american gods.

There is quite simply no one else like Gaiman. His work is so remarkably full and deep. He is second to none in his ability to write dark fantasy that slips in through the cracks of the post-modern soul.

During a year in which I have read so many wonderful books, this is my favorite so far. Set in modern day America, where all of the many immigrant cultures (dating all the way back to the original immigrants who came across the land bridge from Eurasia) have brought their gods with them.

In this world, in some mysterious way, a certain type of belief in a thing makes it so, and worship gives it power. The imaginations of countless races and peoples have thus been vehicles for the movement of various deities and monsters to the great melting pot. However, America is not a very sacred place. It is not a good place for gods. The old gods are being replaced by the newer gods of cars, and markets, and television, and computer technology, each with their own personifications. A storm is coming.

Here is where Shadow, the stoic protagonist’s story begins. I’ll let you read the book for yourself if you want to know more than that, because that’s all I knew heading in and I liked it that way.

I’m continually amazed by Neil Gaiman in so many ways. His vast grasp of mythology and historical fantasy stories gives his writing such a remarkable richness. It results in the reader always knowing that he or she is only seeing the tip of the iceberg for so many of the characters and events, allowing the imagination to run wild in so many directions. There were plenty of gods I knew enough about to see what was going on beneath the surface, with plenty more I researched a bit to get an even deeper understanding of their role in the story.

I loved this book.