I've started this book twice. Never finished it either tme. ( )

from Jordan:

I decided to again punctuate my reading of new books by reading an old favorite, this time American Gods by Neil Gaiman. When I was searching the library’s catalog, I noticed that there was a Tenth Anniversary Edition that featured an extra 12,000 words. It’s also dubbed the Author’s Preferred Text.

American Gods tells the story of Shadow, an ex-con, who’s offered a job by the mysterious Mr. Wednesday. The journey takes him on a journey through a world where gods physically exist in any land where someone believes in them. Shadow meets Norse Gods, old gods from Eastern Europe and early American folk heroes struggling against “modern” gods of Media, the Internet, and men-in-black spies. Shadow becomes a pawn in the build-up to a confrontation with the old gods and these new gods while trying to discover who he is and where he belongs in the world.

While I personally didn’t find myself noticing the extra bits of text added in this edition, it has been many years since I read it. It’s part fantasy novel, part social comedy, part mystery, and remains one of my favorite novels. I’d highly recommend reading one of several copies available at our branches.

If you’ve already read it, I’d like to recommend its quasi-sequel, Anansi Boys, which I intend to read again soon, and the direct sequel novella “Monarch of the Glen,” which is part of Gaiman’s Fragile Things collection. Neil Gaiman is also working on a full-novel sequel continuing Shadow’s adventures to be released relatively soon. ( )

I usually have this problem with Gaiman's books. I love the book except for the ending, that final twist that goes a bit too far for me...

And because I like the rest of the book I keep reading more and more of his books.

And this time I'm really glad I did. no bitter after taste at the ending.

I was reading it at a steady pace, then at the middle of the week I got some insomnia, so a read a couple more chapters and because it was nearing the storm, the book also picked up the pace.
So today I spent most of my day reading it, because I really wanted to know the end.

I'm in a mood for spoilers, so if you haven't read it yet I advise you to stop now. I going to plot points and going to talk about the ending.

For me this is a book about gods, and I see gods exactly as Gaiman described them. Distilled essence of humanity, the good and the bad personified.
The hero in this book is a convict called Shadow, he is the hero of the book, and for me nd my fixation on Greek mythology that meant that he would have to be a god or more probably a semi-god.
This is a book about people's believes. How the old rites don't translate to the American melting pot that is America (and most of modern society) and we find ourselves adoring new gods, like TV, technology, our cars...
I love the way that even if we see the story trough Shadow's eyes, it's really Mister Wednesday that is driving the plot.
At the first chapters we learn that there's a war coming. The old gods are getting rallied by Mr. Wednesday to fight (defende themselves) against the new gods. Mr. Wednesday (and it was pretty obvious for me that he was Odin, and my knowledge of Norse mythology is very limited). And Mr. Wednesday enlists Shadow as his employee. For the most part of the book I thought that this would be a battle to win Shadows belief. Specially as soon after Shadow was enlisted, the knew goods tried to get him to switch sides.
So we follow Shadow, as he goes with Mr. Wednesday to enlist the Polish gods, some African gods, some Asian gods.
We get some side stories, like Laura's return from the dead, her request to be alive again, that sends Shadow in a side quest (more of a backdrop for the events at the end, that makes it all seam quite connected). And the Coming to America side stories, where we get to know how the gods got to America.
We even get to meet some Indians (and I mean the Native American kind) and I love the way they managed to stay out of the fray, without staying out of the story.
We follow Shadow as he hides from the new gods (and the old ones too, I guess) in a small American town, where nothing happens (but every year, a kid disappears during the winter). And yes, Shadow solves that mystery!
And as the war nears Shadow starts to get some clues, he figures out that his old cellmate is Loki and he is working for the new gods (that had just killed Mr. Wednesday).
At this point Shadow starts a journey of self discovery, and the discovers that Mr. Wednesday is his father (not what I expected, but not unexpected either). And then he starts to see the big picture. The gods feed on belief, on offerings of blood, sex, food. Odin in particular feeds on battle blood. Loki on the other hand feeds on chaos, and Shadow suddenly realizes that he is facing a two man con. It doesn't matter if the old gods win or lose, Odin will feed on the blood of gods offered to him in battle and Loki will feed on the chaos.
Insert plot point here that I will not spoil
Then we get to the Epilogue. Shadow says his goodbyes to his wife Laura, to Mr. Nancy, a god that has become his friend, solves that mystery in Lakeside town, says goodbye to girl Sam (she was part Indian and for a while I wished Shadow would find that he was her step brother), he keeps his end of the bargain with the Polish god (and we find out that Spring is coming).
We follow Shadow to Iceland, were he finds out that Odin is still alive but he is not Mr. Wednesday, he is the Odin that always was in Iceland.

