Heya folks! Thanks for stoppin’ in to this re-read review of American Gods. With the upcoming Stars TV show, I thought it would be a good time for me to revisit a book I read almost 7 years ago before diving into an entirely new interpretation. Here are a few helpful review pointers for first-time readers/viewers and the more seasoned American Gods’ fans.

1.tThis review is SPOILER-FREE. American Gods is an enigmatic story, so I won’t even discuss anything other than the most cursory of plot details. Anything revealed herein is minor, revealed on the back of the book, or vague enough to keep you fresh for a read or the season premiere of the new show.
2.tThis is my first re-read review. So, I’ll be talking a bit about what I remember of my initial impression as well as how I feel about the book now.
3.tI’m trying to read a bunch of Neil Gaiman in 2017. You can see my reviews for n  The View From the Cheap Seatsn and n  Norse Mythologyn in the links!

American Gods is really the book that's got all that you'd expect from an investigation of Americana. There's a road trip, murder mystery, all kinds of crime, sex, violence, love story, and more motels and hotels than you could ever have imagined.

When I read American Gods in the summer of 2010, I remember being fairly unimpressed with it. I had just come off reading the entirety of Gaiman’s Sandman in four, door-stopping volumes that together took a few weeks’ pay from my summer job. Still, I was snapping at the bit for more Gaiman, and I was told by many Internet resources that American Gods was the way to go. Ultimately, I was disappointed by the book, though I rated it four stars when first signing up for Goodreads in an ill-conceived attempt to look cool.

In many ways, my re-read has allowed me to forgive and understand my lack of appreciation for American Gods on my first go-around. In many ways it’s a book that wouldn’t have scratched the itch I had for adventure and was, indeed, a much more complex novel than I was used to dealing with at the time. This read had me astonished more often, more appreciative at the craft, and really digging the mythological deep-cuts that Gaiman leaves around the novel like gumdrops for the mythology nerds. Having said that, some of the problems I remember having with American Gods cropped up again on this read.

Though I remembered some of the plot, I discovered that I had forgotten a great deal about it. A scattered scene was seared into my brain, the big twists and turns I remembered, but there was a great deal more that I had forgotten. In broad strokes, American Gods follows newly released convict Shadow Moon who is offered a job by a mysterious stranger on the night of his wife’s funeral, and a road-trip across America ensues. The road-trip, I should mention, happens to be more fantastical in nature than Shadow initially suspected it would be and mythological madness adapted to the American countryside ensues.

Some non-spoiler-y stuff that still pestered me through this read: Shadow, a meandering plot, mythology reference-laden scenes. Shadow turns out to be one of the most appealing parts of the book as it goes on, but at first he’s a bit of a bore. He doesn’t reveal much about himself, he doesn’t react to much, and he is somewhat a passenger on a ride for more than half the book. This ride, it turns out, actually is a bit tedious to follow in its first few crests and troughs. The novel keeps its cards so close to the chest for such a long time that the most compelling reason to go on is just to know, What the fuck is going on here? Either of these issues on their own wouldn’t be too bad, but when it’s tough to get a handle on the plot AND the main character? It makes for a bit of a plodding opening despite some really good scenes.

The peculiar scenes that pepper the novel appealed more to me now than they had in the past, but they also frustrate. Having recently read Gaiman’s Norse Mythology, I was well-primed for the nitty-gritty of the Norse references throughout American Gods. Even though I got a lot more on this read than I could have possibly gotten on my first round, there was still a lot of Gods, folk heroes, and the like that I didn’t recognize. It makes for scenes that have cool visuals, but more often than I’d like to admit I was like, Am I supposed to know this goddess? However, it might be fun in another almost-decade to come back to this novel and see what other new stuff I can find.

Oh, and I loved discovering the Sandman Easter eggs littered through the novel that I missed on first pass. I heard a rumor that all the Endless make an appearance? I spotted two!

