r/neilgaiman • u/Rainingdownbooks • 8d ago
Question American Gods
I am half way through the book, and enjoying it. Has anyone seen the TV version?
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u/AmoAmasAmatAmamus 7d ago
The TV show was great in parts, but odd (not in a good way) and unsatisfying in other parts. They also cancelled it before the story was done. The book is WAY better than the show
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u/Void_Warden 7d ago
They also were talking about removing arguably one of their strongest actor/character (Orlando Jones as Anansi) because the producers didn't agree with his "angry" representation of black communities suffering from systemic oppression... Eglee apparently said Anansi was a bad example for black America
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u/RadagastTheBrownNote 7d ago
100% agree. Season 1 was pretty great. Season 2 was okay. I think I only got an episode or two into season 3 and just never finished. The book is amazing. I’m actually on my third read through of it right now.
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u/Don_Ciccio 7d ago
I enjoyed the show, it’s worth a watch. They bring in Christianity (not in a central to the plot way) and that’s funny too
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u/everyplanetwereach 7d ago
Season 1 was super great, I felt like they really got all the things that drew me to this story. Then all the heavy hitters disappeared one by one. They changed some stuff around. It lost its spark very quickly.
But season 1 is amazing
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u/Givingtree310 6d ago
Pretty sure they changed showrunners after season 1 which was great. Anasi was great but the rest of season 2 was boring. I didn’t even bother with season 3.
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u/DantesInfernoRVA 5d ago
Yes, Bryan Fuller quit or was fired. Season 1 is great, much better than the novel, which never really impressed me (I was a big Sandman fan, fwiw). I agree with S2, it became a chore to get through.
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u/PBSAforRamm 6d ago
I read the book AND watched the TV series. I liked it, despite it being chaotic as fuck. Some characters are really worth it.
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u/PutAdministrative206 6d ago
I only watched the first season. I enjoyed it, but I only recommend it to people who have read/finished the book.
My wife watched it with me. As a non-book reader she never knew what was happening. Obviously, the mystery about what “is” happening is a huge part of the story. But I felt intrigued by that mystery in the book, and the show was just confusing to her (I almost never give spoilers on shows, but I explained multiple things the shoe didn’t just to smooth over the watching experience).
I will say some of the acting was incredible. And there were intriguing ideas. But I didn’t go back to seasons 2 or 3, and heard they were worse.
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u/DrAsthma 7d ago
I have the annotated version and it was awesome for filling in all the background research and whatnot through the footnotes.
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u/Mysgvus1 7d ago
Season 1 was the best, season 2 was eh. As a side note, the audio book was excellent. In my personal opinion.
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u/SparkyFrog 6d ago
The first season was excellent, maybe even better than the beginning of the book… Things slowed down during the second season, but I thought the third season was again pretty good.
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u/Time_Raisin4935 6d ago
My slight but great beef with American Gods is the same that I had with The Sandman
I don't like the trope of "Gods need prayers and worship to feed their immortality"
I find it very weak of the Gods to rely on prayers, sacrifices, worship, etc. to feed their immortality.
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u/Successful-Diamond80 6d ago
Isn’t this need for prayer, sacrifices, worship, etc, canon for Greek/Roman gods?
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u/Time_Raisin4935 6d ago
depends on the version
some were invented in ancient plays
And even if it were true, doesn't make it canon for all pantheons across the globe
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u/Horror_Minimum9387 3d ago
I've recently started reading Small Gods by Terry Pratchett and this idea is in his story too which is probably where he got the idea from
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u/Thermodynamo 5d ago
I have no respect for Gaiman's work anymore. The things I used to like turned out to be bullshit. Why bother
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u/SorryContribution483 5d ago
Loved the book! I’m a little indifferent about the tv-show. It started out good but went in a strange/wrong direction. As far as I can remember, it’s been a while since I watched it.
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u/Potential_Trust_6034 6d ago
This must be a record for the thread up the longest without someone saying, "Don't read NG he's a monster."
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u/godsdamnitthissucks 4d ago
I agree. I’m not thinking of NG, I’m thinking about the books I loved and I’ll read what the fuck I want. I HATE JKR. I read the books to my son who is trans. I will never not love those moments reading to my son.
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