My only untied end is the fact that Whiskey Jack asks if Shadow has found his tribe, and by the end of the book he is still looking for home, and as far as we can tell the doesn't even belong to a tribe (as in having Native American blood).

But I'm happy with all that happened to the main characters, even when they died.
I liked the way the different gods came together, how they all got to help Shadow in their very specific and mythology oriented way.

Missed an appearance of the Greek and Roman gods (I guess that Easter was Greek, but I wanted someone more important). ( )

Super good! Gaiman wastes no time with a writing style that is quick to the point and super efficient, which was necessary to tell a story that is dripping with detail and forethought. I can see why an annotated version of the book is also sold, it would be super handy upon reread...

Not what I went in looking for, but I'm happy with what I got. ( )

American Gods, a meandering tale of a book, took me at least two tries to get through, despite my gravitation towards urban fantasy.. The concept of "old versus modern" gods is an intriguing one, and I can always get involved in themes of belief, stories and myth. It didn't always work, however, and was completed at stuttering pace. Transitions can be rough, and it's not always clear where a particular chunk of narrative is heading. I feel like part of it is that we have indeed lost the old gods, and many people need a little background on Gaiman's creatures in order to appreciate the tale he's telling. Often it's well done, but at times it interrupts the flow of the narrative.

I often enjoy Gaiman's imagery, although occasionally it's self indulgent, seemingly for the sake of being shocking, like the woman that swallows a man through her vagina during sex, and a dead person vomiting maggots.

A few loose ends don't particularly seem pertinent, such as the leprechaun that gives Shadow a gold piece, which Shadow then is moved to throw it into Laura's grave. I'm not sure of the point of that subplot either--the power of belief?

I'm never particularly moved by Gaiman's use of language, but he has a deft hand at characterization. Characters and ideas are clearly his strengths. I loved some of the old gods, and thought Mr. Nancy and the Chicago family particularly well done. The new gods were less well done, though the concept is a fascinating one. Most of the time is spent on the internet/tech and media gods, and they are done well enough to be immediately annoying. However, the pantheon gets a little fuzzy at this point, particularly in Gaiman's decision to largely leave out "modern" organized religion--as Anubis and Bast and such were worshipped by Egyptians, it seems fair to acknowledge Jesus as more than a hitchhiker in Afganistan. I wonder if he avoided it for complexity? Controversy?

The voice and tone is narrator is emotionally removed from the story, but I felt it suited the tone and scope of the novel well. I liked Shadow and felt he was a very believable character for a while. Emphasizing his numbness and distance helped explained how he could be so blase about the return of his dead wife and Mr. Wednesday's abilities. It's interesting that after his initial questioning and challenging of Mr. Wednesday and the leprechaun, he accepts the rest of the magic at face value.

I have mixed feelings about the ending. I'm a little disappointed that Shadow chose to "rest," and wonder if it's inconsistent, as all along he's been Wednesday's man, paid to work and protect him. And the fact that the plot of the novel is a double con--well, I too feel more than a little betrayed. It seemed weak that both old and new gods took Shadow's announcement and popped back to reality, ready to abandon the fight then and there. Certainly their animosity had to be based on something, and removal of primary motivation doesn't remove built up antagonism.

Worth noting that I sold my copy to Half Price Books, because it's space on the shelf was worth more than the slim chance of re-read. Two-and-a-half stars, rounding down because my memory assures me I don't want to touch it again. ( )

It was weird, but I liked it. I think. If I don’t think too hard about it. ( )

Usually I like Neil Gaiman's morbid sense of humor and his ability to suggest the dark other-world lingering about the edges of our own. I have enjoyed several of his books, but this was just not the book for me.

From the scene at the end of the first chapter in which some kind of prostitute goddess sucks a man into her vagina to the autopsy scene in which an Egyptian-god-turned-medical-examiner cuts open a teenage girl who had been stabbed to death by her boyfriend, and all the tits in between, I felt like Gaiman had turned just a tad misogynist. Or he has just become obsessed with tits.

I can take the sexual content and some violence, but I'm learning that I have to draw the line at graphic mutilation of persons and/or animals, living or dead. Just not something that I want to read. So I stopped.

