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Book Review: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Title: American Gods
Author: Neil Gaiman
Published: New York: HarperTourch, 2001
Page Count: 592
Total Page Count: 32,754
Text Number: 95
Read For: my own enjoyment & completing all of Gaiman's novels
Short review: Shadow is a convict, surviving the final weeks of his sentence and looking forward to a return to his life and to his marriage, when he is told of his wife's death and is released early to attend her funeral. On the flight home, he meets a man named Mr. Wednesday that seems to know more about Shadow than he has any right to do. He offers Shadow a job: to protect Wednesday and work as his right hand man in the big storm that is brewing. When he accept the offer, Shadow is swept into a slice of American life that he never knew existed: a battle between the old gods, brought to America by early immigrants and now dying of neglect, and the new gods of TV, strip malls, and modern America that have been born on American soil and are steadily gaining power. In the course of the novel, the characters journey from cities to roadside attractions to small town to Indian reserves, and Gaiman explores the power in both folk life in America. The novel is as enduringly off-kilter as the roadside attractions Shadow visits, with Gaiman's edge of magic and darkness that give it gravity and purpose. The resolution to the battle between the American gods is too brief, and I don't find the premise quite as interesting as some of his other novels, but the book is an engrossing read, well written, and complex, carrying through a number of characters and concepts, as I expect from this author. I do recommend it.
Ever since by surprisingly good experience with Neverwhere (and wow, but my old reviews are crap), I've been itching to read the rest of Gaiman’s novels. American Gods was the first novel in that quest. Despite the fact that Gaiman writes in no particular genre, his work is always distinctly and recognizably his own. They investigate the supernatural within the normal, often in the form of a magical social structure that runs underneath to its mundane equivalent. In this vein, American Gods explores the supernatural world of the gods that populate American soil, arising from human inhabitants, including natives, immigrants, and citizens, but exist largely underneath daily life: in shadows, hidden out of the way, and/or wearing masks to allow them to exist undetected. Because the characters are by their nature explorations into the depths, the novel has an innate level of complexity. However, because the complexity is innate, the author isn't pushed to make the text deeper or to investigate more. As a result, the ideas are brilliant and reading the book is like discovering a new, hidden culture that exists below and adds depth to one's own, but the content of the novel lacks independent complexity, both in concept and in character. The text is interesting, unique, and original, but it lacks the total depth that I look for in what I would deem "literature". In other words: it's a good book, not a great one. (I also didn't enjoy the hidden world in American Gods as much as the hidden worlds of London Below and Fairie from Gaiman's other books, but I consider my own dislike for Americana a matter of personal taste.)
For all of that, the plot of this novel is pleasantly complex, working at both a personal, local, and cosmic level in a few interconnected narratives. The plot lines fit together almost seamlessly and the stoyline is generally linear, so the narration isn't as complex (or as difficult) as the first few chapters sometimes make it seem. The resolutions come a bit quickly, especially in the cosmic plot (the war between the new and old gods), and the hasty conclusion, as well as the nature of the conclusion, makes the plot up until that point fall flat—not completely, but to the point where it is noticeable. It isn't a huge issue and doesn't destroy that plotline. Nonetheless, it was my biggest disappointment in the book because on the whole the other aspects—from characterization to the other plotlines—are strong. The number of concurrent stories keeps the book running at a good pace and the reader consistently interested as well as making for a text that takes more into account and so achieves a greater depth.
The otherworldy aspects of the book are, as always in Gaiman, walk the line between fanciful and disturbing, and are all the more interesting as a result. The darker, more dangerous, sometimes sinister cast to the unnatural elements gives the book gravity and keeps it out of the realm of light, dismissible fantasy. Shadow as protagonist, however, sometimes detracts from the supernatural aspects: he accepts the strange occurrences too readily (a necessary aspect for the smooth progression of the plot, if somewhat unrealistic) and so, through his role as emissary between novel and reader, makes them seem too ordinary to the reader as well. On the whole, I recommend this book, both for Gaiman's unique otherworldy writing and for the unique and intelligent plot, but it didn't sweep me away in the way that some of the author's other work has. It's a good read, but not great literature, nor my favorite Gaiman novel.
