Graphic novel fans will likely know Gaiman from his creation/writing of the Sandman series in the 1990s, but these days his output is mostly in the significantly wordier format of conventional novels in the urban fantasy genre. Whatever the medium, Gaiman has proven himself to be both a wickedly creative mind and a gifted storyteller.
American Gods is his thoroughly unconventional take on the American road trip tale, as recently released from prison protagonist Shadow begins working as an errand boy/driver for the mysterious Wednesday, whose identity is every bit as puzzling as his moniker. Despite being an ex-con, Gaiman quickly establishes Shadow as a likable everyman, a good guy who made some bad decisions and had some bad luck. Luck that just gets worse right away, as just as he's released from the slammer, his wife meets an unfortunate end at the hands of a semi-trailer.
Ouch. But not so fast. Because Shadow's wife Laura seems to have somewhat of a problem staying dead and buried, showing up as a walking, talking corpse at various points throughout the cross country escapade. As do talking televisions, buffalo men and Matrix-style secret agents. A war is imminent; a war between the old gods (like Wednesday and Czernobog the crazy hammer-wielding Russian) and the new (like the fat kid riding in a limo who's the god of technology).
At 588 pages the book has some weight to it. After an engaging opening things slow down considerably, with much of the first third of the book dedicated to establishing Shadow and Wednesday's relationship. Indeed, how much you enjoy the first half of the book may be directly related to how patient a person you are. This humble blogger almost threw in the towel on multiple occasions, frustrated with being left in the dark, unrelated detours into god mythology, and some seriously unpronounceable character names (can you say the 2nd part of Zorya Polunochnaya?) But I now realise this is simply a tool for Gaiman's slow-burn style of storytelling, and also my lack of familiarity with the genre. Things perk up nicely whenever an interesting minor character comes along (such as hitchhiker Sam), and the interactions between Shadow and his corpse bride Laura, whether they be violent, existential or intimate, are consistently entertaining.Their love story is a strange yet endearing one, as was for me one of the most enjoyable elements.
When it comes down to it, things really don't click into place until past page 400, and there are patches until this point where I definitely did not find American Gods an enjoyable read. But alas, there is of course a moment of profound realisation, a moment where all is revealed, the story makes sense, you look up, say 'AHA!' and are filled with the warm satisfaction that coming this far was not a waste of time. Not a waste of time, no. But was the payoff worth all that reading? Sadly, I would have to say no. It was a lot of reading. A lot of reading that was either confusing or in my opinion unnecessary (100 pages could have been scrapped by removing the god mythologies, most of which while showing impressive research did not relate to the story.) While there was a couple of neat little twists and a tidy resolution it was by no means a thrilling final act.
In American Gods Gaiman has offered up a dark and imaginative slice of Americana, showing once again his skill for blending the average and the fantastical. However, more patience than I and perhaps previous reading of the fantasy genre might make for a more enjoyable read.