Plus, the story didn't really seem to be going anywhere. Clever turns of phrase, but "look at this guy Shadow he is working for some gods who are from the Old Countries but there are these new techno-gods who are newer and more awesomer and trying to crush the old gods and Shadow's dead wife is sort of alive and keeps saving him and look how much I know about rural Midwest America and look at all these tits and listen to my funny story about balls!" wasn't really keeping me interested. I get it. Americans have lost their roots and we don't know who we are. Technology is our new god.

Point taken. Time to move on.

If you also didn't like this book and it's the only Gaiman book you've read, I'd really encourage you to try [b:Stardust|474037|Stardust|Neil Gaiman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266563852s/474037.jpg|3166179] (excellent), [b:Neverwhere|474072|Neverwhere|Neil Gaiman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255657765s/474072.jpg|16534] (good), or [b:Smoke and Mirrors|16790|Smoke and Mirrors|Neil Gaiman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166759020s/16790.jpg|6277491] (short stories, also good). ( )

Have read over 1/3 of the book and have completly lost interest in the Novel, this book starts with a great story in the first couple of chapters but after that I cant warm to the characters and therefore am struggling with the read, also think would have been a good idea to do a little research on mythology before i started the book and may have helped me get into it more. I dont read fantasy novels so this is just not my cup of tea and looking at the ratings on Goodreads you either love it or hate it. I am throwing in the towel on this one as life too short to read what dont interest you, but can see why other readers will go mad for it. ( )

Ik heb 'm dan ook (eindelijk) eens gelezen en ik vond het niet echt een geweldig boek. Het duurde heel lang voordat ik een beetje gevoel kreeg waar het allemaal heen moest en het bleef voornamelijk erg vaag. Ik vond de hoofdpersoon maar vlak en dat maakte dat het niet zo interessant was allemaal. ( )

I really don't know what to say about this book other than what a huge disappointment it was. There is such a strong premise and story, but it gets lost in all of the utterly unlikable characters and meandering story with only a hint of a purpose. I mean, I GET IT, I just don't think it was done very well.

Shadow, the main character, is one of the worst flat cardboard-cutout characters I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. His actions don't make sense, his reactions don't make sense, nothing about him is interesting, etc.

Also, where is the tension? There is almost no tension in the entire novel and it just wanders around like a sappy memoir peppered with curse words and vulgar references to sex or other body parts. Sorry, but it just doesn't cut it.

I am still shocked that this was a Hugo award (among others). I read Neverwhere and enjoyed it quite a bit, but this was so far in the other direction that I may never read another Gaiman novel again. ( )

I am loving this book. Not as fun as "Good Omens," but as creative and fascinating. (Later) I did like this book. It didn't transport me the way Neverwhere did, but the ideas presented were very compelling. I found, at the end, that there was some symbolism that I sensed but was just beyond my grasp. Maybe some day I'll go looking for someone's interpretation.

Worth reading, though. ( )

4 1/2 stars ( )

While I enjoyed this book, I have no interest in reading any more in the series. #QUITSERIES ( )

I re-read this in anticipation of the TV series, and because, frankly, I didn't remember much of anything of it from my first reading 15 years ago. It was a good read on the Kindle for a couple plane rides.

I'm willing to think this is my fault, but I found it to be largely confusing. The climactic actions in the second half mystified me. The characters and scenes were vivid and well drawn, it was the story that failed me. I hope the TV show clears it up. ( )

I loved the way that gods from various pantheons as well as concepts not normally thought of as people or gods are depicted in this book. ( )

I finally read/listened to this one (via audiobook) I enjoyed it but will prob actually read it bc I fell like I miss d out on some of the finer details ( )

Deuses americanos é, acima de tudo, um livro estranho. E foi essa estranheza que tornou o romance de Neil Gaiman, publicado pela primeira vez em 2001, um clássico imediato. Nesta nova edição, preferida do autor, o leitor encontrará capítulos revistos e ampliados, artigos, uma entrevista com Gaiman e um inspirado texto de introdução.

A saga de Deuses americanos é contada ao longo da jornada de Shadow Moon, um ex-presidiário de trinta e poucos anos que acabou de ser libertado e cujo único objetivo é voltar para casa e para a esposa, Laura. Os planos de Shadow se transformam em poeira quando ele descobre que Laura morreu em um acidente de carro. Sem lar, sem emprego e sem rumo, ele conhece Wednesday, um homem de olhar enigmático que está sempre com um sorriso no rosto, embora pareça nunca achar graça de nada.

