My first introduction to Gaiman was his award-winning Sandman graphic novel series, and I fell in love both with his characters and the author. This book did not disappoint, even in comparison to the series (although, since I'm a picture-book sort of girl, I would recommend his Sandman series first at any time).

With Gaiman`s signature style of prose, I felt like I was being a read a story from the Sandman himself. The fantastical story line knits together an eclectic mix of gods from different eras and cultures, and with his dark imaginings even conjures up a new gang of gods in town. It speaks of honour, tradition, inevitable changes, and sacrifices must always be made for anything you do.

This is an epic saga squished between two humble covers. While the trend these days is to produce a light series, this book is dense and savoury, and I enjoyed every morsel.

Wow, did I ever love this book! I started it, not knowing what to expect, only to find that I couldn't put it down.

Gods may be forgotten, but they don't just cease to exist. What happens when gods are forgotten is that rituals are lost, symbols become unreadable, and those forgotten gods are forced to live lives of mediocrity among humans, doing what they have to do to keep some memory of themselves alive.

Then there is the coming of the storm. Where new gods are determined to kill off the old gods. And then we have Shadow, who suddenly finds himself having to believe in concepts and gods and goddesses he's only ever dreamed of.

Really, there is so much going on in this book that only the surface of the words can be mentioned in this review. Gaiman has written an amazing book, one that I'll be remembering for a long time to come and that I'll be recommending whenever I have the opportunity.

The first Neil Gaiman book I read was Neverwhere and I loved it so much I immediately became a huge fan of his. So of course I wanted to read American Gods as well. I will say I have a slight bias because nothing compares to Neverwhere for me personally but I still enjoyed this book. I felt that I had a bit of a decline in interest when I read the first few chapters; I found it a little difficult to get in to. Once the story line picked up however, it became something I didn't want to put down. As usual, Gaiman shows his brilliance when it comes to imagery and suspense in this book. The story is very well told but in my opinion the main character, Shadow's story did not interest me enough to make it one of those books you can't put down.

Neil Gaiman doesn't disappoint with this title. Don't let yourself be thrown by the somewhat bizarre name of the main character, if you like fantasy set in a modern day environment you will likely love this book.

American Gods follows the style Gaiman achieved with his Sandman graphic novel series. An interesting mix of source materials, myths and legends coming together to craft a thoroughly entertaining story. He shows both reverence to the myths and characters he appropriates, but also a willingness to expand and re-imagine them.

A unique and entertaining mix of elements and story comes together to create a vivid and entertaining story.

I almost always appreciate Gaiman's works, and American Gods did not disapoint. Gaiman's unique mythology is perhaps almost wholly unoriginal, as it draws upon real world mythos, but no real world mythos is like Gaiman's. The blending of cultures and attitudes is truly masterful.

It was interesting. While reading this, I was impatient for it to be done. This was of course not because I was impatient with it, but because I wanted to know all that the book had to offer. I'll definitely be rereading this book, so I may fully plumb its depths. And rereads are not common for me, as I like to cover as many books as I can.

Shadow has been serving time for a while, and is thrilled to see his wife again as his release date approaches at last. Of course, things can't go that easily especially when that's the first sentence for the premise of the novel. Finally free and with nowhere left to go, Shadow finds himself chatting with a stranger on the plane home who offers him a job. He takes the work as the chauffeur and bodyguard of an old con artist with a glass eye who calls himself Wednesday. The job takes him to all ends of America, and right in the centre, and then back again. It turns out there has been another complicated world sitting under Shadow's nose all along.

I must repeat that American Gods is ambitious. While fantastic and with fascinating subject material, there is an overpowering sense through the whole novel that Gaiman bit off more than he could chew. He manages to keep storylines and sub-plots juggled throughout the tale until the ending (which consists of an Epilogue, another chapter, and then an Afterword which is pretty much another epilogue) crosses the finish line and jogs on a little longer, wheezing and panting to a stop. Mr. Gaiman! YOU ARE ALLOWED TO FINISH A STORY AFTER THE CLIMAX. And by finish it, I mean you don't just end it. You can have more chapters in there, it's okay. People do it all the time. Finishing American Gods you relax, begin to believe you're done, until chapter 20 appears to be in the epilogue. This leaves the ending trudging on, stubborn and tired when you're ready to put the book down.