The ending, and the twists that precede it in the final 200 pages, I appreciated much more this time around. I remember being frustrated and thinking that all the cool stuff littered throughout was for naught. This time I appreciated the conclusion a lot more. It provides an ending that is true to its themes and, in my opinion, nails the character arcs in a way that is really satisfying. Also, I was less focused on the overall mysteries that drive the novel on this read, which let me appreciate all the smaller scenes along the way.

I’m really glad I decided to re-read American Gods. It’s an American novel written by a British lad. I was impressed to read that Gaiman had changed his writing to better suit the American style. I think that the story is an important one in these times too: it is a story, inherently, about immigrants, immigration, and the boiling pot of America. It’s a novel that’s got a lot of depth to it, and I’m really glad I was able to explore those depths on this second go-around.

I may have initially given American Gods four stars to look good, but this time the novel earned it.


NOTE ON TV SHOW: Here's me returning with my promise to offer some thoughts on the show!

1) Brian Fuller was an inspired and powerful choice. This adaptation is the perfect follow up to Hannibal: Fuller is able to go weirder and it works every time.

2) The casting is sublime! Does Shadow not look and sound like you'd expect him to? Is Wednesday not exactly the grifter you pictured?

3) Deviations from the novel are welcome and the fourth episode shows that the writers have a handle on the world and characters and can expand appropriately.

This is my Book Of the Month- October 2016, with GR group- The Reading For Pleasure Book Club, Category:Fiction Group Read.

I did not know what to expect going into this book and was happy with the overall concept of this story. This is all about Old Gods and the New, Dead rising from the grave, lots of confusing dreams, a road journey, mystery, war and last but not the least CON jobs!



OLD GODS: n  "They brought me, and Loki and Thor, Anansi and the Lion-God, Leprechauns and Kobolds and Banshees, Kubera and Frau Holle and Ashtaroth, and they brought you."n
The story fluctuates from present to different times in past where we come across the beliefs of people in olden days for a deity and what is the current condition of the said deity in America.
This was really interesting to read as I came across a lot of Old Gods and folklore related to them that I wasn't aware of.

NEW GODS: n  "There are new gods growing in America, clinging growing knots of belief: gods of credit card and freeway, of Internet and telephone, of radio and hospital and television, gods of plastic and of beeper and of neon."n

And then there is an ongoing War between the Old Gods and the New. This felt more like watching an old movie with gang war involved and I think the author did a really smart job here.

n  "Yes, it's still God's Own Country," said the announcer, a news reporter pronouncing the final tag line. "The only question is, which gods?"n

Then there are the dreams which are damn confusing but an integral part of the story!
n  " 'I feel', Shadow told her, 'like I'm in a world with its own sense of logic. Its own rules. Like when you're in a dream, and you know there are rules you mustn't break'. "n

The book has a surreal and eerie feel to it.

The plot is really good but I had a few problems. Firstly, it took time for me to get used to the author's writing style. Even after I got into the rhythm of reading it, there were parts involving multiple people conversation which confused me and I had to go back and read it again to understand who said what!

I don't mind a big book but the moment I start feeling the story is long is not a good sign and that's what happened while reading this. The story feels too long and I just wanted it to end even though what was happening was intriguing.

Also, the main protagonist- Shadow was emotionless. He may have felt something at his wife's death-  or at least at her betrayal and what he had to go through after that but as a reader I was unable to connect with him. I also absolutely HATED Laura and whatever good she did later on still did not improve how I felt for her!

Apart from the above mentioned drawbacks, it made for a good read and hence the 3 stars.

Being the cheapskate that I am, I picked this up for nix! Well, almost. I swapped it for something in the many neighbourhood libraries I wander past in my daily walks that I do in my never-ending attempt to live for ever and become a god.
(Is Meili the god of walking? Walking is after all a form of travel. Is walking my Ambrosia?)

