American Gods by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Bat shit crazy. That’s this book summed up in there words. There is so much going on here that I am unlikely to do it justice in my little review space. American Gods is about a man who, when released from prison and his wife dies, finds himself working for a strange old man who calls himself Wednesday. Who also happens to be the Norse God Odin. Of course.
Throughout the narrative we meet (or at least cross paths with) gods from every religion, and from every country; old and new, remembered and long forgotten. Each God is personified on earth in their own unique way. It’s beautifully and intricately constructed, this book. It’s literal and metaphorical, blatant and obscure. I could go on. There are so many themes.
I can see why it’s being developed into a TV series (by Bryan Fuller no less, who did Hannibal). The narrative often felt episodic in nature, lots of little self-contained sub-plots which all combined to build a much larger universe. With so many characters and gods to choose from, they could have limitless opportunities for further story telling. Especially if Neil Gaiman works alongside them.
I would like to read more about the character of Shadow, the main protagonist here. He’s got a lot of potential for further character development.
And if you like your action full-on, totally nuts, with lots of sweary, sexy characters; look no further.
Click the image to buy a copy on Amazon.co.uk:
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