Scan barcode
A review by protoman21
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
3.0
This was supposed to be the Neil Gaiman book that I enjoyed the most, but sadly I just never connected with it. Gaiman always brings his brilliant words to the table, but that just isn't enough to sustain an entire novel. Yes, his plots are unpredictable and yes there are sections that draw you into his world and creep up your spine, but there is also a ton of filler that obviously grabs some people and speaks to them, but I just found myself completely uninterested.
I should put a disclaimer here that I have never cared for stories about Gods and mythology. Telling me something is important doesn't make me care about it. It isn't my reality, so the creator has to work very hard and be very good to make me care. If a character in a story drops a quarter down a drain, I feel their pain because I already understand that loss, but if a god I've never heard of dies, I am not going to blink an eye unless you've done something to make me care about that god.
I read the author's preferred text version and I found myself wishing I had read the novel before Gaiman added even more to it. I particularly didn't care about any of the parts without Shadow. Unlike some reviewers who didn't like Shadow, I found him to be an interestingly complex character with motives that were always bubbling under the surface only occasionally revealing themselves.
I don't regret reading this, but I will not be actively encouraging others to do so.
I should put a disclaimer here that I have never cared for stories about Gods and mythology. Telling me something is important doesn't make me care about it. It isn't my reality, so the creator has to work very hard and be very good to make me care. If a character in a story drops a quarter down a drain, I feel their pain because I already understand that loss, but if a god I've never heard of dies, I am not going to blink an eye unless you've done something to make me care about that god.
I read the author's preferred text version and I found myself wishing I had read the novel before Gaiman added even more to it. I particularly didn't care about any of the parts without Shadow. Unlike some reviewers who didn't like Shadow, I found him to be an interestingly complex character with motives that were always bubbling under the surface only occasionally revealing themselves.
I don't regret reading this, but I will not be actively encouraging others to do so.