American Gods by Neil Gaiman

(Caidyn)

5/5

Listening to the full-cast audiobook was probably the best choice I ever made. This is one of my favorite books. Hands down. I won’t add any more to the conversation, nor can I talk about the show since I don’t get Starz. (sob)

The audiobook is amazing. It’s the author’s preferred text, so you’re getting the experience he wanted to give all along. Then, you get a full cast reading to you. Which is wonderful. Gaiman reads as well every so often and if you’ve never had him reading to you, it’s a treat. He’s a wonderful storyteller and even better.

For those afraid of this book, it is weird. It’s fucking weird on so many levels. But, it’s about gods. What do you expect? Gods are weird. Religions are weird. It’s only to be expected. If you can get past the weirdness, it’s a great book. Mystery, horror, thriller, fantasy, sci-fi, romance. This book has it all.

Mystery, horror, thriller, fantasy, sci-fi, romance. This book has it all. Perhaps it’s not a perfect book, but it’s so damn close and captivating that I had to give it five stars. I think that this is the only Neil Gaiman book that I’ve absolutely adored, and it’s definitely the only five-star book by him.

There are three main characters to this. Shadow, an ex-convict; Laura, Shadow’s wife; and Mr. Wednesday, Shadow’s employer. The story is Shadow’s discovery of identity. And, along the way, you meet some gods. Get into a war between the old and new ones. Have a few mysteries and a romance. Some weird acid trip like journeys. (Which is why Bryan Fuller is the perfect person to adapt this. If you’re in doubt, watch Hannibal and you’ll see what I mean.)

There’s no real plot to the book. Sure, there is something. I can tell you that it’s the battle of the gods, but that just doesn’t encompass the whole thing, you know? It makes me feel like I’m leaving out so much because that’s just the rough plot.

It’s one of those books that you finish and want to reread right away because you want to experience it again. There’s so much to it that you miss.

June 7, 2017 by bwreviews Categories: caidyn 14 Comments