American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Well, there is a reason why Neil Gaiman is my favourite writer. This book is even better than I remembered.

The first time I read it was four or five years ago, and since then my knowledge of mythology has increased, so this time around I was able to understand references and pick up details I had missed before. But what's so great about this book is that you don't need to know a thing about mythology to enjoy it. If you don’t, you'll probably leave with a new found interest and you'll learn a thing or two. But if you do, your reading experience will be enriched, and you might be able to guess a few things, since the many mythological references work as hints concerning certain plot points.

Another thing I didn't quite remember about this book is how the tone is so different from Neil's other works - different from the elegance of Stardust, from the epic tone of Sandman. It's rougher, more modern in a sense, but it suits the story perfectly and it works wonderfully.

And Neil's usual timeless tone can be found in the wonderful "Coming to American" interludes, which are among my favourite parts of the book, and, in my opinion, among Neil's best short stories. Myths are, most of the time, pure plot. A story is told, a great story most of the time, but there isn't much room for character, for emotions, for thoughts. What the gods and heroes were thinking and feeling is left for the reader to imagine.

One of the things I love the most about Neil Gaiman is how he imagines this for us. How did Sigyn feel holding that bowl? How was it like to hang from Yggdrasil for nine days? Neil Gaiman perfectly interweaves epic, millennium-old plots with psychological and emotional insight, and that's one of the reasons why his work is so remarkable.

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