, like the Slavic Zorya sisters who have different variations in Greek mythology. Ultimately, something I really liked was the fact I caught onto one characters godly identity faster than Shadow did.
☆
☆
Days before his release from prison, Shadow’s wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America. Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.
•
This book took me the best part of just over a week to read. But sometimes the length of a book is actually a good thing, it ensures that the reader actually understand what they're reading and gets all the necessary background for the relevant characters.
~
That being said, I'm not totally sure I followed the exact intricacies of this one. This isn't the first Neil Gaiman book I've read, and it's not the first to confuse me either. But that's kinda the style of his work from what I understand. While I'm not sure I followed it entirely, I did really enjoy it. The chatactets were really well presented and seemed like genuine people, which is what you want from a book, especially one as long as this one.
~
It was kinda fun to read, especially when it's bringing in the Old Gods, and talking about Norse mythology, but then also Egyptian, Slavic and Arabic. Some of the gods and goddesses I recognised from other versions in other mythology, like the Slavic Zorya sisters who have different variations in Greek mythology. Ultimately, something I really liked was the fact I caught onto one characters godly identity faster than Shadow did.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, and Murder