Book Review
Title: American Gods (American Gods, #1)
Author: Neil Gaiman
Published: 2001
Rating: 65/100
Review:
American Gods (AG) is a thick and chunky theology soup, filled with interesting characters and a very confusing plot. Reading AG is like dipping your spoon into a strange smelling soup and pulling it out to reveal a chunk of something you’ve never seen before. You’ll ask a Neil Gaiman fan, “What’s this in my soup?” and they’ll reply “It’s best not to think about it, just shove it in your gob, chew, swallow and let it fill you up.”
AG was my first Neil Gaiman novel. I downloaded the 10th anniversary audiobook after hearing that it was being made into a TV show by the legendary Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) and that the show would star one of my favourite actors, Ian McShane. If Gaiman’s novel is good enough to draw interest from Fuller and McShane, it has to be worth checking out, right? Kind of.
After listening to AG, I can see why TV execs would back it as a TV show. AG is based on a world where ‘Gods’ are personified in human form and their power comes from the belief that people have in them. The more people believe in them, the more powerful they become. The concept of turning ‘Gods’ into super heroes/villains with powers is a genius idea by Gaiman and it’s this concept that kept me downing mouthfuls of his theology soup without thinking about what was in it. Gaiman’s ‘God’ characters are all really interesting, diverse and complex (when you consider the theology behind the writing). These characters’ act as anchors and keep you reading, even when the bonkers plot makes absolutely no sense. Its these ‘God’ characters, when portrayed by high caliber actors like McShane, that will make for great TV.
Being a Gaiman noob, I can honestly say that all the fuss that gets made about him is warranted. He is, without question, a very talented and intelligent writer who has a distinct and unique flair when it comes to characterisation. When you’re eating a Gaiman soup, after a single mouthful you’d know he was the Chef.
That’s enough of the pleasantries. AG was just a little too crazy for me. Listening to it, it felt like I was riding a roller coaster with a ridiculous number of upside down loops. When I read a novel I expect there to be a couple of twists and turns, but AG is packed with so many that it left me feeling disorientated, bewildered and frustrated. At the end, when I was scraping the bottom of the soup bowl with my spoon, I was like “What the **** did I just eat?”
With AG, Gaiman invites you to take a seat in his car as he road trips across America, meeting interesting ‘Gods’ and visiting a bunch of really bizarre places. However, it’s like the whole time you’re in his car you’ve got a hood over your head and it’s storming outside. Sure, it’s fun to be on a road trip, but when I’m on a road trip, I like to know where I’m going and how I’m going to get there. I’m not the kind of careless free spirit who gets in a car without a map and drives wherever the wind takes me. If that sounds like you, you will probably LOVE AG, but I can’t say that I did.
Don’t get me wrong, Gaiman left an overall positive impression on me, because his writing style is, without question, amazing. I will happily check out some more of his work and, after listening to the audiobook, I’m even more excited to watch the upcoming TV show… I just hope the TV execs make it a lot more coherent and easily digestible.
Who should read this book?
Anyone who enjoys reading Stephen King's more 'out there' novels.
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