This is the biggest and only complaint about this book. Gaiman clearly takes on too much, mishmashing information and a truckload of characters into a novel which should be two more, or just one half the size. I say this, and still there is Anansi Boys to follow up this one. All of the material he tries to cover leaves the story not as well written as the other material I've read. They are light, and quickly paced. American Gods is slow with its overload of information, and some Gaiman fans find it troublesome.

Of course, as stated above, it is a popular favorite of the author due to the content. The subject matter is fascinating (Kali is contemporarily worshiped by Hindus in America, by the way) and the characters as interesting as always.

I, personally, adored this book. I loved the descriptive art Gaiman used throughout the story, whether he was describing a character or an atmosphere... he made you feel it. This is by far, one of the most intriguing, and fascinating books I have ever read, and I loved every minute of it. :)

This is my favourite book, and its writer is my favourite author. Neil Gaiman's writing is thought-provoking and makes you really think about people, places, the world, etc., while carrying a great story. Read it, or else.

Neil Gaiman certainly knows how to capture his audience. Even though the amount of information that is in this book and the many many references to the thousands of gods in our world, it was an absolute treat and I couldn't put the book down.

Great story... Gaiman's got this sense of humour I'd love to tap into for even a day. I loved the story most just because it fueled my belief that there is a god for anything and everything that people "worship."

**See title** This book kinda lost me in the second chapter when reproductive organs began swallowing people. Slow start, hard to get into, sad beginning.

If someone has not read a Neil Gaiman piece, this is a perfect start. It grips ones attention, and does not let go until the end. Make sure that you spare some time to read this book. Amazing, just amazing

Wow, this book surpassed all of my expectations. It is interesting, sad, funny, thrilling, intense,
and a terrific story. Gaiman has written the book in a unique way. Also, it is not overwritten.
Gaiman grabbed my attention, and I didn't want to stop reading. When I did stop, I kept thinking
about "American Gods." Read this book, and then read it again.

What if you found out you were the son of a God and that the Gods of the old are not too fond of the Gods of the New. This is what happens in American Gods. Neil Gaiman transports us in an amaizing adventure and a world where the impossible happens. This is my all time favourite book and I highly reccomend any Novels by this author. I simply could not put down this book, it's outstanding!

This book is outstanding! It is by far the most creative and unique book I have ever read. A true pleasure! If you want a novel that will challenge your preception, shock and tickle your imagination this is the book for you! American Gods should grace every reader's library.

This is, by far, the most imaginative and captivating book I've read in a long, long time. Every moment is pure entertainment, and when you're not reading it I guarantee you will be thinking about it, because it's just that good, and gives you so much to ponder. The way the characters interact, and the way the story comes together (like nothing I've ever read before) is just perfect. Mind-bogglingly perfect. My only complaint is that it ended, but on such a strong note that I really have no right to complain. Not since Lord of the Rings have I ever felt so satisfied when it was all over. An amazing read.

This book was an amazing mix of modern times and the ancient gods, the twists are great, unexpected, but accepted by your mind as another element of the imagery, characters, and plot of this
adventure. If you're like me and you like to think about things, understand the abstract, etc, philosophy, or crazy interesting topics, you'll love this book, and it'll certainly leave you sommething to think about. Fantasy/sci fi, and thought provoking, how can you ask for more?

Without doubt, Neil Gaiman is a very talented writer, and the underlying premise of this novel is highly interesting as well. The one negative aspect of this book however, is that it starts out at a fast pace that Gaiman is unable to maintain. There is simply way too much story, and between chapter anecdotes we don't need (one of which is 13 pages long). It's a worthwhile read though.

American Gods is both well written and well conceived. Mr. Gaiman doesn’t seem to feel any particular need to beat you over the head with unnecessary minutiae – he’s quite content to let you think on the matters he presents. Furthermore, when he introduces a character, you aren’t forced to read a detailed history ad-nauseam. While being a thoroughly entertaining read it leaves you the mystery of finding out more about the characters on your own, should you feel so inclined, and in this way he involves the reader more then most authors. It’s a book you will miss when you’re done – it’s one of those books that is a pleasure to read more then once.

American Gods, grabs you from the get go and doesn't let go until you come to its gripping conclusion....
The book, while following a certain plotline, does veer off onto various tangents throughout the book, but if you take all the pieces and put them together as a whole, no matter how much they do not make sense, and it'll come to form a beautiful picture entitled American Gods ....
The various gods Gaiman uses in the book are fairly obscure gods, unless one is well versed in various religions or other cultures...
Overall, the book, is extremely well balanced between its character development and action, and is one of the best reads I have ever had...