Is there any point reviewing a ten year old novel that's been a massive popular best seller from a critically acclaimed author and is soon to be turned into a blockbuster movie? Well when you put it like it there probably isn't: American Gods has been praised to the skies and its sold in the millions and Neil Gaiman is an intelligent, charming and personable fellow. I met the chap once and I liked him. I've enjoyed other Neil Gaiman novels and of course I'm a fan of his classic comic, The Sandman. My copy of American Gods is covered with reviews and there's even a Q&A section at the back of the book for use in book groups. By any standards this is a successful book. And yet? ...
And yet I didn't like it very much at all. The central premise was good and some of the scenes were executed beautifully, but in general I thought American Gods was pretty poor. The main idea is this: as immigrants arrived in America from Europe they brought their gods with them - these gods became manifested through the immigrants' belief in them and the more people believed in the gods the more powerful they became. We follow a character called Shadow as he is released from prison and gets a job working for a down at heel Odin who isnt very popular anymore. I like this notion but unfortunately the novel spirals out of control pretty quickly after that. Shadow's wife is killed and comes back as a ghost, a leprechaun character is introduced and is only interested in drinking and fighting, Television has become a god and is somehow manifested through Lucille Ball who in a yucky scene attempts to flash Shadow on a motel room TV. The book just gets sillier after that until I was skipping pages and wanting the whole thing to end. There was a bit of a Terry Gilliam vibe working here - bad bloated indulgent Terry Gilliam not dangerous, funny inventive TG. And it made me wistful for the book Gaiman wrote with Terry Pratchett, Good Omens; I wished he'd written this one with Pratchett too as we would have had Gaiman's enjoyable premise enlivened with some good comedy. ...
The tone of American Gods is uncertain, neither gothic nor comedic nor naturalistic and it is not brilliant enough to have become sui generis. Gaiman's aesthetic role model for his big American novel seems to have been Stephen King but I really wish he'd stayed closer to his English roots and chanelled Pratchett, Douglas Adams, and PG Wodehouse instead.
...
And yeah I appreciate that this is a minority view but thats why you come to this blog isn't it?
23 comments:
Do you think the film will have a supernatural Stephen King vibe then? It does sound like a good premise but difficult to make into a movie.
I agree. Although I read it nearly a decade ago, I remember (a) not finishing it, (b) not wanting to go back to it, (c) a weird disturbing rape scene, and (d) a drunken fighting leprechaun who was the only character who seemed plausible (I kid, I kid).
That said, I have two McKinty questions/pseudo-gripes that probably have nothing do actually do with you.
1. Why the heck can't I purchase "Falling Glass" on Kindle? I also tried to buy it at B&N (I had a gift card) and they didn't have it in stock. So I bought Don DeLillo's "Mao II" instead. Then I looked for it at both local Borders, but the door was locked for some reason.
and
2. Why doesn't my Kindle version of DIWMB have page numbers? And why is the old original version (viz. the version without the dialogue in quotations)?
Like it or not, pretty much everything is going the way of the Kindle. Publishers need to get their collective acts together. Or perhaps you could go the way of Barry Eisler, Amanda Hocking, and Joe Konrath, et al. and start self-publishing (although I don't read any of the aforementioned).
Maybe you could write a blog post about self-pub.
Take care,
Joshua Millburn
I read (actually, listened) American Gods and to the companion book, Anasi Boys. I didn't really like them as much as others do(including my son, who's also a big Sandman fan). I also listened to Neverwhere, which I liked a bit more. I've decide the fantasy genre just isn't for me.
But, I really loved The Graveyard Book, which was read by N. Gaiman. The Graveyard Book is excellent and recommended, esp. for pre-teens and teenagers. Many authors are poor narrators of their own works, but Gaiman is great at it.
A note to Joshua Millburn (I realize your questions are posed to A. McKinty so ignore me at your pleasure): You can get the Dead Trilogy and Falling Glass on Audible.com. These are read by Gerard Doyle who is really a pro.
