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savage_book_review 's review for:
American Gods
by Neil Gaiman
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really, REALLY wanted to like this book. I loved the premise; it sounded to me like a bit of a grown up version of a Percy Jackson story. Mortal man gets out of prison after serving time for relatively minor offence, then suddenly gets pulled into a world of Gods to help prevent a war. But I think that's also where I went wrong. Nothing is ever quite that simple when it comes to Neil Gaiman books. And as a result I come away feeling a bit deflated.
I can honest say I live Neil Gaiman's stories, and the way his mind works to bring all these things together is just incredible. But now having a few under my belt, I actually think his stories are better suited to a visual medium, especially when he's in charge! While he doesn't describe a scene in forensic detail in his books, more often than not there is so much going on or so much plot/character/scene information to take in that I find myself missing a lot. I haven't seen the TV version of this yet, but I would be interested to try. If The Sandman and Good Omens are anything to go by, I think I'll find it easier to follow!
According to the preface, the version I read was a 10th anniversary reprint, which the author has revised since the original publication. This apparently contains about an extra 10,000 words. While I haven't read the original version, I'll be honest and say that I can't imagine those extra pages have added a huge amount to the story, save to make it that much longer.
There are lots of interludes which don't really add anything to the story for me, and even the main thread of the story feels quite meandering. It's not sure what it wants to be (and clearly noone else knows either, given that it's won fantasy, horror and mystery awards I think!), so it's hard to get a grip on. There's no real crescendo either; it feels like there should be, you're seeing the scene being set... but then nothing really happens. Just a bit of a damp squib. And none of the revelations or plot twists are actually that shocking.
I'm really disappointed I don't feel more connected with this story. But I am glad I read it.
I can honest say I live Neil Gaiman's stories, and the way his mind works to bring all these things together is just incredible. But now having a few under my belt, I actually think his stories are better suited to a visual medium, especially when he's in charge! While he doesn't describe a scene in forensic detail in his books, more often than not there is so much going on or so much plot/character/scene information to take in that I find myself missing a lot. I haven't seen the TV version of this yet, but I would be interested to try. If The Sandman and Good Omens are anything to go by, I think I'll find it easier to follow!
According to the preface, the version I read was a 10th anniversary reprint, which the author has revised since the original publication. This apparently contains about an extra 10,000 words. While I haven't read the original version, I'll be honest and say that I can't imagine those extra pages have added a huge amount to the story, save to make it that much longer.
There are lots of interludes which don't really add anything to the story for me, and even the main thread of the story feels quite meandering. It's not sure what it wants to be (and clearly noone else knows either, given that it's won fantasy, horror and mystery awards I think!), so it's hard to get a grip on. There's no real crescendo either; it feels like there should be, you're seeing the scene being set... but then nothing really happens. Just a bit of a damp squib. And none of the revelations or plot twists are actually that shocking.
I'm really disappointed I don't feel more connected with this story. But I am glad I read it.