American Gods by Neil GaimanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really loved this story. Gaiman blends the mythology of multiple cultures into a melting pot of gods and magic appropriate for the demographics of the United States. The old guard vs. the new guard of gods and fairy-tale creatures are on the verge of a mythological battle which represents a paradigm shift of belief and worship in the United States, and Shadow, a regular, unassuming man, gets caught in the middle.
This novel is a very fun and quick-paced read. Gaiman keeps his story balanced between good action and mystery, which keeps you on your toes, and character development which shows the humanity of even the most barbaric of gods, which lets you really feel for the characters and enjoy their triumphs.
This is a novel for adults, with some harsh language, but the sex and violence isn't too explicit. I'd recommend this book to anybody who enjoys fantasy or mythology.
p.s. I listened to the audio version of this book. The narrator is perfect for this novel. Very well done.
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I thought the concept for American Gods was really interesting, but the sexual material and language entirely ruined it for me. I'm not usually one to "content reject" something, but Gaiman took it way too far more my tastes here. I stopped caring about the characters because the crassness really alienated me. It was cool to learn about some of the different gods, though.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's a good point. I wasn't really bothered by it and actually was surprised it wasn't worse (Maybe because I've read Christopher Moore). I can understand that it could alienate you from the rest of the story though. Thanks for the comment. It's good to have alternate viewpoints.
ReplyDeleteI'm confused. You say it was a quick-paced read but then you say you heard the audio book... Did you read it and listen to it?
ReplyDeleteIf you read it and listened to it then I guess I have no reason to be giving you a hard time. If you read the book and listened to it then I'll stop giggling. But if you only listened to it I think you'll agree that all audio books come at the same speed... the speed at which a book can be read aloud.
And yes Sam, I DO have way too much time on my hands.
Anansi Boys is a great follow up to American Gods. Neil has never let me down. Even his books geared more for the little ones warm my cold tiny heart.
@Mr S I put the speed up to 115% so it went by really fast. Also, I meant that the story never really gets bogged down. It moves and is interesting the whole time.
ReplyDeleteNow that's funny.
ReplyDelete