American Gods 68
American Gods | |
author | Gaiman |
pages | 480 |
publisher | Morrow, William & Co. |
rating | 8.5 |
reviewer | hemos |
ISBN | 0380973650 |
summary | A Gaiman-style (and therefore surreal) walk through mythic America. |
The note that Gaiman makes on the cover of my book regarding the difference between this book and Neverwhere, his book about Underground London, is a good one.
American Gods is about the mythology of America, but also about its relationship with gods, stories and what America is about. I think that's the story of this book; the story of what America is and what it is about."If Neverwhere was about the London underneath, this would be about the America between, and on-top-of, and around. It's an America with strange mythic depths. Ones that can hurt you. Or kill you. Or make you mad.American Gods will be a big book, I hope. A sort of weird, sprawling picaresque epic, which starts out relatively small and gets larger. Not horror, although I plan a few moments that are up there with anything I did in Sandman, and not strictly fantasy either. I see it as a distorting mirror, a book of danger and secrets, of romance and magic.
It's about the soul of America, really. What people brought to America; what found them when they came; and the things that lie sleeping beneath it all."
The characters, mainly, are Shadow and Odin. Odin has been an frequent character throughout Gaiman's works, and as someone who memorized Odin's stats in Legends and Lore, I've always enjoyed Odin, and think that Old One Eye is an interesting historical figure -- and one who is interesting to get to know a bit more intimately, albeit through a writer's eyes. Shadow's character, is the one character I liked the least. Well, that's not quite how I mean it -- I did like Shadow the character, and I think I'd like him as a person. But it feels sometimes like the Shadow's actions and dialogue are a bit stilted, but that's only a slight flaw in an overall wonderland of reading.
The two relationships I glommed most on to are the ones between Shadow and Odin, and (in a very different way) between Shadow and the other gods and goddesses that he meets. The other curious relationship, if it can be called that, is the one between Shadow and his dead wife. Trust me. It sounds wierd, but it works really well.
In a nutshell, this is the tale of what happens to old gods when they are brought, sometimes without the believers even knowing it, to a country that doesn't really hold a belief in gods - or rather, a belief in traditions. One of the most interesting parts about America, to be nationcentric for a moment, is the lack of traditions in things, compared to the rest of the world. But America has created its own gods, of a sort, and the main plot point is about the intersection of the old gods and new gods. And the most interesting part of the story is there, I think. Because that's where the meat of the book is, and where it transcends being just a story about "god hangs out with guy, creates havoc, guy has dead wife who talks to him, old & new gods want to fight, guy solves problems." (Well, I suppose that is a pretty cool story.)
American Gods delves into larger issues of what it means to hold on to our traditions and beliefs in a world that has dramatically changed, and in which our relationships with each other and what's around us has In summary, this is a book with a good story. More then that, it's a story about relationship to the world around us, and what being human means. It's good. Really good. If you've got even a [metatarsal] of philosphy, or a modicum of interest in reading good stories, buy it.
You can purchase this book at Fatbrain.
Re:Neverwhere on TV (Score:1)
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June 19 (Score:3)
Re:Neverwhere on TV (Score:2)
Confirming the report of the other two posters, Neverwhere was originally written as a six-episode miniseries for the BBC. It's not without its charm, but the book is better. (The effects for Islington were good, but the Beast was a bit of a let down.)
I saw it at a local authorless book signing to promote Neverwhere's release. (And I still got an autographed copy.)
There's been a persistent rumor of a Neverwhere movie, but it seems to be overdue...
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Re:OT; English - US difference (Score:1)
Ok, that's not quite true, but U.S. public transportation really is in a sad state.
The English however have been everywhere and know where it is, but still dislike everything that is not British.
Ok, but we dislike everything that's not American even if we don't know where it is.
Neil Gaiman's American Gods weblog (Score:1)
Re:America: the country without a past... (Score:1)
It was about principles. But since we ignored history, we forgot why we cared about them, and felt no fear or hesitation when we were asked to sacrifice them.
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Tom Holt (Score:1)
Well worth a read.
Neverwhere: great book, needs a sequel ? (Score:1)
I also have to wonder wether he read the short story "Crouch End" by Stephen King before he wrote it. The short story is about a small section of London where dark creatures occasionally break through from other dimensions (bit like Buffy The Vampire Slayer ! )
OT; English - US difference (Score:1)
In actual fact the very size of America often means that a large number of Americans have a very limited knowledge of the outside world, so long distances are only valid to Americans if both endpoints are within the US. I seem to remember that a significant percentage of Americans didn't have a clue where Iraq was when they were fighting a war there! The English however have been everywhere and know where it is, but still dislike everything that is not British. You only have to see our disagreements over Europe to see that.
