I decided it was about time to pick up a new edition of American Gods. My copy being an old, well worn, well loved, and well traveled paperback version. I don't know if it was a first edition (I don't recall if there was a hardcover first edition or not, this was over 15 years ago), but if not a first edition, it was definitely an early run.
(Quick aside: I apologize for anything here that's duplicated in my wrap up post for the book, b/c I'm pretty sure some will be).
My mom and I were Gaiman fans from Neverwhere and Good Omens. There a handful of books that stand out as profound reads from my adolescent years. The Cider House Rules by John Irving, a whole slew of books by Sheri S. Tepper, and American Gods stand out quite prominently among those.
American Gods perhaps stands out to me in some ways due to my complicated relationship with religion. I'm fascinated by mythologies and fables, and actively study them whenever the opportunity arises. Religion on the other hand... I'm not quite a full on atheist, but agnostic doesn't quite seem right (though it's probably the best fit). I'm interested in systems of belief, and even drawn to spirituality, but find no resonance with any system beyond literary enthrallment. And I'm not looking for saving, my journey away from the church began when I was very young, scattered memories from when I was younger than 5 where the seeds of confusion and doubt were sown by the very man that tried to raise me in the church. I could never understand how people who were raised to believe their god was the one true god could be condemned to hell because it was a different god than I was taught in. Also, my dad informing me my mom was going to hell had some pretty strong repercussions in my toddler's formation of faith.
As a teen I was active, imaginative, and prone to deep and often destructive depression. The dark fantasy and overall darkness of the novel appealed strongly to me.
When I say my copy is well traveled, I mean it. I lent it to college friends who then mailed it back to me when done. This is on top of my numerous re-reads and the fact that I nearly always have a book with me.
When Anasazi Boys came out I was so excited at a sequel to American Gods that the actual reading was a confused let down. It actually took significant deliberate separation of the two books (and some time) to enjoy Anasazi Boys in it's own right. At times I might actually enjoy it more than American Gods, but the types of stories they tell are so different to me it's like apples and oranges.
I've actually never read the 10th anniversary author's preferred text edition. And man, it's a pretty impressive paperback. I'm interested to see what I remember and what pops out as new.
And yes, I'm dying with anticipation about the upcoming series. Every trailer I've seen indicates that regardless of changes they're treating the concepts and series with respect to the inspiration, and they look amazing. Thankfully, since I no longer have the fancy pants cable package as part of my monthly rent, I have a friend with Stars account so I'll be able to watch it before it comes out on DVD.
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