The Book Bump

First Published: 2001
Author: Neil Gaiman
Original Language: English
Reading Language: French
Genre: Fantasy
My rating: 3.5/5 (rounded up to 4/5 for Goodreads)

America. Shadow is released from prison early for good behaviour. The downside? His wife is dead… or is she?
At a loose end, Shadow meets Mr Wednesday, who hires him as a sort of bodyguard/driver/companion… (It’s hard to describe precisely what position Shadow holds under the employment of Mr Wednesday).
They embark on a journey across the United States, attempting to convince the Gods of Old to join their cause against the New Gods.

Where do I start with this one?

I doubt this would have been something I’d have picked myself if I’d visited a bookstore. Before this, Neil Gaiman wasn’t particularly on my radar. I don’t read much fantasy. It’s not that I don’t like it, but simply, I sometimes forget the genre. I tend to gravitate towards thrillers.

I picked up this book first because it was on Stephen King’s book list and second because I wanted to try something new. What better way to do that than with a genre that has become a stranger to me and an author I’ve never read?

The premise of the novel is excellent. The idea that all Gods, even the oldest, still walk among us is fantastic. What’s not to like about the idea of a war between Gods of Old and New Gods? I enjoy mythology, and I liked learning about so many new Gods.

As for the “New Gods”, I loved the idea that some “mundane” things that we, humans, “sacrifice” so much of our time for were elevated to the realm of Gods. It does make you question the state of society these days.

However, I feel conflicted.

A lot is going on in this novel. Sometimes, too much. It’s hard to keep up. Mostly, we follow the protagonist, Shadow, as he works for Mr Wednesday. But sometimes, there are so many subplots that I felt a bit lost while reading.

Lots of the adventures Shadow and Mr Wednesday go on seem to be nothing more than little side stories. I wonder whether so many were necessary. Things happen, but then there’s no follow-up. That’s not to say they are loose ends, but sometimes, as the reader, I would have liked to know more about less. Does that make sense?

Because the story veered off in all directions after the first 50 pages, I sometimes found it hard to concentrate. When I picked the book up again, I didn’t always remember where the characters were or what was happening. I’m a little obsessed sometimes with stopping at the end of a chapter, but it’s safe to say Gaiman’s chapters in American Gods were too long to do that. The next best thing was to stop at chapter breaks (which sometimes, I didn’t always understand why they weren’t new chapters, but hey ho), but even then, that could be several pages long.

There are elements in this book that took me by surprise, in a good way. I’m usually good at guessing at the plot, but I didn’t see it coming. Perhaps I missed the details that allowed me to work it out… but Gaiman seemed to have my mind all over the place with all the little side stories that I never knew which ones were important and which weren’t. My attention was drawn in the wrong direction, and I was hustled like the rest. It honestly felt good to be surprised by the motivations of a character. It’s been a while since that happened.

There are so many characters that I could hardly keep up with them all. A few main characters, some main supporting characters, and a flurry of secondary characters appear sporadically throughout the books.

The main characters are brilliant.

I loved Shadow, a loveable lug. He can be a bit slow at cottoning on to what is happening, but he works it out in the end. And he’s such a likeable guy.

The author also switches between their common names, God names, and other appellations. Sometimes, it’s hard to know who is who. Whether that is done deliberately or not, I don’t know. But it is a little frustrating.

The plot can be slow. Despite the impending war’s supposed urgency, the characters seem to take their time preparing. I enjoy the change from fast-paced, action-packed novels, but sometimes, the pace felt off with the characters’ context.

Did I enjoy reading American Gods? Yes. However, I was hoping for a little more action. After all, the Gods were meant to be at war.

Will I try another Gaiman novel? Yes. I’m curious to read Anansi Boys within the same(-ish) realm as American Gods.

I am curious to watch the Amazon Prime series, as I believe the screen could do this book justice. I would love to see some of the scenes described by Gaiman played out.