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Neil Gaiman - American Gods (Author's Preferred Text)


Kell

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Well with that coming from another Tolkien Maniac, I hardly have a choice Echo. Persevere I will then, until the very end :cry:

 

Edit to say that I'm going to take it to bed with me now, so I should hopefully have some thoughts tomorrow. On your head be it Echo :irked:

 

I'll take full responsibility. :smile2:

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Ok, finished part one before my head hit the pillow, and somehow someway it's all starting to come together.

 

I'm finally at the point where I'm starting to speculate on how it all ties in.

 

And the characters are starting to develop, Shadow in particular is growing and fitting in.

 

Usually I don't follow through with recommends, because they seem to disappoint. The one exception to date is Fforde (of the Jasper variety). Once I started I couldn't stop and I've now read everything he's written to date (all credit to Giulia for that one).

 

I'm hopeful that American Gods (also a recommend) will excite me something near to equally, so that I can delve into Gaiman more thoroughly. To date I've only read Stardust. Watch this space.

 

..............................................

 

I'm a little way into part two (only had a couple of minutes reading time), and I have to say I'm even starting to like Mr Wednesday. This could be good!

Edited by Vanwa
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And I'm done. So:

 

American Gods - Neil Gaiman

 

American Gods opens with our protagonist (Shadow) in a prison setting. It is here that Shadow discovers the death of Laura, his wife, and so begins an uttterly insane, epic journey.

 

There is an overtly, and possibly unneccessary, sexual scene about 30 pages in, which even upon completion of the book feels irrelevant. Aside from this, and the occasionally excessive use of certain profanities, I can find no other criticism.

 

The plotline is thoroughly exciting and is rather unorthodox. It is certainly not an idea that has been broken down and rehashed, as is so often the way with fantastical works these days.

 

Usually a speedy reader, I found myself savouring every line, on occasion audibly verbalising the text just to know how it felt rolling from the tongue. I'd put the book down to sleep and find that I couldn't sleep for thinking about it, and I even got up at 5am to read more before work. Only two other writers have excited me this much; one is currently upublished, and the other is Jasper Fforde, who I might be forced to kidnap and torture into writing more books faster... I digress.

 

American Gods... I wouldn't read it again. Not because it isn't a bloomin' good book: it is. But it is one of those books where the unexpected twists and turns, the suspense, and the not-knowing makes it what it is.

 

A must-read.

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It's probably my favourite books, though sometimes when I'm not concentrating I notice the Regeneration trilogy and Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex teaming up with Angela Carter's The Magic Toyshop to bring it down and form a rag-tag coalition.

 

I loved the character of Shadow: he reminds me of a very good friend, someone who only knows themselves by the things they have experienced, and is deeply wary of experiencing any more.

 

I have a particular affection for stories about gods and superstition, particularly Norse gods, and I did think Wednesday was as brutal and cunning and manly as expected, and rather enjoyable for it.

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I'm about 10 pages from the end of American Gods and am excited but reluctant to finish it!

 

It felt like a real epic journey, and I have to say I enjoyed it best as it was getting going - setting the scene, introducing the characters, etc. I felt the end was rather random. You couldn't really call it a 'twist' because you never fully understood what was going on anyway.

 

But I love Neil Gaiman's writing - I find it really evocative and inventive. And I have to say, I loved that sex scene - I thought it was beautiful and ethereal. The way he introduces and builds characters is so engaging, and I relish all the little incidental observations and details he includes here and there. I found Shadow both a profound and poignant character - you do seem to observe him rather than connect with him. And I loved the mythic-sounding chapters interspersed amongst the narrative. And that opening chapter just punched me in the gut!

 

I feel I might've got more out of it if I'd recognised alot of the gods he mentioned - there's clearly clues for the discerning mythologist or theologist, and I wish I'd known more.

 

All in all, hearbreaking, epic, thoroughly entertaining, and in typical Gaiman style, utterly imaginative and original! Loved it!

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  • 2 months later...
  • 6 years later...

It took me a bit to get into it and I did find it a bit long, but overall so enjoyable and I loved all the mythology in it. 

 

I read it some time back but I am surprised you found it a bit long. I remembered it being quite short.

Glad you enjoyed it though. 

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I read it some time back but I am surprised you found it a bit long. I remembered it being quite short.

Glad you enjoyed it though. 

 

Interesting! I just felt at times I wanted the plot to move along a bit; maybe at some point I'll give the other published version a try, see if I get the same feeling. 

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American Gods is the book that opened my eyes to Neil Gaiman's works. Like most of his works, this story has a story beneath the story and that makes it exceptional. One cannot but feel a twinge of sympathy for the old gods.

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I read this one in highschool but now I barely remember anything. It was my first Gaiman book and it did not hit the mark. I read Stardust afterwards but that was even worse. Maybe I could/should do a re-read with a fresh perspective and no expectations. I don't really understand the fanbase around Gaiman but maybe re-reading American Gods or reading something else by him will clear things up. 

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I read this one in highschool but now I barely remember anything. It was my first Gaiman book and it did not hit the mark. I read Stardust afterwards but that was even worse. Maybe I could/should do a re-read with a fresh perspective and no expectations. I don't really understand the fanbase around Gaiman but maybe re-reading American Gods or reading something else by him will clear things up. 

 

Gaiman is an acquired taste, and not for everyone. When I read American Gods for the first time, I nearly gave up, but I didn't have any other books on that trip so I persevered. Then it started growing on me. The theme is continued in his other works like the Anansi Boys. In order to enjoy his work, you need to entirely give up the grasp on reality. This is fantasy at its best.

 

Oh, and I personally think that Stardust is the best fantasy love story ever written. His collaboration with Sir Terry Pratchett - Good Omens - is another classic.

Edited by Older Fish
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