American Gods

  

Neil Gaiman is a pretty well-respected, renowned dude. He started out in journalism, then started writing comic books, and then went on to write novels. Good novels. Novels that win awards. American Gods is one of these award-winning novels, earning Neil the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards in 2002. That right there should give you an idea as to how awesome this book is.

American Gods follows the story of Shadow, a man who has just spent the last three years in prison and is due to be released, and he just wants to live the rest of his life in peace, staying out of trouble, with his wife. When he meets with the warden to discuss his release, he learns that his wife has recently died in a car accident, and things aren't looking so optimistic anymore. As he's heading home, he meets a peculiar man named Mr. Wednesday who knows far more than he should about Shadow. Mr. Wednesday offers Shadow a job, and his life starts taking some very strange turns.

This book borrows heavily from the mythology and folklore of many cultures throughout the world, with such characters such as Mr. Wednesday (Odin), Mr. Nancy (Anansi), Czernobog, and others showing up and playing semi-important roles. It also introduces newer gods, such as the Internet, Media, and other elements of modern American/Global Culture. These gods make for extremely interesting characters, especially in the cases of Mr. Wednesday and Mr. Nancy, who will make you laugh and sympathize and everything in between.

When you have a title like American Gods, you expect the novel to feel... well, American. And Neil Gaiman, an English author, manages to pull it off flawlessly. The words used and the way they are spelled are American English; the prose is very snappy, utilitarian, functional; and the dialogue reads like an American would speak. Down-to-earth, with occasional vulgarity, occasional slang, occasional imperfect grammar. All of that, without being difficult to read on paper.

Another interesting thing about American Gods are the short stories embedded at the ends of a few chapters. They manage to indirectly relate to the events in the book, little folklorish tales that provide a break from the main story without taking away from the novel as a whole. In fact, I believe they add to the whole feel of the book, in both its Americana and mythological mystique.

Get this book. Read this book. Love this book. It is, in my opinion, a masterpiece. I think I needn't say more.

Rating: Awesome