Re:America: the country without a past... (Score:2)
I tend to think that it's a bit of both of course, but lately I've been thinking about how cultural values actually reinforce the lack of history. Our culture doesn't encourage people to cultivate a sense of home or of belonging to a place much. The archetype is that you have to leave home to grow up.
(That shouldn't be too surprising considering that we consist of a nation of immigrants... to some degree, that has to exist.)
Still, there are pockets of culture in the US that encourage settling, and it would seem that in some of those communities, there IS a sense of history established. Reading Wendell Berry [alteich.com] is one way to start thinking about this closely... he's interested in this sort of thing and documents where he's seen it (and also, somewhat antagonistically, where he doesn't).
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Stardust (Score:1)
I think he's a true hero. :)
Harlan Ellison's Deathbird Stories... (Score:2)
-jon
Re:Bring back the 48-star nation (Score:1)
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Re:America: the country without a past... (Score:1)
I don't think so. Yes, one could make a case for Constitution being an important part of american cultural identity (although one could probably make an even stronger case for coca-cola and Hollywood). However, this sort of identity is artificial, and comparing it to the real thing -- organic cultural identity that arises over centuries -- is like comparing Esperanto to some natural language.
Such artificial constructs usually don't take root, and to be honest, I doubt that a true organic american cultural identity, should it ever emerge, will be based on Constitution to any significant extent.
Don't take me wrong, I think US Constitution to be a great thing, and I regard its de-facto deterioration as a terrible loss; but cultural identity is not usually based around formal principles, just as most people aren't defined by the principles they hold.
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Re:Bring back the 48-star nation (Score:1)
In any causal event, multiple factors have to be present for the result to occur; however, one has to distinguish between the degrees of contributions from each factor, and also between the degrees of relevance of the said contributions.
It's very likely that without the support from the Spanish crown, Columbus would not have discovered America (whether he actually "discovered" it and what that event meant, is a separate topic). He also would not have discovered it if any of his parents didn't meet any other of his parents, because then he wouldn't have been born. Does that mean that you grant the credit for the outcome to all of the abovementioned entities?
Yes, America helped -- in a small way -- in the WWII war effort. The contribution from many other countries was far, far more significant, both in absolute and in relative terms. To give US credit for winning WWII is like to give Columbus's grandparents credit for discovering America, or like to give the Geneva patent office credit for discovering relativity, or like to give Mendel's abbey credit for discovery of mendelian genetics.
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Re:Bring back the 48-star nation (Score:1)
US didn't enter the European front until 1944, by which time Germnany's defeat was inevitable. the purpose of the US military participation was not to help defeat Germany, but to prevent USSR from taking over entire Europe.
US did help economically, but that's little compared to the contribution of USSR, that being most of the war materials, manpower, and equipment. US contribution was minuscule compared to what USSR put into it.
Ah yes, the infamous American highscool education in action. <shakes his head>--
America: the country without a past... (Score:3)
...or at least wiothout a significant past for the majority of population, amerindians excluded.
I was born in Ukraine. The thing that struck me most about USA when I moved here, is the lack of history. A couple of centuries is all there is -- the country feels to me to be almost rootless, just sprawling on the surface, without a deep connection to history. There is very little here-ness in USA, a distinct lack of historical and cultural sense of emplacement. This to me seems to be an almost tangible hole in the cultural farbic of USA, a rather nagging sense of absence.
It's a strange feeling. Where americans do feel as if they possess an american identity (as opposed to the old-world national identity), it tends to appear almost artificial -- such people seem to be working very hard on figuring out what being an American is, culturally, instead of just being one.
Oh well... give it a few more centuries, perhaps a few more wars and revolutions, and this will change.
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Egads! (Score:3)
I wasn't aware Slashdot had one-word, non-hyphenated departments anymore!
Cheers,
levine
Re:Bring back the 48-star nation (Score:2)
Not to be rude but what is tought in US High Schools really is
And it
Unlimited Dream Company by J.G. Ballard (Score:3)
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"Deep in the ocean are treasures beyond compare,
Re:The difference between England and the U.S. (Score:1)
One other major difference I've found between the US and the UK is that people born in the US think that death is optional, whereas in the UK, death is just a reality, much like the weather.
When your country has only been around for a little over three lifetimes, it's hard to get perspective on anything important happening before you or after you. --Ringel
Tour Dates (Score:1)
Disclaimer: I work for Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY, so I have an interest in getting people out to the signings.
Dammit, more to add to my reading list (Score:2)
I just got done reading Smoke and Mirrors, [fatbrain.com] an excellent collection of Gaiman's short stories. He has an amazing way of telling stories that are at the same time both familiar and deeply strange. Definitely recommended.
That collection is somewhat focused on English myth, as much as anything. I kept wondering what he would do with American myth -- or the lack thereof. And now he's done just that. It's not like I don't have too much to read already...