So this sat on my TBR shelf for what seemed an eternity (Aion is the god of eternity and also an album by the wonderful for all eternity band Dead Can Dance)

Until a young lass told me about a TV series called by the same name that she had watched an episode or two of.
(The modern god for all things media is in fact Media in American Gods, but in Australia the modern media god is in fact a US citizen called Rupert Murdoch who seems to be an immortal of some kind or other)

The young lass I made loan to was very keen on what she had been reading as she gave me periodical updates but made a complete stop at Chapter Eleven as she was off to get married.
(Parvati came to mind)

Brightly, I said I would read it and then hand it back to her after I had finished and she had come back from her honeymoon.
(May Anjea have been, or be kind to the delightful young lass)

Well, here I am writing a review of this rather good book.
(Is there a god of book reviewers? Troth maybe?)

And I enjoyed this.
(By Hedone I enjoyed it a hel of a lot and was that syncretic?)

There are now 826,000 plus ratings and 41,000 plus reviews on this here Goodreads so there is not much I can say about it.
(Seshat would be proud of those numbers.)

So I add nothing other than just don’t take it all too seriously, as it is fantasy after all.
(Roger Zelazny is the American god of fantasy, Neil Gaimen has to agree)

Recommended to those of us that worship Anulap

I did like this, I liked this very much.

This was on my to read list and given I’ve never heard of the guy before it must have been recommended to me by someone. No idea who, though. It is a little surprising that when I looked no one I knew had reviewed this book. What had inspired me to read it is lost now.

A friend of mine wrote to me last week about her son’s interest in magic tricks – now, that must be the first time in years that I’ve thought about magic at all. So, when this one started and the main character turns out to like doing coin tricks I had that strange feeling one sometimes gets when a couple of unexpected lines cross just as your passing and catch your heel so as to make you stumble and skip for a step or two.

There is a Gary Larson cartoon stacked full of all of the gods that no one believes in anymore – I can barely remember it – some sort of retirement home for forgotten gods. If you took that cartoon, stirred in some Tom Waits, added a dash or two of Joseph Campbell, sprinkled a handful of jet black humour, creamed in a murder mystery and plopped a few cubes of Houdini’s more impressive escape acts you might have some idea what this book is like.

More than once I laughed with pure delight, though more often I just smiled at how nicely this was written and how well the story was handled. Okay, it nearly got away from him towards the end and there was probably just a bit too much talking to camera at one point which is always the least impressive way to explain a major plotting point – even after all this had been handled so much competently (ie trusting the reader more) earlier in the book – I still loved this book.

The idea of the Gods being virtually unemployed and eking out a living on road kill or through prostitution was very amusing. Some of the asides were as interesting as the story itself. Who would have thought that Genies would be such queer things?

I’m not really one to read fantasy novels, but this one was quite something. Clever, fast paced and with themes of life, death, love, revenge, obligation, gratitude, desire, loss and the right time for things to happen – how could I not like this book?

I don't believe in God or Gods or so many things - but in fiction, when a mysterious character says, "Believe"... When that happens, I believe. I don't need Gods, but I do need myths and stories and the psychological truths they reveal.

I am not so familiar with the urban fantasy sub-genre, I read a few Sookie Stackhouse books and one Dresden Files book, they are readable but they did not hook me into following their series. Neil Gaiman is a very different kind of fantasy author, there is a peculiarly whimsical tone to his narrative which I find very pleasant. American Gods is his best-known novel, though his best-known work may be the Sandman graphic novels (which I have not read). Deliberately meandering (the author says so in the Forward) the book is nevertheless immensely readable thanks to the author's literary yet whimsical (that word again) prose style, even the slow moving passages where nothing much seem to be happening are a breeze to read.

