Select language, opens an overlay

Comment

Jul 25, 2019
Patience and appreciation for ambiance are required to enjoy American Gods, but if you’ve got those in stock, it’s an excellent read. The tenth anniversary version is an earlier, longer draft of the book. It’s full of extra tidbits and scenes that don’t progress the plot much, but are delightful to read for the sheer quality of the writing. The protagonist, Shadow, is a very likeable character and an easy POV to follow. The surrounding characters are mythological shoutouts that flesh out the worldbuilding wonderfully. American Gods is a beautifully executed concept. More of an idea than a novel. A great quarantine read for the size of the novel alone. @Bowie of the Teen Review Board of the Hamilton Public Library After being released from prison, with no home and no one to welcome him to it, Shadow accepts a job from the first person he meets: Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and a con man with more up his sleeve, Mr. Wednesday introduces Shadow to a world straight out of a myth. A world that is about to explode, though Shadow doesn’t know this yet. When I first read the summary for American Gods I had a bit of doubt that Neil Gaiman could pull off the impossible: incorporate mythology into a novel without it being cheesy. However, he succeeded marvelously. Mixing together various mythologies and beliefs, American Gods is an intoxicating adventure that explores one of the most well know countries on Earth. Instead of having everything revealed at once, the reader discovers the world alongside Shadow, who himself is an interesting and complex character. Despite this, Shadow still felt rather distant to me as a reader, and I sensed a lack of connection with him alongside and inability to discern his motivations. Which of course, may have been the author’s point all along. 5/5 Stars. @viedelabibliothèque of the Hamilton Public Library Teen Review Board