Neverwhere on TV (Score:1)
Did anybody else see this?
And why the Sam Hell is this under 'Science' anyway?
Modern Mythology... (Score:1)
And damn is it a good book.
Re:America: the country without a past... (Score:3)
The more I pay attention, the more I realize why freedom has been so rare throughout history. Most people are unwilling to pay the price necessary for those freedoms - having to deal with things that you don't like. People will talk about how much they enjoy them, then give up bits of those freedoms left and right.
America is getting close to changing from "The Land of the Free" to "The Land of the Willingly Unfree".
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Re:America: the country without a past... (Score:5)
There's also a strong sentiment at least among some of the people that they don't WANT a set of traditions, a common identity, that it takes away from individuality. Sort of a longer-term rebellion.
There is one American cultural identity, one tradition... the extreme work ethic. That you are what your job is. It's not what you do for a living, it's who you are. You don't practice medicine, you're a doctor. You don't program, you are a software engineer. All the other factors that determine who you are come in as secondary considerations. Think about it - if someone were to ask you "who are you?" or "what are you?", what would you answer? Most Americans would state what kind of work they do first. Perhaps that's why there is so little else, because people are too busy working.
There's also such an extreme variety of viewpoints, of opinions, that make it hard to get anywhere, when there are always groups out there who totally despise whatever it is you're trying to do...
But you have a very, very good point, a great observation, that many of us don't think about.
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Re:America: the country without a past... (Score:1)
Blacks can vote now. Heck, blacks are people these days. And legally equal to the rest of us.
Homosexuals/bisexuals/transsexuals don't get lynched often. In some states they even have "civil unions." Try doing that in the 1800s!
I can say more "bad words" in public than before too. Most of the stuff we rant about as "horribly eroding the first amendment" (which it may very well be doing) wouldn't have been allowed when this country was new.
Re:Release Date? (Score:1)
Crouch End (Score:1)
American Odin (Score:2)
This was a pretty uninformative review, and it may have been better done by someone who wasn't a self-described fanboy. I suppose if you're already a Gaiman fan you're already lining up to buy the book, but for my part it said nothing that makes me want to do the same. I read Sandman, which was superb as comic books go, but which sucked as literature. (The series had an ending which wasn't so much foreshadowed as telegraphed, and it took a 20 or so issue story arc to get there. The substandard art for that arc didn't help matters.) I read Good Omens because of Pratchett's name on the cover, and frankly, without his clearly discernable contribution I would have considered it not worth the read.
So why should I read this?
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (Score:1)
Huh? (Score:1)
Maybe that bit went over my head....
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Re:America: the country without a past... (Score:1)
I realise America's the country under discussion here, but I'd like to point out that this is in no way unique to America. The entire New World is like this. America has had influxes of Dutch, Irish, Africans (well, I don't know how you'd call them immigrants), Italians, Poles, Latin Americans over successive generations. My home, New Zealand, has had immigrant fluxes of English, Irish, Dalmations (Croatians), Polynesians, and now Asians. It's the same here in Australia, to a lesser extent with some, but it's a universal New World thing. I'm not baiting here, but it would do the US some good to realise they're not the only English colony out there:)
It strikes me that noone's talking about Gaiman, an author I love, but hell, it's the weekend.
Has anyone read Stardust? It's basically just a fairy tale, and I guess you'd call it a novella. Saying a Neil Gaiman book/comic/story is 'just a fairy tale' may seem apocryphal, so to put it another way, it's very a purified version of his normal fare. The people are simple and live in country bordering Faerie, the land of the.. well, fairies. A young man loses his heart to a faerie as he is about to marry, and the child is returned to his doorstep after birth. The young one goes on a quest. Pretty straight forward stuff. But well worth the read.
Gaiman and Pratchett have done alot to revive the notion of fairy tales as intelligent adult fare. The notion of storytelling being an art unto itself, not necessarily tied down by what so often passes for "human" dramatisation but is in truth often humdrum, is an old idea which has made a welcome return. Adults should use their imagination and read a few books like these, not just ones about submarines and lawyers. If you don't venture outside what you know, you'll never get to what you don't have.
D'oh (Score:2)
Re:Bring back the 48-star nation (Score:1)
Re:Crouch End (Score:1)
In any case, no one has a monopoly on that kind of stuff. It's a universal motif, floating around in the collective unconscious, free for the taking, to the joy and betterment of all. Kind of like MP3's before the RIAA noticed them. But not exactly.
Why Fatbrain? (Score:3)
The only "intuitive" interface is the nipple. After that, it's all learned.
