Ben reviewed American Gods (American Gods, #1) by Neil Gaiman
Good but long
4 stars
I read the 10th anniversary edition, which is longer than the original. It seemed a little slow at times and I think the original edition might be better.
Paperback
Italian language
Published Sept. 23, 2016 by Mondadori.
American Gods (2001) is a fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow. The book was published in 2001 by Headline in the United Kingdom and by William Morrow in the United States. It gained a positive critical response and won the 2002 Hugo and Nebula awards.A special tenth anniversary edition, which includes the "author's preferred text" and 12,000 additional words, was published in June 2011 by William Morrow. Two audio versions of the book were produced and published by Harper Audio: an unabridged version of the original published edition, read by George Guidall, released in 2001; a full cast audiobook version of the tenth anniversary edition, released in 2011. In March 2017, The Folio Society published a special collector's edition of American Gods, with many corrections …
American Gods (2001) is a fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow. The book was published in 2001 by Headline in the United Kingdom and by William Morrow in the United States. It gained a positive critical response and won the 2002 Hugo and Nebula awards.A special tenth anniversary edition, which includes the "author's preferred text" and 12,000 additional words, was published in June 2011 by William Morrow. Two audio versions of the book were produced and published by Harper Audio: an unabridged version of the original published edition, read by George Guidall, released in 2001; a full cast audiobook version of the tenth anniversary edition, released in 2011. In March 2017, The Folio Society published a special collector's edition of American Gods, with many corrections to the author's preferred text version.In April 2017, Starz began airing a television adaptation of the novel. Bryan Fuller and Michael Green served as showrunners, and Gaiman is an executive producer. Fuller and Green departed the show after the first season.
I read the 10th anniversary edition, which is longer than the original. It seemed a little slow at times and I think the original edition might be better.
Kertomus siitä, kuinka jumalat eri puolilta maailmaa saapuivat Amerikkaan ja kuinka ne tämän päivän Yhdysvalloissa ottavat yhteen nykypäivän jumalten kanssa. Yhteenoton välikappaleeksi joutuu nuorehko mies, joka vapautuu vankilasta ja on päättänyt olla joutumatta sinne uudelleen. Pitkäksi venyvä road trip erilaisten uskontojen ja uskomusten sekamelskassa ja hiukan äijäkirjallisuuden elkeitä yhdysvaltalaisen erityislaatuisuuden tunnelmissa, mutta kunhan lukemisessa pääsee vauhtiin, niin ihan viihdyttävähän tämä on.
The majority of my goodreads friends have either read this book or plan to. Excellent urban fantasy folk mythic road-trip story (and mystery!). I understand the audiobook version is also very good.
Very strong characters and story telling. When Slavic gods appeared not soon after the Norse, I was hooked. I look forward to reading Anansi Boys and watching the television series - though part of me isn't sure if I want to worship that particular American God.
Favorite quote:
"What I say is, a town isn't a town without a bookstore. It may call itself a town, but unless it's got a bookstore, it knows it's not foolin' a soul."