I see the reviews are asymptotic on both ends of the spectrum and most of all I got the notion that a lot of the bad reviewers tend to be people who don't read for pleasure. Or more fairly, I'm guessing they've NEVER read Gaiman.
American Gods is an Adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel of the same name. BEFORE American Gods, Neil Gaiman was best known for the Graphic Novel/Comic series 'Sandman'. I won't TRY to describe Sandman here. And that should tell you something.
Gaiman takes mythology, Current Events, Actual History and Pop Culture and puts it into a blender on HIGH.
He does not write for Kids... He does not write boilerplate Super Hero stuff... He does not write Harry Potter Coming of age stuff... He does not write Disney/Pixar saccharine stuff...
He takes Myth, Magic and Gods and stitches their vicissitudes into the nasty everyday business of Life on this Planet Earth and wends the reader thru multiple simultaneous plot threads.
Not all the Plot Thread involve Hollywood style Action...
He follows NO Hollywood Tropes...
Historical Notes bear paying attention to... Seemingly innocuous dialogues bear paying attention to... Portentous sequences bear paying attention to...
I will say with certainty...if you NEVER read ANY of Mr Gaiman's work or LIKED his work, this show will be as a lot of posters have stated: Confused & Boring. And so simply put, this show is NOT for you. It's just a matter of taste, with no aspersions otherwise.
But if you DO like Neil Gaiman's Sandman or his Books-- this is, to my experience, a rather close adaptation. I never had any clear mental idea exactly WHAT or WHO Mr Wednesday would look like from the book when I read it...but when I listen and watch Mr McShane's fusion of endearing prattle and knowingly shady conman's effusive wisdom...he's got the spirit of an Old-God-on-the-Make down to a 'T'. And I'm willing to sit back for the ride thru the surreal.
American Gods is an Adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel of the same name. BEFORE American Gods, Neil Gaiman was best known for the Graphic Novel/Comic series 'Sandman'. I won't TRY to describe Sandman here. And that should tell you something.
Gaiman takes mythology, Current Events, Actual History and Pop Culture and puts it into a blender on HIGH.
He does not write for Kids... He does not write boilerplate Super Hero stuff... He does not write Harry Potter Coming of age stuff... He does not write Disney/Pixar saccharine stuff...
He takes Myth, Magic and Gods and stitches their vicissitudes into the nasty everyday business of Life on this Planet Earth and wends the reader thru multiple simultaneous plot threads.
Not all the Plot Thread involve Hollywood style Action...
He follows NO Hollywood Tropes...
Historical Notes bear paying attention to... Seemingly innocuous dialogues bear paying attention to... Portentous sequences bear paying attention to...
I will say with certainty...if you NEVER read ANY of Mr Gaiman's work or LIKED his work, this show will be as a lot of posters have stated: Confused & Boring. And so simply put, this show is NOT for you. It's just a matter of taste, with no aspersions otherwise.
But if you DO like Neil Gaiman's Sandman or his Books-- this is, to my experience, a rather close adaptation. I never had any clear mental idea exactly WHAT or WHO Mr Wednesday would look like from the book when I read it...but when I listen and watch Mr McShane's fusion of endearing prattle and knowingly shady conman's effusive wisdom...he's got the spirit of an Old-God-on-the-Make down to a 'T'. And I'm willing to sit back for the ride thru the surreal.