American Gods, by Neil Gaiman

This is a curious book with more twists and turns in its plot than an Auntie Anne's sour cream and chives pretzel.

It is written with an interesting premise: one, that gods actually do exist; two, that they live off the worship and belief of humans; and three, that gods can die.

The immigrants to America brought with them a plethora of gods. There is Odin, the All-Father, Kali, Hindu female goddess, Loki, contriver of all fraud, Easter, a pre-Christian goddess of fertility, and dwarves, leprechauns, pixies, a red squirrel, a world tree, and everything in between. (I think it would have been fun if the kitchen god, the pontianak and sun wukong was in it as well. I wouldn't mess with Tua Pek Kong or Guan Yin though... but considering Gaiman dared to caricaturise Kali... *shiver*)

American Gods is an audacious book. Gaiman weaves these old legends into a modern myth, which though modern, resonates with the same old strain of war, sacrifice and rebirth. Considering that Gaiman is British, it is uncanny how well he describes America, down to the signs declaring "pop. 720. Home of the Illinois girls' under-16 wrestling semifinalist" (162). That made me giggle.

I wonder how American Gods would work as a graphic novel. In many ways, it is suited to the medium. The characters are fantastic and sometimes I found myself wishing that I had a single comic panel rather than the hard work of translating a page full of words with my imagination. The structure of American Gods is also suited to a graphic novel. There are many independent sub-plots and minor characters that eventually get tied together in a grand conclusion. Gaiman's conclusion is impressive.

I liked Shadow. The protagonist of this novel is a quiet, bookish and physically strong man who has more integrity than all the gods in this book. If anything, this is also the story of Shadow's journey, a journey that stretches the imagination with the places he will bring you.