The story is essentially about gods in America, taken at face value it is an entertaining road trip through a fantastical world where gods are created by faith rather than the other way around. The narrative is mostly from the point of view of the protagonist Shadow who seems to go through life with remarkable equanimity. None of the supernatural goings-on seems to surprise him throughout the book in spite of the increasing outlandishness of events. Some people I have talked to find him too bland or too much of a blank slate, I personally find him quite likable, especially with his fondness for coin tricks. Better still, the cast of characters are generally a weird and wonderful bunch, like you would find in a Dickens novel but weirder. Special mention must go to the enigmatic Mr. Wednesday and the even more enigmatic supervillain Mr. World. Less weird (but still weird) is Laura, Shadow's zombie wife who is not interested in devouring flesh or brains, only the welfare of her husband and going back to being a real girl again. She is the book's most sympathetic character, and also quietly, discreetly and politely badass when she needs to take action.

The aforementioned (too frequently mentioned) whimsical prose style makes reading the book a little like dreaming sometimes, I was happy to drift along with it at a leisurely pace (took me almost two weeks to finish it due to lack of time). The book that follows this one Anansi Boys is tighter, faster-paced and funnier. Still, this one is well worth a read.


Picture from Tiny Little Dot on Tumblr
___________________
Notes:
• A TV series based on this book air in "early 2017" (whatever that means). More info
• "First Look Trailer"

This book turned me over completely to Neil Gaiman and made me drooly and ga-ga for his writing like a Twilight fangirl on too much fairy dust. I've read a few of Gaiman's works before (The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes, Neverwhere, Anansi Boys, and Stardust), but none have blown me so completely out of the boiling seas like American Gods.

American Gods is one of the quirkiest books on American culture and belief that I've read. Told from the perspective of a particularly insightful non-American, American Gods takes a long, hard look at how cultures and religions mesh, change, and fade in the states. How do Americans define and create faith? What gods does a godless nation--or maybe an excessively god-full nation--have with not even 300 years of national existence under its belt? With ghosts, murders, gods (both forgotten and barely worshipped), Naiman weaves a tale that suspends previous conceptions of the American psyche, turns it up on its head, and makes you question, Who really is that homeless crazy in the subway station calling himself Mr. Wednesday?

Like the questions it poses, the story is not straightforward. Rather, it's a meandering road trip that takes numerous pit stops at creepy carnivals and random road-side attractions. Only, you have old worn-out gods and cranky demons for company.

Highly recommended, and definitely one of my favorite novels of all time!

Update: Re-read for the first time in years to prep for reviewing the tv show. So excited!!! I'm recapping for B&N, I'll be putting links up on my profile periodically to the recaps.

Overall, this is a harder book than I remembered. So much harder (as in, harder-edged) and more thoughtful than I remember, both. It's not as twisty/turny surprise-y as it was when I read it last time, but it more than makes up for it with the new thematic things I have the headspace to think about. There's so much here to play with and I'm hoping they use as much of it as possible.
***
Original: Here's my new review of this, up on the B&N fantasy blog: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sc...

Yay!!

“Hog farm,” said Czernobog. “You just said that the real center of America was a hog farm.”
“This isn't about what is,” said Mr. Nancy. “It's about what people think is. It's all imaginary anyway. That's why it's important. People only fight over imaginary things.”
“My kind of people?” asked Shadow. “Or your kind of people?”
Nancy said nothing.”

This book is huge. And I'm not referring to its 600+ pages.

RTC if I ever come up with a decent sequence of words able to explain the reasons behind such majesty. So don't hold your breath. Just go read it.

I bought a used copy of this book a couple of years ago and started it with great anticipation, but stuttered to a stop in the second chapter when I got to the infamous (and explicitly described) man-eating vagina. This book has been sitting on my shelf ever since. I keep thinking maybe sometime I'll give it another shot, but I haven't been able to bring myself to open it back up again. Friends who've read it are about equally divided between "loved it" and "tedious and over-long," and the idea of tedious combined with gross has been enough to keep me away.

For a confused minute (or a week really if I can be truly honest with myself), I tried typing power overwhelming using my Kindle Paperwhite. Now kids, power overwhelming is a Star Craft cheat that made ones' troops god-like or invincible. I wanted god-like powers so I'd have the power to read through and like American Gods, but alas, I am only human and cannot smite Neil Gaiman for my disappointment.

