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. ( )