American Gods Review

I seem to be reviewing a lot of Neil Gaiman literature recently and that’s because, to be perfectly honest, the man is a genius.  One of his best books that I’ve had the pleasure to read is American Gods.  American Gods is a love letter to the back roads and towns of America while simultaneously working in just about every mythological and religious reference imaginable.  Is it entertaining?  Hell yeah and here’s why.

American Gods follows a man named Shadow who’s recently been released from prison to find out that his wife has died.  Along his travels he meets up with a mysterious man named Mr. Wednesday who offers him a position doing odd jobs and generally being his henchman.  What follows is a story about gods.  In the setting of American Gods, all mythological creatures and deities are more or less real from leprechauns to Baron Samedi.  Essentially what happened was when immigrants came to America, they brought their old beliefs and traditions with them.  So the old gods decided to set up shop in America.  Everything was pretty good until, well, no one really believes in leprechauns anymore do they?  Essentially the old gods started to get replaced by the new gods, the gods of media, internet, mass conspiracies, etc.  The book tells Shadow’s place in this struggle as both sides prepare to see which is better suited to the new America.

This story is classic Gaiman.  Surprisingly deep main characters, check.  Tons of shout outs and references to mythology, religion, and folklore.  Check.  Intriguing plot and story.  Super check.  The book is also filled with Americana.  Neil Gaiman clearly loves American road trips.  The story is intriguing and multilayered with several threads to keep track of.  The main characters are all fantastic and very three dimensional.  As the main characters, Shadow gets the most attention and goes through the most changes.  He really goes through hell and back and comes out better for.  His characters arc is one the best aspects of the book.  Most of all the setting is brilliant.  It really highlights the melting pot image of America as how it affected not the people who came over, but how it affected their beliefs.  It also speaks volumes about the direction America is taking in regards to what it considers to be its new gods.

            America Gods is a great book.  Once again, Neil Gaiman does not disappoint.  The book is great for anyone who has an interest in Americana, mythology, or just plan out good story telling.  I can’t recommend it enough.

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