I have to hand it to Neil Gaiman for coming up with this fantastic concept, a Battle Royale between the old and the new gods. What's not to like? Plenty as it turns out. I know I am not alone in my disappointment with American Gods.I buddy read this with my friends Vane and Evelyn (who hasn't finished yet), but Vane and I have pretty much similar gripes. On the bigger scale though, we're probably the odd ducks as this is such a popular and critically acclaimed novel.

One of the biggest issues I have with American Gods is its main protagonist, Shadow. He's a lug with a penchant for coin tricks and is dull. I'm not sure if he's really meant to be that way to contrast with the bigger-than-life deities or he's just an underdeveloped character, either way it worked against the narrative of the story. The old deities were just a little better written than Shadow, while the new gods were laughably undeveloped. I didn't care for any of them at all.
Early on in the book the end-goal is discussed at some length, so I was filled with anticipation as to whom will join their fight, but that anticipation withered as the story dragged on to anywhere but the fight. I had to read 10% each day as per our buddy read contract (emoji filled gchat really, but who cares), but most days I was just like



At around 80%, I was all



It's a shame really as the plot was really good, but the execution was just TOO tedious.

I'm sure the word weird has been thrown a lot when talking about American Gods. Oh, it is plenty weird, but the world itself is not weird as much as muddled and poorly incorporated. I guess when gods walk among men, everything else is fair game, it doesn't matter if mortals can grasp it or not. It certainly takes Deus Ex Machina to a different level.

This is my first Gaiman and I'm not impressed yet.Normally, I'm a fan of the weird, the strange and fantastical, this is not one of those times.

Always willing to try something new, I turned to this cult classic by Neil Gaiman. I chose to read what is called the 'author preferred' edition, actually going so far as to take the audio route, which offers a full cast of narrators. Gaiman explains in an introduction that this edition is the longer and more detailed version that mixes the first published draft with one that he felt was best before the editorial cuttings required by the publisher. What's left is surely an epic ride that takes readers on an adventure like no other. While I may not have picked it up on my own, I am pleased that I agreed to read it. I have my book club of three to thank for it.

Shadow Moon is a convicted felon who has almost served his time. The warden calls him to his office to explain that there's been a car accident. Shadow's wife and best friend have both died and he's being released a few days early so that he can travel to put the affairs in order. While Shadow is thankful, he cannot yet process the news and departs in a quasi-haze.

After a series of odd events, Shadow finds himself sitting in first-class on an airplane next to a man who seems to know a lot about him. That man calls himself Mr, Wednesday, but admits it's not his real name. After a little bantering, Shadow is offered work by Wednesday. He declines and hopes that when they part in Chicago, this will be the last they see of one another.

Shadow finds himself travelling along a dusty road, unsure what to do next. He stops in at a roadside tavern and sees Wednesday is there with some friends. After much convincing and losing a coin toss, Shadow agrees to work for Mr. Wednesday. To celebrate, Shadow's offered an odd drink that is apparently something usually reserved for the gods. While it does not taste good at all, it seems to seal the deal with Wednesday and makes everyone happy.

Shadow soon learns that he is to be a jack of all trades for Wednesday, doing whatever needs doing and asking no questions. Wednesday makes it clear that he will ensure everyone is safe and no laws are broken, but Shadow must follow the path laid out for him. Shadow is not one for vagueness, but does not see the harm and agrees to the terms. It soon becomes apparent that Wednesday runs cons and gets people to do what he wants, His style is such that no one is the wiser and this seems to work well for Wednesday. Shadow takes some mental notes, unsure how long the partnership will last, but still intrigued.

A chance encounter with an odd Irishman leaves Shadow feeling slightly perplexed. The man, Mad Sweeney, purports to be a friend of Wednesday's but is also quite independent minded. Shadow receives a gold coin and is shown an odd trick that appears almost magical. Sweeney offers the coin to Shadow, who thanks him. At the grave, Shadow offers it up and tosses the coin alongside his wife, hoping it will bring her some luck in the afterlife. If he only knew!

