mhendal

This is the first Neil Gaiman book that I've read. Gaiman has a brisk, matter-of-fact style of writing that I really enjoy. He can usually get a lot done with a few words, and rarely seems as though he is trying too hard. He also has a penchant for witty one-liners and keen observations without making them seem cheesey or contrived. Unfortunately, "American Gods" lacked a real narrative drive for the first 400 pages, so while the pages turned quickly, it did not appear that we were really going anywhere. Gaiman makes a bold move in attaching his point of view to a main character with esentially nothing to live for. Since he does not really care what happens to him, we tend not to care as readers, either. Gaiman does a good job of finally raising the stakes a bit and bringing together seemingly meaningless moments from earlier in the narrative in the final third of the book. This makes the book satisfying beyond the handful of interesting characters and barrel full of well-turned phrases that populate the work. While I rate the book as good, not great, I blame that mostly on the unusual choice for main character. I'm definitely excited to read more of Neil Gaiman.

2022-11-14 13:40