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/lit/ - Literature

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1897403 No.1897403 [Reply] [Original]

just finished this book, wasn't as goof as i was hoping for, it was particularly long and seemed that it could've been cut down a lot while expressing the same thing

>> No.1897464

I really liked it, though I didn't expect much. Or I expected more of a grim fantasy and was pleasantly surprised.

But I agree, could definitively benefit from more editing. That's all?

>> No.1897479

The ending was a bit anti-climatic in my opinion, but overall I enjoyed it.

>> No.1897483

i did enjoy the concept of the book, neil never fails me there, but how it was wrapped up made it seem like a less serious book and more like an airplane or commercial book. i guess i was just expecting a war between the two sets of gods

>> No.1897508

I really enjoy Neil Gaiman, pleasant and clever fantasist.

That said, I would love to see a novel by the twisted Neil Gaiman that wrote the darker parts of Sandman.

>> No.1897576

>>1897508
this. this is what i was expecting when i read american gods, needless to say i was let down

>> No.1897587

I read it just last month. Wasn't as good as I had been led to believe. I liked the concept and the characters, but it lacked cohesion and was a bit too long. I haven't read any of his other books aside from the Sandman comics, which I loved. Is this really his best?

>> No.1898694

This is definitely not his best novel, just his largest.

>> No.1898714

Try Anansi Boys, I liked that one quite a bit.

Sidenote: Have you read any Charles DeLint?

>> No.1898728

American gods SUCKED. it made no sense, even within the confines that gaiman set out.

HOW THE FUCK was Loki in jail with Shadow, and then suddenly he was the head of a secret government agency. That was a completely Shyamalan level dumb fuck twist

>> No.1898743
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1898743

>main character's name is shadow

>> No.1898781

Neil Gaiman seems like a bro, but I just cannot get into his books or take them seriously.

>> No.1898789

American Gods is definitely not as good as Sandman.

Also, OP (or people in general) you should read Little, Big by John Crowley. Also Charles de Lint, Mervyn Peake, Jack Vance, RA Lafferty, James Branch Cabell, and Tim Powers.

>> No.1898807

You're probably right. I mostly just remember Odin fucking waitresses, that Slavic god with a hammer, and the final battle at the end, which was pretty great.

Probably would have been better as a graphic novel.

You should read Good Omens

>> No.1898811

>>1898743
God that was hard to endure.

I wrote bad fantasy when I was ten about guys named Shadow. Took me right out of the experience as I was reading.

I liked it, anyway. The fanservice if you've read Sandman was pretty cool. Did you spot Barnabas and Delirium? Hob was in there too.

>> No.1899094

Gaiman is a fucking bro but he should never be allowed to name his own characters. He consistently comes up with the dumbest names.

That's probably why I liked Good Omens so much. Not only were Gaiman and Pratchett working together to make beautiful literary babies, but Pratchett got to smack Gaiman upside the head every time he tried to come up with a character name.

>> No.1899411

Gaiman novels are usually really obnoxious in that super English way.

>> No.1899415

I read this book when I was around 14 and liked fantasy novels, and I liked it. In the last couple of years when I come back to a fantgasy novel that I liked back in the day it always disappoint me, but this book only gets better.

SPECTACULAR BOOK.

>> No.1899416

>>1899094
>>1898811
>>1898743

It wasn't that awful, and its not like he was Shadow because he was all dark and scary and shit. He was Baldr, god of light and day, so there's a bit of substance to it.

>> No.1899419

Neil Gaiman honestly is a shitty writer. But he's an astute student of the contemporary fantasy genre, and an exceedingly clever thief, and that's why he's been successful. His career is based upon identifying the brilliant ideas of lesser-known authors, and then synthesizing those ideas into bullshit commercial twee teenage clown novels that sell a million copies.

There is no reason to ever read Gaiman's inferior versions of superior books by better minds. Whenever you find yourself tempted to read a Neil Gaiman novel, just read the original work that the novel is based on instead.

If you find yourself with the vague desire to read works that contain the themes and ideas he writes about, go straight to the source, and read the authors he has made a career doing bad pastiches of: Roger Zelazny, Gene Wolfe, Harlan Ellison, etc.

Save yourself the fucking trouble, mates.

>> No.1899421

>>1899419
Harlan Ellison?
Where?

>> No.1899427

>>1899419
Ellison?

Also,
>Original fantasy
Sure, his inspirations are a little more blatant, but who really gives a crap? It is fanfiction in a sense, but he is a good writer and one of the only writers who can get away with a balls-in-your-face, dont-give-a-fuck level of whimsy. He can take his story in a complete u-turn, but gets away with it because his style is so charming.

Anyway, screw it. I love intentional anachronisms in the name of sheer badassery. Bring together assorted gods from all cultures? That shit is my bread and butter.

>> No.1899428

>>1899421
Mate, Neil Gaiman has outright stated, several times, that American Gods is his version of Deathbird Stories.

>> No.1899433

>>1899428
Re version =/= bad pastiche
At least not per se.

Also, I didn't know that.

>> No.1899435

>>1899427
I'm not a sucker for whimsy. I'm a sucker for originality, passion, and creativity. I value the originator of an idea, rather than the fan fiction version. Just my two cents.

I realize that people love Neil Gaiman. People also love the Transformers films and Big Bang Theory and Cheetos, so there must be room in the heart of the consumer for things I don't like.

>> No.1899438

>>1899428

I also did not know that, and was not aware of Deathbird Stories. I'll be adding that to my list. Thanks Anon.

>> No.1899444

>>1899419

What would you recommend by Gene Wolfe?

>> No.1899452

>>1899444
There Are Doors is, I think, an excellent entry into Gene Wolfe. It does all of the things Gene Wolfe loves to do, isn't part of a larger series, and is relatively an easier read than many of his books.

The Fifth Head of Cerberus is also a stand-alone, and is considered to be one of his classics. But it is something of a more challenging read.

Alternatively, try his short stories. My favorite of his short story collections is The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories, and Other Stories.

Neil Gaiman fans might benefit from reading his short essay "How to Read Gene Wolfe" before getting started.

But really, follow your own compass. Check out the descriptions of some of his books and pick one that sounds most interesting to you.

>> No.1899453

>>1899452

Thanks for that.

>> No.1899472

>>1898728
>HOW THE FUCK was Loki
>HOW THE FUCK
>Loki

you're really not getting it.

>> No.1899488

Gayman doesn't write literature. Take it elsewhere.

>> No.1899497
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1899497

OP should just read this instead, it was the book Gaiman wished he was writing when he made American Gods.