Book of the Week: 'American Gods' by Neil Gaiman

The book of the week this week is quite unique. American Gods by Neil Gaiman is a blend of fantasy, Americana and ancient mythology.

Ex-convict Shadow gets released from prison only to hear that his wife has died. He then bumps into a conman , called Mr Wednesday who hires him as a bodyguard. They travel through America visiting Mr Wednesday's acquaintances. Shadow soon learns that Wednesday is in fact a manifestation of Odin and that there is a war raging between the old gods and the new. The old gods are incarnations of ancient mythical gods, the new gods are gods of new technology, media, the internet and new forms of transport.

With this book Gaiman celebrates some of America's underground spiritual traditions, landscapes and odd tourist attractions and grieves about and venerates the (often immigrant) gods in decline, forgotten in the fast-paced technologically advanced world of today with its new gods.

The plot is complex and full of marvels and the characters are captivating. It's definitely worth a read.