It's easy to see how this book won both the Hugo and Nebula awards, and why it's one of my new favorites.
It's true, I'll admit that I don't always read the heaviest, most provacitive books out there. Often my reading is escapist in nature, trying to find something as far away from this world as I can. Usually all I ask of a book is that it keeps me hooked into the story, have well constructed characters, and entertain me for those hours in my week that I devote to it.
Neil Gaiman's "American Gods", though certainly not light and escapist in nature, did all that and more for me, and kept me hanging on until the very end.
The premise of the book rests on the thought that Old World Gods and mythical figures have been incarnated in America through immigrants that came here from various countries and cultures. These Gods survive as long as there are still people around who believe in them. However, people soon begin to turn to other, newer gods (modern technology and modes of transport for instance), therefore the old Gods begin to lose their power. The story is chiefly that of the struggle between the old and new Gods.
The main character, Shadow, has been released from prison and is on his way home to attend his wife's funeral when he meets a mysterious man named "Mr. Wednesday," who hires him as an errand boy/driver/body guard. Wednesday turns out to be an incarnation of the Norse God Odin. And then it gets weird.
Several Gods/mythical beings make appearances throughout the book including, Odin, Annubis, Isis, Loki, Kali, Balder, Cthulhu, leprechauns, Medusa, Thor, Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, and even Jesus.
Sounds weird, you say. Let me assure it is, but it works. It works really well. It turned into one of my most unique experiences as a reader, and worth every minute spent on it. Check it out.
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