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penguin_emperor_of_the_north's review against another edition
4.0
I gotta admit, the central premise of this book annoys me. The whole idea that gods from mythology and religion are formed from human belief just irks me. Alright, rant is done.
But, in spite of that, I really like this book. It's engrossing, fascinating, thought-provoking and the right flavor of weird enough for me to enjoy.
And I really liked how Gaiman rarely spells out who the mythological figures are. A lot of them get a description but no name and we're left to puzzle out who they are on our own. Especially the Las Vegas god. He really piqued my interest.
Spoiler
Nothing else depends on or is influenced by my belief and if something's existence depends on belief, how did any one start to believe in it?But, in spite of that, I really like this book. It's engrossing, fascinating, thought-provoking and the right flavor of weird enough for me to enjoy.
And I really liked how Gaiman rarely spells out who the mythological figures are. A lot of them get a description but no name and we're left to puzzle out who they are on our own. Especially the Las Vegas god. He really piqued my interest.
doc_savage's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I love a good delve into the pantheons and especially when they overlap. And of course…Neil Gaiman is spectacular.
dragonflymorning's review against another edition
3.0
Neil Gaiman is hit or miss for me. This book was just okay. The writing was great, the plot was twisting, the fantasy element worked.... I just didn't care at all about any of these characters. There wasn't one I could relate to or really root for. Even Shadow was only just alright. I'm religious so the elements of the gods being so human, flawed and fueled by imagination just didn't sit well either. It's a fine read, but it's not my type.
stinkysyd's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
scarlettb123's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While I found the pacing of this book to be a bit uneven and the plot to be a bit haphazard, the characters are extremely compelling and force you to keep reading.
bbrassfield's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished re-reading Neil Gaiman's American Gods. I read the original when it was new around 2001. This summer I read the author's anniversary text which adds upwards of 10,000 words. Honestly I do not think the added words added much to the story. I did appreciate the additional historical episodes but really the drive of the novel still comes from Shadow after he meets up with Wednesday, who is Odin but not Odin. See the last last chapter to wrap your mind around this. American Gods is still great. Engaging characters pulled from the pages of world mythology and reimagined, or simply brought to America. As much as I enjoyed Gaiman's remarkable creativity on display here, this time through I was even more taken by the love between Shadow and Laura. Their story is the heart of the novel and supplies the lifeblood for everything else that happens in the story.
bruinuclafan's review against another edition
2.0
This is a bad book. It's over 500 pages, yet manages to say very little. The only reason it avoided 1 star is because I actually finished it and because there were a few paragraphs that I liked.
The main character, "Shadow," is released from prison the day after his wife dies in a car crash. He then signs on to help "Mr. Wednesday" as a sort of personal assistant. It turns out that Mr. Wednesday is involved in a war between the old gods and the new American gods (like television and technology).
That's basically it. There are a few plot twists that fall terribly flat. The ending is ultra cringe. Each chapter is excruciatingly long (50 page chapters should be forbidden). That's it. Don't read it.
The main character, "Shadow," is released from prison the day after his wife dies in a car crash. He then signs on to help "Mr. Wednesday" as a sort of personal assistant. It turns out that Mr. Wednesday is involved in a war between the old gods and the new American gods (like television and technology).
That's basically it. There are a few plot twists that fall terribly flat. The ending is ultra cringe. Each chapter is excruciatingly long (50 page chapters should be forbidden). That's it. Don't read it.
wise_old_fishie's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
it was well written just a looong read for me. the characters and events were quite interesting I grew quite fond of some of the characters, and you really did feel the time passing, events that happened weeks ago in the book really did feel like they'd happened weeks ago.
after i'd gotten half way through I wasn't going to let myself dnf it, but it really did feel like an accomplishment to have finished it :p
after i'd gotten half way through I wasn't going to let myself dnf it, but it really did feel like an accomplishment to have finished it :p
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Incest, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Stalking, Death of parent, and Pregnancy