Book Review: American Gods

I’m sure most of you were starting to wonder if I would every finish American Gods, judging by the fact that I started it around in January. Unfortunately, this semester was absolutely crazy and I was the busiest I have ever been in my life. But, since it’s summer and I am just taking the last class to finish up my degree, I finally had time to sit down and finish it. Woohoo! So, without further adieu, here’s my book review of American Gods.

Summary

Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the magic day when he could return to Eagle Point, Indiana. A man no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, all he wanted was to be with Laura, the wife he deeply loved, and start a new life. 

But just days before his release, Laura and Shadow’s best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, Shadow accepts a job from a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, an enigmatic man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and a rogue, Wednesday seems to know more about Shadow than Shadow does himself. 

Life as Wednesday’s bodyguard, driver, and errand boy is far more interesting and dangerous than Shadow ever imagined—it is a job that takes him on a dark and strange road trip and introduces him to a host of eccentric characters whose fates are mysteriously intertwined with his own.

From the back of American Gods, Author’s Preferred Text

My Review

I think it’s important to start off letting you all know that I read the tenth-anniversary author’s preferred text version because I’ve heard that it’s longer. At the request of his publisher, he cut out some pieces. This was my first introduction to any of Neil Gaiman’s books. So, I wanted to read the text he preferred so I could see what his writing style is. I wanted it unhindered by pieces he had to cut out.

When I first found this book, I thought, for some unknown reason, it was Young Adult. Essentially, I thought it would be along the lines of Rick Riordan’s books. However, Gaiman immediately lets you know that this book is for mature audiences. Honestly, this is not something that bothers me, but if you are uncomfortable with that, I wouldn’t recommend this book.

One thing that this book does really well is that it reveals things to you slowly. It allows you to pick up on things throughout the book and see if your hunch was right at the end. I also enjoy that you don’t have to know the ins and outs of all the gods in existence to enjoy this book. While I am sure if you were more familiar with the gods mentioned there would be things you caught that I didn’t, I still enjoyed it quite a bit.

This book made me want to forget all my responsibilities and read it. The way that Shadow goes about his life is incredibly interesting. It makes you want to escape into a world of gods and men for a little while. There are also small short stories included in this book that tells the story of different gods. I personally felt like it made me understand the gods as a whole a lot better.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I loved Neil Gaiman’s writing style. This book was unlike anything I’ve read. It didn’t sugarcoat the god’s attributes, instead, it seemed to embrace them. I highly recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t mind reading 500-something pages. Can’t wait to read more of his books in the future and do another book review!

Want to check this book out for yourself? Here it is on Amazon. Personally, I read the blue paperback version.

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This is my Review of the Month for the review collection on LovelyAudiobooks.info