Depois de apostas, brigas e um pouco de hidromel, Shadow aceita trabalhar para Wednesday e embarca em uma viagem tumultuada e reveladora por cidades inusitadas dos Estados Unidos, um país tão estranho para Shadow quanto para Gaiman. É nesses encontros e desencontros que o protagonista se depara com os deuses — os antigos (que chegaram ao Novo Mundo junto dos imigrantes) e os modernos (o dinheiro, a televisão, a tecnologia, as drogas) —, que estão se preparando para uma guerra que ninguém viu, mas que já começou. O motivo? O poder de não ser esquecido.

O que Gaiman constrói em Deuses americanos é um amálgama de múltiplas referências, uma mistura de road trip, fantasia e mistério — um exemplo máximo da versatilidade e da prosa lúdica e ao mesmo tempo cortante de Neil Gaiman, que, ao falar sobre deuses, fala sobre todos nós.

Juntos, os livros de Neil Gaiman lançados pela Intrínseca já venderam mais de 100 mil exemplares.

“Original, arrebatador e infinitamente criativo.”George R. R. Martin

“Mistério, sátira, sexo, horror, poesia — Deuses americanos tem todos esses elementos, que vão fazer com que os leitores não queiram desgrudar do livro.”The Washington Post

I liked this book a lot. The pacing is super interesting and took a little while to get used to. Gaiman is super vague about Shadow and his past and never really explains it, though it becomes irrelevant pretty quick with the exception of his wife. The modernized ideas of gods is well executed, I think, though it opens the door for all kinds of interpretations and fan fic. ( )

Pazzesco :) da leggere obbligatoriamente

I read American Gods when it first came out, some twenty years ago, and enjoyed it then, although I felt like quite a bit of it went over my head--perhaps because I read too fast? Reading it again some twenty years later, and reading Gaiman's preferred version that's some 12k longer than the original, I still suspect that many little details slipped by me, but I loved the journey of revisiting this book and these characters. There's something about this easy-going fantasy, traveling over endless territory and through so many gods' worlds, that is simply entrancing.

I'm not sure what genre it is, or why it is so hypnotic as it is, or even why I enjoy it so much, but I'll always recommend it. ( )

Beautiful edition of one of my favorite books. ( )

Mythology

I am admittedly not the biggest fan of science fiction/fantasy, although there have been some standouts that I have read in these genres; this imaginative, suspenseful novel was close to the top of the heap for me, with its puns, jokes, mythology, and lots of engaging wordplay and brilliant wordsmithing. I both listened to the audio (well done by George Guidall) and read the book, which I have had for years but never got around to reading. Shadow, the novel’s protagonist, is released a few weeks early from a three-year prison sentence when his wife, Laura, is killed in a car accident under compromising circumstances. He keeps encountering a gentlemen who offers him a job as his bodyguard. It is an offer Shadow cannot refuse; mayhem ensues. Old-fashioned mythology meets gritty America. ( )

Not for me

(2001)(audio) Fantasy about a man's odyssey trying to find himself and the meaning of his life/death. Neil Gaiman's best and most ambitious novel yet, a scary, strange, and hallucinogenic road-trip story wrapped around a deep examination of the American spirit. Gaiman tackles everything from the onslaught of the information age to the meaning of death, but he doesn't sacrifice the razor-sharp plotting and narrative style he's been delivering since his Sandman days.Shadow gets out of prison early when his wife is killed in a car crash. At a loss, he takes up with a mysterious character called Wednesday, who is much more than he appears. In fact, Wednesday is an old god, once known as Odin the All-father, who is roaming America rounding up his forgotten fellows in preparation for an epic battle against the upstart deities of the Internet, credit cards, television, and all that is wired. Shadow agrees to help Wednesday, and they whirl through a psycho-spiritual storm that becomes all too real in its manifestations. For instance, Shadow's dead wife Laura keeps showing up, and not just as a ghost--the difficulty of their continuing relationship is by turns grim and darkly funny, just like the rest of the book.Armed only with some coin tricks and a sense of purpose, Shadow travels through, around, and underneath the visible surface of things, digging up all the powerful myths Americans brought with them in their journeys to this land as well as the ones that were already here. Shadow's road story is the heart of the novel, and it's here that Gaiman offers up the details that make this such a cinematic book--the distinctly American foods and diversions, the bizarre roadside attractions, the decrepit gods reduced to shell games and prostitution. "This is a bad land for Gods," says Shadow.More than a tourist in America, but not a native, Neil Gaiman offers an outside-in and inside-out perspective on the soul and spirituality of the country--our obsessions with money and power, our jumbled religious heritage and its societal outcomes, and the millennial decisions we face about what's real and what's not.