ELL'S REVIEWS
American Gods ***½
- by Neil Gaiman
This 2002 Hugo Award winner was not what I expected. Knowing that Neil Gaiman had written with Terry Pratchett, and having recently read Pratchett's Colour of Magic, I was expecting something zany and off-the-wall. Instead, it was quite somber and dark. However, that doesnt mean I was disappointed. On the contrary, I found American Gods to be a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying read.
Shadow has spent three years in prison. During that time, he dreamed of resuming a quiet, normal life with his wife, Laura. However, on the eve of his release, he learns that she's been killed in a car accident. On his way home to her funeral, he meets a mysterious, old con man named Wednesday who offers him a job. He ignores him as some crazy old coot and continues on home to the funeral. Back home, he finds out that not only did his wife die in the accident, but also his best friend who was to give him a job. Shadow realizes that he no longer has a life to look forward to and reluctantly agrees to work for Wednesday as a driver and go-fer.
Gradually, Shadow discovers that Wednesday is more than just a grifter and finds himself drawn into a battle between the gods - those brought to America in the hearts and minds of immigrants; and the modern day gods of media and consumerism. It doesn't take long for Shadow to figure out that Wednesday is one of the Old-world gods. On a cross-country odyssey, Wednesday introduces him to a pantheon of Old-world gods that he is trying to recruit for war. They are a dying, somewhat pathetic group trying hard to survive in a world where everyone seems to have forgotten them. They don't want a war, but war seems inevitable.
What Shadow can't figure out is what his role in all of it is and why the gods are interested in his help. (Shortly after Shadow starts working for Wednesday, he is abducted and threatened by the modern gods - who have names like Mr. Town, Mr. Wood and Mr. Stone. They keep popping up trying to recruit him to their "winning" side.)
Admittedly, the plotline requires a good deal of suspension of disbelief. There is a dead wife who can't seem to stay dead, gods who live in rundown apartments and drive taxis, gods who talk to Shadow in dreams, and a bizarre mix of old world mythology and Native American beliefs. There's also a good dose of ironic and dark humour.
Don't look for great literary prose here. Gaiman's style is clipped and terse, but he tells a good story full of surprising twists. The only parts that bog down are some of Shadow's dream sequences that seem to go on and on. But, just be patient and go where he takes you. You'll enjoy the ride.
- February 2003.
© E L Lee 2003
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