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Binding: MP3 CDDewey Decimal Number: 813.54 EAN: 9780060836252 Edition: MP3 Una Format: Audiobook, Unabridged ISBN: 0060836253 Label: HarperAudio Manufacturer: HarperAudio Number Of Items: 2 Publication Date: September 01, 2005 Publisher: HarperAudio Release Date: September 20, 2005 Studio: HarperAudio Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: American Gods is Neil Gaiman's best and most ambitious novel yet, a scary, strange, and hallucinogenic road-trip story wrapped around a deep examination of the American spirit. Gaiman tackles everything from the onslaught of the information age to the meaning of death, but he doesn't sacrifice the razor-sharp plotting and narrative style he's been delivering since his Sandman days. Shadow gets out of prison early when his wife is killed in a car crash. At a loss, he takes up with a mysterious character called Wednesday, who is much more than he appears. In fact, Wednesday is an old god, once known as Odin the All-father, who is roaming America rounding up his forgotten fellows in preparation for an epic battle against the upstart deities of the Internet, credit cards, television, and all that is wired. Shadow agrees to help Wednesday, and they whirl through a psycho-spiritual storm that becomes all too real in its manifestations. For instance, Shadow's dead wife Laura keeps showing up, and not just as a ghost--the difficulty of their continuing relationship is by turns grim and darkly funny, just like the rest of the book. Armed only with some coin tricks and a sense of purpose, Shadow travels through, around, and underneath the visible surface of things, digging up all the powerful myths Americans brought with them in their journeys to this land as well as the ones that were already here. Shadow's road story is the heart of the novel, and it's here that Gaiman offers up the details that make this such a cinematic book--the distinctly American foods and diversions, the bizarre roadside attractions, the decrepit gods reduced to shell games and prostitution. "This is a bad land for Gods," says Shadow. More than a tourist in America, but not a native, Neil Gaiman offers an outside-in and inside-out perspective on the soul and spirituality of the country--our obsessions with money and power, our jumbled religious heritage and its societal outcomes, and the millennial decisions we face about what's real and what's not. --Therese Littleton Product Description: Released from prison, Shadow finds his world turned upside down. His wife has been killed; a mysterious stranger offers him a job. But Mr. Wednesday, who knows more about Shadow than is possible, warns that a storm is coming -- a battle for the very soul of America ... and they are in its direct path. One of the most talked-about books of the new millennium, American Gods is a kaleidoscopic journey deep into myth and across an American landscape at once eerily familiar and utterly alien. It is, quite simply, a contemporary masterpiece. Performed by George Guidall This Program requires an MP3-CD Player Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Not an Easy Read, but it's still Neil GaimanJust finished American Gods, by Neil Gaiman. I am a huge fan of Neil Gaiman having loved Stardust, Neverwhere, Anansi Boys, and Fragile Things. I am not sure exactly what I expected with this novel, but I do know that I expected a bit more. There were some very bright spots towards the end, including the unlikely and unexpected resolution to a mystery, that saved the book for me. I had a difficult time warming up to many of the characters. I certainly can't complain about the writing; however, ... Read More Rating: - Very Clever & FunThis was a Christmas present from my sister-in-law last year. I completely loved Anansi Boys and was eager to tear into this one. I must say, I really thought Anansi Boys was a better book. That isn't to say I didn't like this one, I just thought that Anansi Boys flowed better. I really loved how he took ancient mythology and breathed new life into the old stories. I honestly found myself wishing more of the story was from the perspective of the old gods rather than the main character, ... Read More Rating:  - Excellenttruly one of Gaiman's best. I adored this book so much, that I'm hoping he'll continue to write stories about Shadow in the future. He's written a short story titled "Monarch of the Glen", (included in "Fragile Things") that takes on Shadow's journey after the events of this novel...another excellent example of Gaiman's storytelling. This book is a must for anyone interested in Neil Gaiman's work, or mythology or both. Rating: - better than averagethis book was good i guess . it was enticing to begin with. also it contained a new type of plot but i do agree it is dark and that there is not a clear protagonist but the muddling of charachters gives it some flavor p.s. it is long Rating: - Enjoyable, fun adventure!I have a particular weakness for irreverent humor, satire, and surreality, so when I was recommended to read "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman I was agreeable. I had loved Sandman and his joint-venture with Terry Pratchett in Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (Discworld). However, I was surprised and found myself eagerly devouring this novel because it was unique, not many books are able incorporate mythology, satire, and humor so successfully. As always, Gaiman ... Read More |
