Book #19: American Gods

Our book club's choice for June was American Gods by Neil Gaiman, a very well-known science fiction/fantasty author. His books Coraline and Stardust have both been turned into successful movies, and he recently wrote an episode of the hugely popular British television show Doctor Who. Even though his material isn't always exactly up my alley, I still have a lot of respect for his work. I think he's pretty brilliant, so I was very excited to read American Gods. 

When we meet the main character, Shadow, he is in prison counting the days until he can go home to his beloved wife, Laura. Shadow learns that he will be getting out of prison a few days early... due to his wife being killed in a car accident. On his way home for the funeral, Shadow meets a mysterious man who calls himself Wednesday who seems to show up everywhere Shadow goes. Wednesday asks Shadow to work for him as a personal assistant of sorts, and, with essentially no other option for moving on with his life, Shadow reluctantly agrees. Wednesday turns out to be the powerful god, Odin, who is on a mission to gather his fellow gods from various regions and mythologies in order to face the "newer" gods of the modern lifestyle. What follows is a strange journey through America to enlist the aid of these gods in the battle against the new gods.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book, but I have to say that it lost me a little bit somewhere after the mid-way point. I felt like there was a lot of stuff going on for no reason. Looking back, I'm not sure what the point of half of the book was, as it seems like very little that happened along the way even made a difference. That's not to say I didn't enjoy reading about Shadow's journey around America and his interaction with some of the gods, because it was entertaining and well written, but... It was kind of pointless. I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone, so let's just say that I thought the ending was pretty anti-climactic. It seems like the entire book moved you toward a specific event that didn't technically happen.  My biggest beef with the book could be boiled down to the disconnection of it all.

In a similar vein, there were "Coming to America" vignettes throughout the book that detailed the older gods' (who obviously began as gods in other regions' mythologies) journeys to America. I appreciated what Gaiman was doing by peppering these throughout the novel, but they just didn't seem to fit. Almost none of the gods you read about in these short tales ever show up again in the book. I get that they were there as background information, but it almost seemed like filler... Which wasn't really needed in a book that weighs in at almost 600 pages.

That being said, I really didn't dislike the story itself. I thought the characters were well-developed and likable, even with their flaws. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that likable characters are a huge thing for me. I liked Shadow, and even Wednesday, although he was pretty crooked. In the book, Shadow spends some time living in an apartment in the small town of Lakeside in order to be "hidden" from some shady characters who are on Shadow and Wednesday's tails. I LOVED Lakeside and everyone in it. It was quirky and weird and frozen for most of the year, and the people there were hilarious. What's not to love about a town with a tradition of townspeople entering a contest to guess the day and time that a broken-down car will break the ice on the frozen lake? The town has its dark side, though, with missing teenagers and strange stories from the past, which just adds to the intrigue. I was sad to see Shadow leave Lakeside. 

So... I don't know. I liked it, some parts more than others, but I didn't love it. I feel sort of empty about it. After a killer first half, it didn't deliver for me, and I was really hoping it would. It is far beyond my literary and intellectual boundaries to legitimately criticize him. Maybe his whole vision for this book just wasn't for me.

3/5 Stars

Read from May 8, 2011 to May 28, 2011.

--C

Daemon by Daniel Suarez (5)

Daemon is by far the best book I've read this year. Bar none. Daniel Suarez's first attempt at fiction writing is going to be hard to top. Daemon starts out with a few characters and a veil of secrecy and technological innuendo that catches you early on in the book. The small cast of characters then blooms as a man begins reaching back from the grave through a computer program called a daemon.

Soon, the character list grows, those characters are fleshed out, and a world of political and technological mysteries emerges. From one chapter to the next, I found it hard to put this book down. I was constantly being pulled in multiple directions, engrossed in the characters as they grew and overwhelmed by the societal and political implications of the Daemon.

Still, I think that what I enjoyed most about this book is the thing that may be a bit overwhelming for the non-technical reader. From the combination of real-time GPS coordinates and HUDs that keep the Daemon's minions on course, to the use of video game technology in real-world applications, it's apparent that Daniel Suarez's history as an avid gamer and systems analyst has served him well.

Daemon justs scratches the surface of Suarez's world, though, as the novel is left a bit open ended. That's as close as I'll come to saying anything bad about this book, though, because I simply loved it. I've just picked up the sequel, FredomTM, and it looks like Suarez has picked up right where he left off. I can't wait to delve deeper into this world.

5/5 Stars

--D

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (3)

A few weeks ago, while scrounging for online deals, I found a really good deal on the 5-disc Collector's Edition of Bladerunner, the classic 80s sci-fi masterpiece remastered and updated by Ridley Scott for Blu-ray. Of course, like any good sci-fi geek who was born in the 80s, I ordered it. I decided that as I waited for the delivery I would pick up a used copy of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, the Philip K. Dick novel upon which the movie is based.

The book is a testament to late 60s early 70s sci-fi in its overarching theme. From the androids that Rick Deckard is tasked to hunt to the electric animals that people keep as status symbols to the machines that alter mood and offer a type of religious experience, the encroachment of technology on humanity is paramount. In fact, the novel seems to hinge on the humanity of the humans/androids Deckard encounters on his search for his own humanity.

For sci-fi lovers, this is a great read, as are many of Philip K. Dick's novels and short stories. For the casual reader, though, this may not be the best choice. Much of the technology could be unbelievable for some and the liberties Dick takes with assumptions of prior knowledge could be troublesome. Personally, though, I loved it.

4/5 Stars

--D