This would be my very first Neil Gaiman's book and I have picked this up not because this is going to be a TV series, but because it was really hyped up with good God's mythology plot line. I will try to be as diplomatic as possible.
I do no hate it per se but the execution of the book is somewhat not what I've expected. Though I've bought the 10th anniversary edition and only to realize that there were many things has been included into this version from the original publication. Hence. it is even a more wordy read. I've started picking this book up in the month of July 2015, and I got stalled since then and got me into a drastic reading slump from then on.
Personally, I do like Gaiman's writing. It conveys and yet it has some elements that makes the whole thing works. I was literally stuck at where Shadow was in the Lakeside Town and he was getting to get familiarize with the folks, practices and cultures over there. Now, when the plot concentrates into the lives of the Lakeside town, I was no longer interested anymore. I don't know whether is it just me, but the slump itself has causes me to stalled a nearly good year with other reading materials. To be even more honest, I feared in picking up another fantasy book from then on.
That aside, I love how the execution of Mythology has been written in the context of our time. It was cleverly done with a lot of sudden magic, bargains and threats. Weird sexual fantasies among mentioned with some gods that was described in full images all over our imaginations. This is some R rated shit we're reading here, and this is suppose to be an Adult Fiction with great depths of the understanding of other gods as well.
I would love to say that this is something not be missed however, I do have my issues with certain things. If you are an avid fast pace Fantasy reader, please do give this book sometimes as the built up is not as quick. It needed time to simmer into our heads before the grand finale of the plot kicks in.
At the end of the book, Gaiman did say he missed out one of the most talk gods in all generation and was still thinking whether this was supposed to be added into the amended plot or whether it should be taken out. He wasn't sure at all, but the excerpt was in there for readers to judge whether that few pager would made it worthwhile for all readers or it will just cheese some readers off as that part of the scene might be to draggy.
Overall, I liked it but it wasn't great for me. A person who was brought up in a multi cultural environment which was able to pick up most of these major mythology stories on other gods, wouldn't been blown away. Why? If this is big, I guess the ones from the Asia as a whole would made it into a more Religious Fantasy in a larger scale in which it will has it's own universe and all that crap. Let's not get into that and hope the TV series would execute it from a better perspective and outlook of it. Whether or not the TV series would remain PG or , that I would be interested to know.
Ratings: 3 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Review Link
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