This is one of my favourite books of all time having read it on a bus trip across Canada. Not only did it detract from the hundreds of miles of corn fields, it also helped me get hooked on Neil Gaiman’s fiction.
The central premise is that Shadow, having been released from prison, is on a plane trip home when he finds himself seated next to a mysterious man. This man introduces himself as Mr. Wednesday. He ends up offering Shadow a job as a bodyguard. Together they travel the USA meeting all kinds of strange people in an attempt to bring them together for a purpose that Shadow is not particularly clear about.
It is gradually revealed that these are the gods of the old world (can you figure out who Mr. Wednesday is?), from mythology and they are locked in a battle with new gods (people who go by the name of “internet”, “roads”, “skyscraper” etc). This is metaphor heavy but not pretentious and what results is an amazing commentary on modern life’s eternal struggle of progress vs tradition.
It isn’t preachy, nor is he trying to sway us in any particular direction. Rather, Gaiman is simply observing the eternal struggle and presenting us with how both are important aspects of humanity. Gaiman is intent on telling us a story, and what a story he has in store for us!
American Gods won a plethora of awards and in my opinion deservedly so:
* 2002 Hugo
* 2002 Neblua
* 2002 Locus
* 2002 SFX Reader awards (UK’s premier SciFi magazine)
* 2002 Bram Stoker award
* 2004 Geffen Award
and a multitude of other nominations!
5/5
American Gods is such a good book! everytime I read it I catch some of the jokes earlier and notice new things that I’d missed before. It’s easily my favorite Gaiman!
This is one of the few books that has left me with a warm fuzzy feeling at the end. Easily in my top 3.
I’ve read about three of Gaiman’s short stories, but haven’t yet read his novels or graphic novels, despite the wild acclaim they get from fans and from my own friends. One friend did tell me, however, that of all his books I am most likely to enjoy this one. Good to have another positive reviews to go with that.
The gods of the old world…Mr. Wednesday…well, what with all those classes I took dealing with mythology and such, I think I can figure him out, haha. Sounds like a fun book indeed!
It is! And the best thing about it is that it has such depth.