Neil Gaiman - American Gods

Pros: The concept, the writing.
Cons: The pace, lack of action.

Every once in a while a book comes along that is so powerful in every sense, it seems to change the way people think about fiction, about novels, about . . . well, everything. That certainly seemed to be the case when Neil Gaiman’s AMERICAN GODS was ...

Pros: Characters. It's bizarre. Clever and subtle... well, subtle-ish.
Cons: Not for everyone. If that's a con.

The trouble with America is we haven’t any Gods. Oh sure, we’ve got God, but he’s hardly a replacement. Going along with the title of Neil Gaiman’s book, we don’t have ‘American Gods’. We’re too young, too busy, and everyone came here with their ...

Pros: Great characters, interesting plot
Cons: Nothing.

I’ve been dying to read American Gods since I saw an interview with Neil Gaiman in the local paper. The premise of the book sounded really intriguing, and since I am a Gaiman fan from the Sandman comic series, I figured I’d give it a try. I’ve been ...

Pros: Fascinating, lateral perspective on worship and belief in America.
Cons: Longer than it needed be?

Back in the early nineties I was bejoyed to discover the comic book series entitled "The Sandman" in which the myth of the sandman, bringer of dreams, had been thoughtfully re-invented and adapted into a comic book format for the philosophical adult ...

Pros: Beautifully imagined, richly evocative, and deeply melancholy.
Cons: No illustrations.

The Christian right likes to claim that there’s not nearly as much God in America as there should be, and that our faithlessness is directly to blame for many, if not all, of the ills of modern society. Nevermind separation of church and state,...

Pros: Smooth read, no uppity style of writing to get around, story moves with the exposition
Cons: The book actually ends.

So many people have reviewed this, I slipped through a few to see that I would likely be writing the same review. I IMPLORE YOU I do not mean ANY offense to any religion in this review. I give everyone the right to revere, worship, and give ...

Pros: Sometimes brilliant commentary on American values, framed in an entertaining, well written story.
Cons: Some conflict in attempting to present the metaphor as an adventure story that it's not.

My God, but there appear to be many religions that worship Gaiman's American Gods. I find myself a bit more agnostic than most; hence, again, my choice to review a well and frequently reviewed book. The characters: Shadow, the protagonist, a ...

Pros: Interesting plot, great characters, gods, weird, cool
Cons: You might need either a Comparative Religion degree or a mythology encyclopedia by your side

About a year ago, I’ve read Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, and I loved it. Weird. Dark. Cool. Later, I’ve read Good Omens. It was great. So I expected nothing less than greatness from American Gods, and I wasn’t...

Pros: Interesting idea.
Cons: Takes forever, book blurb is hugely misleading

I love Coraline.  I love Mirrormask.  I love Neil Gaiman's weirdness and unique ideas.  So finally I decided I should read some of his adult work since I am, after all, an ...

Pros: .
Cons: .

Shadow is soon to be an ex-convict. He has done his time for a botched armed robbery, has kept mostly to himself during those prison years -- and has had no trouble doing so, seeing as he is a hulking mass of a man. It would be wrong to call the man ...

Pros: great blending of myth & americana
Cons: somewhat anticlimactic

It depresses me to admit it, but there is nothing quite so dreary as real life. And so wisely, Neil Gaiman continues to step deftly to its side, commenting on reality by evading it with precision and grace, as in his novels Stardust, Good Omens,...

Pros: More of Gaiman's incredible storytelling
Cons: None worth mentioning here.

My favorite line from American Gods is in the first few chapters of the book. Coming from an unnamed supposed-Deity in the back of a limousine, looking like a teenager with a Chee-toes addiction, the whole anti-position of the book is summed up...

Pros: Creative and intelligent, with typical Gaiman twists
Cons: Loses way slightly in the middle before pulling together

When Neil Gaiman finished issue #75 of the Sandman comic we didn't have to wait too long for his next project. Unfortunately this was the underwhelming 'Neverwhere', a program made for the BBC which managed to hark back to early Eighties cheap set design...

Pros: Wonderful story telling and dialog. Deep, Engrossing plot. A BANG of an ending.
Cons: Sidetracks and drags sometimes. Is morbidly psychological. Not for the faint of heart or stomach.

Shadow has been in prison for 3 years. He is set to be released in three days when he gets the news: His wife has died. Under these conditions, he is released early to make the long journey home.

Along the way, he meets a strange old man that...

Pros: Enthralling! Great charachter development, plot, suspense, and intelligence.
Cons: By the end of the book, you don't want it to stop but it does.

Chances are, this is the best book you will read all year. Maybe in your entire life. It will quickly become a classic, and already it has achieved cult status. Some books you really enjoy, based on mindless action, or numerous sultry love scenes, or gut...