Americans Gods, yo

[lonespark]

Spoilerific ranting will be found in this post and all the other ones I make on the subject.


My overall impressions of the book are these:

Why can't all of this book be as good as some of this book?!?

...yeah...

Specifically my two favorite bits, although it sounds weird to say that because they were so vividly horrible at times, were the part with Salim and the ifrit and the story of Wututu and Agasu, the African twins. But when I was reading those parts I was deeply involved in the story and I cared about the characters in a way that wasn't true in the other parts of the book.

In the back of my copy there's an interview with Neil Gaiman and he said something about trying to write in an uncomplicated "American style." That could be part of it, but I think it's more about the characters, and maybe their cultural context...somehow?

Plus also, my opinion of the big story is mostly "You seem to think you can tell stories like this without the Asynjur, but you are WRONG wrong wrong." (Ack, I wrote that, and then I realized I had forgotten about Easter, so hmmm. Maybe it's more my massive discomfort with telling stories about Odin and Baldur and sacrifice and ERASING FRIGGA AAAARGH.)

Comments

[ladydrace]

Oh god. I was already wary about this book. This does not make me want to read it more.

And yes, I only just now realized the irony of starting this comment with "oh god".

[lonespark]

I thought that I would not like this book and I didn't particularly like it. I'm not sorry I read it, though. And now I am ready to have opinions about the miniseries.

It is really hard to read a book that deals with your religion but doesn't really...engage with it, I guess I would say. Or at least that is part of what made it hard for me. Eric Scott had a pretty cool article on a similar subject relating to the Marvel Thor movie.

I think I don't much like Neil Gaiman's writing (don't hate it either, haven't read that much, this and Neverwhere), and I don't go along with his ideas about gods and belief and the relationship between them...although I like the way Terry Pratchett used similar ideas in Small Gods...and I liked Good Omens a lot...

There are a lot of ideas in the book that don't see all that well thought out, to me. I shall write a post about those things when I get a chance.

[redsixwing]

I'll be interested to see your review. =)
Being that the gods Gaiman was playing around with aren't my gods, I'm -really- interested to see your review.

[silveradept]

I don't know if it changes the way you see the books, but the title of American Gods, and the way the gods were portrayed suggests that the gods in the story have become Americanized - they're not the same gods in the old country. They have taken on the qualities of the land and the people that still worship them. For those that are still lucky enough to have worshipers, that is.

For what it's worth, I thought the story of Salim and the Ifrit was one of the better parts, as well.