Hi Adrian,
I read Good Omens and felt that it was entirely a Pratchett production. What exactly was Gaiman's contribution? Did he go out for the tea and jaffa cakes and leave the heavy lifting for Sir Terry? Good Omens left me wanting to read the few Pratchett's I haven't got to yet. It didn't make me interested in reading Gaiman, and your review makes me even less interested.
Most of these comic book writers should stick to comics. I can't think of one who shouldn't actually.
Frankie
I imagine the Stephen King fanbase is exactly what they're after.
Josh
The Kindle problems with Dead you'll have to take up with Scribner. They dont inform me of their decision making processes and dont respond to my emails but if a paying customer was to email them I bet they would prick up their ears.
Falling Glass can be got in Kindle in the UK or Australia but not N America because Serpents Tail have yet to sell the US rights - theyve been turned down by several publishers so I dont know if it'll be available anytime soon.
Speedskater
And I did really like Good Omens.
And yes the audio versions are available everywhere because Blackstone owns the rights to those and they are on the ball.
Cary
Its a good question. I think Neil Gaiman came up with the premise and the characters and Terry did the jokes?
Matt
Gaiman's prose style seems to be modelled around the more schlocky of American writers and I think that may be a side effect of going through comics.
I think there's a really good novel buried in there somewhere but it's buried really deep.
Anansi Boys is much better
I haven't read the book, but I have heard that Anansi Brothers is better as well.
I really enjoyed Good Omens and had the feeling that it was a very felicitous partnership, with each writer compensating a bit for the other's excesses or weaknesses.
I know both have fans who think they can do no wrong, but I would disagree.
Not a huge fan of American Gods, but I don't think you can blame its schlockiness on comics. I've read a few of Gaiman's short stories, and he can actually write reasonably well.
I think American Gods got a bit away from him -- it's a premise that doesn't really lend itself well to novels, I think; the more you explore it, the sillier it gets.
I think that, based on "Sandman", you could even argue that Gaiman is in general much better with the short form -- some of the best "Sandman" pieces are the one-shots scattered through the main storyline.
I do think I can forgive Gaiman anything after The Doctor's Wife. I've watched it a few times now and it's magnificent.
The Doctor Who Confidential with him reading the script in the Tardis was lovely
Seana
Good Omens is a hoot isnt it?
Really liked that one.
Gav
You're completely right about that. The idea got away from him is exactly the problem. A little more discipline or a harsher editor and many of the books problems would have disappeared. IMHO - but of course maybe it wouldnt have sold a million copies then?
Rob
And I thought the actress playing the Tardis did a spot on Helena Bonham Carter impression.
Yes, and to me at least, it didn't feel cowritten but had one voice. I should reread it.
This idea of writers getting too big to be edited is a common theme here, isn't it? The writers may feel above it, but the publishers aren't really doing the writers any favors in the long run.
The ideal scenario is that you would get better editing as you move up the ranks, not less.
She was bloody lovely though. She's currently on Australian telly in a Maltesers advert from about 10 years ago dubbed into Australian accents.
I only read 'American Gods' last year, and . . . it also left me a bit unsure. The premise is great, yet the execution somewhat rough and ready. The book is Gaiman's attempt to write his own Zelazny novel, and as such, I would have to say that it failed. Nobody does Zelazny like Zelazny. In fact, there are some many things about 'American Gods' which appear to have wandered there from . . . such places like 'This Eternal', 'The Lord of Light' or 'Jack of Shadows'. Oh well, better luck next time . . .
Can
There are some great individual chapters and scenes (the djinn in New York etc.) but the whole thing just doesnt come together.
I forced myself to read about two thirds before admitting to myself I could not give a flying **** what happened to Shadow. Left it behind on a Bedford bound train with a sense of relief followed by guilt that some poor soul would pick it up and suffer through it.
Matthew
I sometimes wonder what happens to all the books I've left on trains and planes. There must be hundreds of the little blighters out there by now.
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