American Gods by Neil Gaiman - A Book Review

1/10 scale, 10 being Godly, 8 being Good, 5 is the dividing line, 5 is readable, 4 is I regret reading it, and 3 or less is how much I hated it.

Book Review - American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Plot:4
Characters:2
Premise of conflict:6
Resolution of conflict:3
Settings:3
Writing:7
Style:7
Overall rating:4

Pros:
- Neil Gaiman is a good author, along with good writing he has a certain style and descriptional flare that brings fantasy and a subtle mystique to even the most boring and dry of settings (example: greasy spoon diner)
- The premise that we Americans worship and idolize Coke-a-cola, TV and the internet is interesting and seems factual. The fantasy that we shang-hai'd old gods from the old countries of our collective heritage and that these gods now must contend with our fickle beliefs and praise is captivating.

Cons:
- I don't think the execution of the premise, which I define as plot, really lived up to it's potential.
- Shadow is a weak character, and his stature as the main character really cements the book as a bad read, imho.
- Most american roadside attractions are not charming, nor romantic or worthwhile. And even if your willing to admit that and make statement regarding their necessary inclusion as bad settings, or even elevate them as some sort-of knock of characters in there own rights... I'm really not interested in wading through that much meta-physical, allegorical garbage to follow a weak character through a two-bit con job.
-The epilogue didn't add any substance to the story and instead read like 'The further adventures of Detective Shadow!'