Re:historical figure!? (Score:1)
The US Constitution... (Score:3)
As a response, everyone seems to want something Above The Law. In some countries, it's a King, in others, religion. These things become a core part of the Tradition of that country, which brings this back to topic.
In the US, as we weaned ourselves from our European traditions, we attached it instead to the Constitution. With that Uber-Law behind the Law, we gained an extra element of faith in ourselves, which perhaps leads to the work ethic mentioned on another response on this subthread.
Unfortunately, of late it seems that even the Uber-Law is powerless against Sufficient Application of Money, witness the RIAA and DMCA. The twisting of 'limited' in the Constitution, where it provides for patents and copyrights, is downright obscene.
It casts a chill on my faith in America.
Re:Why Fatbrain? (Score:1)
I posted about Global Dreams last week [slashdot.org] and in in the interests of fairness posted the links for all three sites. Amazon [amazon.com], BN [barnesandnoble.com] or FatBrain [fatbrain.com]
Re:Dammit, more to add to my reading list (Score:2)
Looks like the wait is nearly over !
Incidentally, the other speaker was Ken McCleod :-).
Re:America: the country without a past... (Score:1)
Re:Neverwhere on TV (Score:1)
historical figure!? (Score:1)
Um... you do know that "Legends and Lore" is just a D&D game rule-book, and not a historical document, right?
Right?
Re:historical figure!? (Score:1)
Re:Dammit, more to add to my reading list (Score:1)
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Re:Tom Holt (Score:1)
-- .sig are belong to us!
All your
Book Review of the Week? (Score:4)
That said, as a result of the last book review I ordered £60 in Diskworld books from Amazon.co.uk. Hopefully this, worthy of getting too, will be far enough down the road for me to accumulate sufficient wealth to buy it.
Summer reading I dreaded in H.S., now it's a long lost dream to sit in a park, under the shade of a tree, and read. Best I can do is 30 minute snatches during lunch. So much good fiction, so little time.
-- .sig are belong to us!
All your
Re:I'm still lost... (Score:2)
Did you not read the review or are you just jumping on the bash-the-editors bandwagon? He said what it was about and he said it was a good book. What more do you want, the plot spelled out for you in explicit detail?
Also, which words did you need a dictionary for? Mythology and Nationcentric are the only two words in there that the average 6th grader shouldn't know, maybe you need to spend more than half an hour with the dictionary.
Re:America: the country without a past... (Score:1)
Re:America: the country without a past... (Score:1)
Too bad... (Score:1)
What is it like to be human? (Score:1)
Yes, it's high time we all did a bit of introspection and answered for ourselves what it means to be human.
It's good to flow along with the tide, but you should also know your position vis-a-vis the shore, to reach the shore (unless of course you'd rather drown and never get to know whether there was any shore nearby at all).
Re:Egads! (Score:1)
Release Date? (Score:1)
I'm still lost... (Score:2)
The difference between England and the U.S. (Score:5)
England is where they think 100 miles is a long distance.
The U.S. is where they think 100 years is a long time.
Re:The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (Score:1)
Re:America: the country without a past... (Score:1)
Re:Release Date? (Score:1)
"What are we going to do tonight, Bill?"
Re:America: the country without a past... (Score:1)
Immigration provides the US with a cyclical nature, one that is mostly unique to us. As people rise the socio-economic ladder here, there is a tendancy to have fewer children. The thing that offsets this population loss is immigration. Especially now, with the Baby Boomers set to retire and then die, recent immigrants are providing a necessary population base to keep this country moving smoothly. The key is that as generations pass, there is a continual rise up the economic ladder for people whose ancestors were immigrants.
The US really isn't a country in the traditional sense. Our country was founded as a union of states and only became a country out of necessity. Our popular culture is a eclectic mix of various previous cultures. The melting pot theory is commonly thought to be antiquated, in my mind there is still truth in that metaphor.
Re:Bring back the 48-star nation (Score:1)
Re:Bring back the 48-star nation (Score:1)
Lend-Lease
Look it up.
Max
Re:Bring back the 48-star nation (Score:1)
I am not dissing US participation in WWII, but you must be absolutely uninformed if you did not know that the USSR war effort, and casualties were much higher.
Having US in Europe since '44 was a great help though, since it helped the Western European countries from coming under Stalin's control.
Just see what happened with the Checks, Polish, Hungarians, Eastern Germany, Berlin, Rumania, etc.
So the US contribution from '44 was priceless for the western European countries. If US had not helped towards the end, The eastern bloc might have been much bigger, Scandinavia, Italy, Austria. So US didn't as much protect Europe from Hitler, but from Stalin.
Europe is thankful for Russia's war contribution, but happy Stalin didn't win the war alone.
Gaiman's American Gods Journal (Score:4)
Re:America: the country without a past... (Score:1)
Re:Tour Dates (Score:1)