American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Amy     
Lynnie  


fantasy

A new job falls into Shadow's lap as he is released from jail.  Due to the fact that he literally has nothing else to do, he accepts it and the story ensues among and between the American Gods. 

Amy's Review

Bottom line: I didn’t like the characters. And, for much of the novel, the reader really has no idea what is actually going on. Instead of like many of his other novels which have sinister, wonderful magic and truly interesting characters, this one had dark, con-man, B-list magic with mostly unlikeable characters. The “gods” never really seemed to be god-like or worthy of any sort of respect or adoration. Instead, they belonged in a mafia squad and were viewed by this reader as pathetic, power-hungry losers.

Sure, Neil Gaiman’s amazing creativity was evident. But, I don’t think he succeeded in building a believable magical world like he did in his fantastic novels like Neverwhere, The Graveyard Book, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. This one was more along the lines of Anansi Boys (which is the sequel to American Gods but I did not realize that when I read Anansi Boys over 7 years ago) which I did not love either.

So, sorry, but this one was a bit of a chore to get through. The ending was interesting and held my attention but it was too little too late.

Lynnie read this one very long ago and does not have a recent review to add here.