I started the July book for my reading group, Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, a week early and I took advantage of yesterday’s holiday to finish it. I wrapped up my reading notes this afternoon; I have eight pages typed in 11-pt font…I had to plow through it quickly and without pause because otherwise I would have forgotten all the little details between reading sessions.
I liked it, largely because I paid a lot of attention to the aforementioned details and played connect-the-dots. In terms of superficial story or characters, it was enjoyable but not sweeping; it’s the tapestry of references and allusions that were the meat of the book.
I will be curious to see if the same will come across in the HBO television series that is planned to air in late 2013 or early 2014. It is certainly doable; the excellent Carnivàle, for example, and to an extent Kings, gave just that kind of impression. Unfortunately, both of those were cancelled early, so I’m not sure how much mass-market appeal the style would have.
The Reef 