Shadow is visited by his wife that night, somehow risen from the dead through the power of that coin. It is then that Shadow realises that Wednesday is actually the reincarnation of the Norse god, Odin, which leads to the appearance of other 'washed up' gods. They all bemoan the same thing, that the world has turned its eyes from the true gods, choosing instead to focus on technology and shiny baubles. This symbolism reappears throughout the story, as things take more turns for Shadow and those he encounters.

Shadow is soon kidnapped by two men acting on behalf of these New Gods. He's rescued by his wife, who murders them as they sleep. Shadow is sure to be blamed for the killings, though he is careful not to leave any evidence that could be tied to him. Still, things are getting more and more complicated for Shadow, forcing him to wonder if this is all a dream or some altered state of reality. Shadow continues to follow the path laid out for him by Wednesday, settling for a time in Michigan, but always ready to be sent out on missions at the drop of a hat. The New Gods try numerous times again to lure Shadow to their side, promising him riches and excitement. Shadow continues to refuse, but does appear curious as to what might wait for him on the other side.

Through a series of events and happenings, Shadow learns that there is to be a battle between the New and Old Gods, the winner of which will be able to claim control over humanity. Shadow is to be a bystander, but has strong visions about what is to come and how he fits into everything. Shadow sees his place in the world and tries to ensure he does not tip the scale, while the War of the Gods takes place before him. The end result is sure to baffle many, but it will require the reader to take the plunge for themselves.

This was certainly not the type of book I would usually see myself reading, though I can admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a great deal going on throughout, which left me needing to pace myself, but the end result proved to be a well-crafted piece that opened my mind to many aspects of life I had not previously considered. With a handful of vignettes sandwiched between the chapters, the reader is treated to some additional subplots about America and how those who came saw it through their own eyes.

Shadow Moon would be the presumptive protagonist of this piece. He proves to do a stellar job at this, always evolving and developing as he makes his way through the piece. There is a great deal for the reader to learn about Shadow, from his compassionate ways through to his love of coin tricks. A man with little to call his own, Shadow comes into his own while trying to reveal his place in the world. Much of what he says and does makes him appear docile, but there is certainly a mean streak within him, one that makes itself known on occasion.

There are so many wonderful supporting charadfcters throughout this piece, it is hard to name a favourite. I thoroughly enjoyed some of the darker depictions that Gaiman creates, offering up villains when they were needed, but constrasting them with some light-hearted and more innocent folks at other times in the story. I felt a connection to many of them, on one level or another, but also enjoyed wartching them develop on their own. Each brought something impoirtant to the story without distracting from some of the larger themes or plots. I was eager to see how many of them blended together, keeping the story moving and on point.

Neil Gaiman's writing style is quite unique. It cobbles together a mixture of many forms, keeping the reader on their toes and never knowing what is to come. I enjoyed the meandering style of writing, as the story progressed, which left the door open for a great deal of interpretation. The banter and character dialogue was quite well done and left me wanting more as I never knew what was about to happen or how the interactions would influence the larger story. Long and detailed chapters left the story trudging along, while forcing the reader to stick it out and see how things would resolve themselves. Oddly enough, I did not want things to end, preferring to see where things were headed next and trying to guess what to expect in the next plot twist. I'd read another Gaiman novel for sure, though I may need some time to get myself ready for such an epic journey!

Kudos, Mr. Gaiman, for such a wonderful piece of writing. There was so much in here about which I need to reflect!

This book fulfils the November 2020 requirement of the Mind the Bookshelf Gap Reading Challenge.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

This is the cover for the show. No, it's not about seeing the white buffalo, Ian McShane and Ricky Whittle next to that gorgeous old Cadillac in the full cover (which is why I'm using this cut-out). Can you see the question here?
It is addressed in the book and one of the central topics for the resolution of this story:
"Gods are great," said Atsula, slowly, as if she were imparting a great secret. "But the heart is greater. For it is from our hearts they come, and to our hearts they shall return..."