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
Author: Neil Gaiman
Published: New York: HarperTourch, 2001
Page Count: 592
Total Page Count: 32,754
Text Number: 95
Read For: my own enjoyment & completing all of Gaiman's novels
Short review: Shadow is a convict, surviving the final weeks of his sentence and looking forward to a return to his life and to his marriage, when he is told of his wife's death and is released early to attend her funeral. On the flight home, he meets a man named Mr. Wednesday that seems to know more about Shadow than he has any right to do. He offers Shadow a job: to protect Wednesday and work as his right hand man in the big storm that is brewing. When he accept the offer, Shadow is swept into a slice of American life that he never knew existed: a battle between the old gods, brought to America by early immigrants and now dying of neglect, and the new gods of TV, strip malls, and modern America that have been born on American soil and are steadily gaining power. In the course of the novel, the characters journey from cities to roadside attractions to small town to Indian reserves, and Gaiman explores the power in both folk life in America. The novel is as enduringly off-kilter as the roadside attractions Shadow visits, with Gaiman's edge of magic and darkness that give it gravity and purpose. The resolution to the battle between the American gods is too brief, and I don't find the premise quite as interesting as some of his other novels, but the book is an engrossing read, well written, and complex, carrying through a number of characters and concepts, as I expect from this author. I do recommend it.
Ever since by surprisingly good experience with Neverwhere (and wow, but my old reviews are crap), I've been itching to read the rest of Gaiman’s novels. American Gods was the first novel in that quest. Despite the fact that Gaiman writes in no particular genre, his work is always distinctly and recognizably his own. They investigate the supernatural within the normal, often in the form of a magical social structure that runs underneath to its mundane equivalent. In this vein, American Gods explores the supernatural world of the gods that populate American soil, arising from human inhabitants, including natives, immigrants, and citizens, but exist largely underneath daily life: in shadows, hidden out of the way, and/or wearing masks to allow them to exist undetected. Because the characters are by their nature explorations into the depths, the novel has an innate level of complexity. However, because the complexity is innate, the author isn't pushed to make the text deeper or to investigate more. As a result, the ideas are brilliant and reading the book is like discovering a new, hidden culture that exists below and adds depth to one's own, but the content of the novel lacks independent complexity, both in concept and in character. The text is interesting, unique, and original, but it lacks the total depth that I look for in what I would deem "literature". In other words: it's a good book, not a great one. (I also didn't enjoy the hidden world in American Gods as much as the hidden worlds of London Below and Fairie from Gaiman's other books, but I consider my own dislike for Americana a matter of personal taste.)
For all of that, the plot of this novel is pleasantly complex, working at both a personal, local, and cosmic level in a few interconnected narratives. The plot lines fit together almost seamlessly and the stoyline is generally linear, so the narration isn't as complex (or as difficult) as the first few chapters sometimes make it seem. The resolutions come a bit quickly, especially in the cosmic plot (the war between the new and old gods), and the hasty conclusion, as well as the nature of the conclusion, makes the plot up until that point fall flat—not completely, but to the point where it is noticeable. It isn't a huge issue and doesn't destroy that plotline. Nonetheless, it was my biggest disappointment in the book because on the whole the other aspects—from characterization to the other plotlines—are strong. The number of concurrent stories keeps the book running at a good pace and the reader consistently interested as well as making for a text that takes more into account and so achieves a greater depth.
The otherworldy aspects of the book are, as always in Gaiman, walk the line between fanciful and disturbing, and are all the more interesting as a result. The darker, more dangerous, sometimes sinister cast to the unnatural elements gives the book gravity and keeps it out of the realm of light, dismissible fantasy. Shadow as protagonist, however, sometimes detracts from the supernatural aspects: he accepts the strange occurrences too readily (a necessary aspect for the smooth progression of the plot, if somewhat unrealistic) and so, through his role as emissary between novel and reader, makes them seem too ordinary to the reader as well. On the whole, I recommend this book, both for Gaiman's unique otherworldy writing and for the unique and intelligent plot, but it didn't sweep me away in the way that some of the author's other work has. It's a good read, but not great literature, nor my favorite Gaiman novel.
Review posted here at Amazon.com.