American Gods by Neil Gaiman

9.2/10 dropps

A recurring theme throughout Neil Gaiman’s work is that the Gods are real, but their power stems from the people’s faith in them. This idea forms the heart of American Gods, where Norse Gods like Odin, Thor and Loki; Egyptian Gods like Anubis and Bast – not only do they exist, but they are living among us to this day under aliases. The old Gods have fallen on hard times since being brought to America through the prayers of immigrants. Enter Shadow. As he nears the end of a full prison sentence, Shadow’s wife dies while cheating on Shadow with his best friend, who was to give Shadow a job. Forced to change plans, Shadow is hired by the mysterious Mr. Wednesday, who tells Shadow not only of the existence of the mythological entities of legend, but also of a coming war between the old Gods and the new ones. No, the new Gods aren’t Jesus and Satan or anything like that; the new Gods are manifestations of media and technology. The new Gods are formidable, modern Gods with physical manifestations of their own.

The main plot would be enough to adequately sustain a novel under the care of a merely adequate writer, but the side plots are often just as intriguing and Neil Gaiman is extremely talented. One running sub-plot features Shadow’s wife, who Shadow inadvertently returns from the dead after placing a coin he’d won off a leprechaun on her coffin while attending her funeral. Another sub-plot concerns the methodical disappearance of young girls within a town Shadow is hiding in for a time, and how these kidnappings may or may not have to do with some of the old God’s ancient need for human sacrifice.

Though there are some familiar twists and turns, such as the expected revelation that Mr. Wednesday wasn’t entirely honest about some things concerning Shadow, so much happens that is unexpected and thrilling. The major revelations don’t feel cheap, and there are enough cameos from the Gods to keep the reader intellectually stimulated beyond the involving plot, the complex characters, and the inviting imagery.

Many are currently familiar with Gaiman through his recent successes with Coraline, The Graveyard Bookand Stardust. But Gaiman’s greatest achievement to date is The Sandman, and for those familiar with this legendary series will find that American Gods has much more in common with that than some of his other recent works. American Gods strikes a similar humorous, but awesomely dark tone to The Sandman, but it doesn’t suffer for it. Despite coming from a British writer, American Gods is a thrilling meditation on American cultural heritage and identity despite striking a tone firmly in the realm of the fantastic.

-John Jamieson