One day, Neil Gaiman had the idea of two men being on a plane, with one being a convict just coming out of prison and not really having a place in the world (not even being in his seat on the plane but being bounced into 1st class). Shortly later, he heard about some American towns having cars on iced-over lakes for charity (a bit of a strange thing for him as it usually doesn't get cold enough in England for lakes to freeze solid like that). One day, during a stop-over in Reykjavic, he couldn't sleep and started wondering what happened to the old gods while wandering around. When he got back from the walk, he sat down, writing a summary combining all these elements and sending it to his agent. American Gods was born.
While writing it, he ended up being on a roadtrip and seeing Cairo as well as the original House On The Rock.
...
This is the story of how this great tale came together. Piece by piece. A bit like a patchwork quilt. Which is also a bit like what the country (the US) itself is like. An assortment of different people from different backgrounds with different beliefs and therefore different life styles, all coming together one way or another. Changing, adapting, mixing.
I think one reason for the way this story was written as well as what it depicts and how, is the fact that the author is from the old continent but is now living on the new one, being influenced by both.
For example, a real important thought Neil Gaiman once voiced and that is entirely true (I discovered this first-hand when I visited the US), is the difference between the US and Europe (specifically, England) that in England, 100km is a long way (in the US it isn't), and 100 years is a long time in the US (which it isn't in Europe). A fundamental truth that says a lot about the character of those two places.

The truly special thing about this book is the feel of it. I can't believe that I, a history and mythology fan, only rated this 4 stars when reading it for the first time. I can see the places that made me deduct a star, especially now that I've seen the TV show adaptation of the book. Nevertheless, this tale deserves the full 5 stars which is why I'm bumping the rating up now. It's so dense with mythology, 99% of it entirely accurate, and the way the author presents it and interweaves it in the modern setting is impeccable. Sure, many people may be overwhelmed or won't get certain metaphors, but that isn't the book's fault.

So what is it about?
Well, the main character, Shadow, is freshly out of prison. Originally, he just wants to get his life and wife and job back. However, life turns out to be entirely different and Shadow finds himself alone in the world, slowly but surely sliding deeper and deeper into a weird space between the worlds, led by the mysterious Mr. Wednesday who employs him as an errand boy and bodyguard (amongst other things). They meet a number of questionable and quirky characters that Shadow desperately (and unsuccessfully) tries to understand. Some seem to be on Wednesday's side, others aren't, and some try to keep out of the way. Then there is a clash with the opposition and a few life-threatening situations. In between, we get a look at different points in North American history when all kinds of folks ended up in what is now the US; from the Stone Age, to the era of slavery, ... And, of course, eventually, there is the big battle. After all, a storm is coming.

This book not only nods to countless myths and legends, gods and other mythical creatures. It also addresses many very important topics of today's world. And when I say "today's world", I mean 2017 as much as 2001 when it was first published! Immigration, history, lies and deceit, war, identity, love, human connections (platonic as well as romantic and in any configuration you can think of), the difference between existing and living, even the point of it all ... this book has so many layers, you can't even count them all. And still, it's never preachy or boring.

According to the interview at the end of this audio version (which was narrated greatly by the way), that was recorded shortly after the book was published all those years ago, Neil Gaiman said that many ideas didn't make it into the book or changed (like Easter) and it sure seems to me as if the TV show was his second chance to change little details, bringing in old ideas that were changed for the book or left out entirely, generally making the story more ... whole.
A lot of things that were changed/amended for the show are things I'd love to have in the book. Yes, the changes are that good (probably thanks to the fact that the author also worte the show's script). So for anyone interested in this story, I'd recommend to watch the show AND read the book as they belong together and complete each other (like in a great marriage).