AMERICAN GODS 10TH ANNIVERSARY

This book is worth every minute I spent reading it, Gailman is a magician when it comes to weaving words that stays in the readers minds for ever. He had created the best heroes and anti heroes of out times , while weaving mysticism and ancient folklore into a magical story that can be enjoyed by the modern generation.

Forever in pursuit of beautiful editions, I could not resist getting my hands on the latest special editions of the Neil Gaiman American Gods quartet. And boy, are they pretty? In the finest Neil Gaiman tradition, the jacket illustrations are compelling and eye-catching to say the least. The illustrations inside are dark and minimalist, and maybe 'pretty', which normally brings to mind something airy, light and possibly pink, is not the correct term for them. In the introduction, the author mentions that the publishers sent along readers' copies along with the special edition so that people won't soil the beautiful, white covers on the originals. What?! Who thinks like that - except Americans, of course. I myself had to remove the white dust jacket before reading the hefty volume of American Gods or it certainly wouldn't have survived even the first reading.This edition of American Gods is huge! In the introduction, Neil Gaiman mentions that he put in all the parts that were edited out by his first publisher in the previous editions because you know it was after all a labour of love and he wanted to see the complete book for once. Well, I understood where his editor was coming from when I read this book and completely agreed that there were quite a few parts, sometimes entire chapters, that could have been easily removed without harming the overall telling of the tale. Like the chapter on Nunyuninni and the journal entry by the Egyptian God Ibis. That is not to say that they were not as unexceptional as the rest of the book.This is the story of Shadow, a convict who is about to be released back into the world after serving a sentence for robbery, battery and assault. He keeps his head down, reads Herodotus' Histories and counts the days that will bring him home to his wife again. Unfortunately, two days before he is to be released, his wife dies in a car crash and his whole world goes upside down. What follows is a series of inexplicable and unbelievable events that seem to take over his life completely. Shadow, being the kind of man he is, simply accepts the lemons and the few prickly roses that life seems to be dishing out o him and keeps moving with the flow.  And strangely, I didnot question his not questioning all the bizarre things happening all around him. It seemed but natural that after the painful loss of his wife he will take a man who seems to know all about him and seems to appear out of apparently thin air as a matter of course. The concept of the book, that of Gods moving with devotees from one continent to another, and then feeling lost and abandoned as people move on and start forgetting their roots, is an absolutely genius concept. Why did nobody else ever thing of it? Everyone is forever talking about the Irish superstitions and so on in the old country but none ever anywhere else. And then the new Gods that are emerging, because what else is devotion but intense concentration and meditation on something. And nothing commands more concentration than the video games everyone is constantly playing nowadays. So, is it too far-fetched a concept that a new God could be the 'Internet'?Never being a fan of dark fiction, I nevertheless found myself unable to put this tome down before I had read it all. And it says something about the book when you find yourself willing to lug it around with a child on one hip in the hopes of finding a spare moment to finish another chapter. It is disturbing, there is an alarming level of violence in it and the sex is downright weird - and yet it one feels a compulsion to keep on reading to find out what comes next. Some of the chapters, like Mr Ibis' journal entry feels almost like a philosophical essay. And a joy to read for its contents. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, when I wasn't really prepared for it. I was horribly scared that my impulse buy would turn out to be a complete dud, but happily all's well that ends well. I have still to read the three other books of the quartet, but I needed a little break before I could attempt reading more about these sometimes vicious, sometimes sweet American Gods and their shenanigans.

Neil Gaiman is a genius and if you haven't read this one, then I highly recommend that you should. Personally, I LOVED this book. The plot is that of a fantasy book; though I am not particularly not fond of fantasy books or shows, Gaiman keeps me engrossed with the vivid description, crisp and contemporary writing, and the thrill/suspense. This is an ultimate page turner.About this particular copy, it is a special edition book, that has author interview, special notes, and a whole extra novella. In Gaiman's own words, he is most proud of this edition. I bought the paperback (for Rs. 319) and have no complains. Go for it.

If you like to live on the Internet, you've probably come across a new TV series called 'American Gods'. Based on the book of the same name by Neil Gaiman, American Gods explores the expedition of Shadow, an ex-convict and the mysterious Mr Wednesday. Being a firm believer of the read-the-book-before-you-watch-the-show principle, I decided to give the book a read. Our protagonist is Shadow- a calm, collected, tough but sensitive guy. After three years of imprisonment and the tragic death of his wife, Shadow encounters Mr Wednesday. What happens next is a dreamlike journey through America. The Old Gods, brought to America with the beliefs of immigrants for thousands of years, now wither and clamber for survival. There is a war between these Gods as old as America and the New Gods we worship every day- the gods of technology and media.The book is full of incredible wonder and kitchen-sink reality. Gaiman doesn't filter the gods with nostalgia. He doesn't portray them as simply loveable. They are powerful, but often monstrous.It's easy to label the New Gods as villains, but Gaiman's writing isn't instantly gratifying. They aren't portrayed very subtly, as they seem to clearly act like villains, but can they be blamed when we worship them on a daily basis?The tone is both ambiguous and detailed. Gaiman perfectly knows how to move from blank tones, perfect for describing road trips, to sudden flashes of visionary madness.Would I recommend this book to everyone? Yes. Would I go as far as shoving it down their throats? Certainly.

Too winding.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this book. I think I like it. It's long, meandering and more than a little self indulgent, but it's beautifully written and tells a story I could never have imagined or thought I would be read. It's nice sometimes to read a book that's not in a hurry to get anywhere fast. A book that strays from the main story and narrates other tales without warning. But that's what makes this great. Like listening to a grandparent tell you a story. They start with something and forget and digress and tell you many other stories before coming back and finishing the original one they started. But that's the whole point of it. Not finding out what happens in the end, but just enjoying the little stories along the way. stories of gods and men and beasts and people from a long time ago from places you'll never go to.I imagine you'll be a lot more patient with this book if you're already a Gaimann fan. For first time readers of this author I'm not sure how it'll go.Definitely glad I read it.

What a pleasure to read. I have just finished and will reread after I have digested this wonderful tale for a week or two.Exciting, well crafted, and with as many twists as there are characters in the book.

Hacia mucho tiempo que quería leer este libro. Soy fan de Neil Gaiman y mis expectativas eran altas, y no me ha defraudado. Consigue mantener tu interés del principio hasta el final con una historia apasionante y giros inesperados. Estoy deseando leer otra novela de este autor.

A great book.

Bellissimo! Neil Gaiman disegna personaggi che ti rimangono impressi per sempre, divinità in cui noi comuni mortali ci rispecchiamo.

Dudé mucho sobre leer este libro pero no me arrepiento de haberlo recogido. Neil Gaiman ha logrado crear personajes fantasiosos asentados en nuestra realidad, en una atmósfera de suspenso que dura todo la lectura. Vale la pena conocer la historia actual de los dioses que han logrado sobrevivir a pesar de la falta de devoción.