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Aschig
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| | Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 3:33 pm: | 
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American Gods has the concept (fact, really) that America got its Gods from Europe, arriving there in the minds of immigrants (including Jesus and his Father, the most powerful duo currently). [The old Gods of the RedIndians are ignored - they are not very powerful currently anyway - perhaps waiting for future comings]. The concept is dealt with reasonably well, at multiple levels, often subtle. It is a bit wordy with conversations and descriptions at times that could have been abridged.
About 3 stars out of 5
*** spoilers ahead ***
It talks about the ability of Gods to make people do things so long as the Gods are believed in. But their powers are receding as there are more non-believers. They are being replaced by the technology Gods e.g. GPS, search engines, TV etc. and a war is about to set in as technology wants to rid of the old Gods. Shadow is the son of Odin in another form who does not know what he is (a convict who can do some magic). He goes througha cycle of dreams, challenges, magic, endurance not knowing what his aim is. But he is a pukka American (that is the crux really) and hence cares about Truth and not so much about Gods - old or new - if they try to rule you - despite the fact that he is the son of All-Father. He, like a dream American (but clearly not a real one - for instance the one in power) manages to avert the war and make peace.
Mythologies (including a bit of Kali and Ganesh and many European Gods) are strewn in to the story.
There is also a bit of •••, child sacrifice and all that
A couple of bits I liked:
Shadow accuses Odin towards the end of trying to cause the war in the form of Wednesday (or All-Father) and Odin says: I did not do it. He was me, but I was not him. I guess in a similar vein Vishnu could rid himself of the sin of bloodshed at Kurukshetra saying that Krishna was him, but he was not Krishna. Another is a one-liner said to be a Chinese proverb: If you save a mans life, you are responsible for it.
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Slarti
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| | Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 4:58 pm: |
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>>> It talks about the ability of Gods to make people do things so long as the Gods are believed in. But their powers are receding as there are more non-believers.
आशिष, ही संकल्पना terry pratchett च्या १९९२ मध्ये प्रकाशित small gods या पुस्तकाचा गाभा आहे. या दोन्ही लेखकांनी मिळून good omens नावाची कादंबरीसुद्धा लिहिली आहे.
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Aschig
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| | Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 7:37 pm: |
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thanks. Terry Pratchett is one of my faourite authors (well, some of his books are - I like his The Truth best). I haven't read small gods though. In fact initial several tens of pages of american gods did remind me of pratchett. Is good omens good? Or is it ominous?
Incidently, slartibartfast is one of my favourire charachters, if only for his "otherwise you will be late" :-)
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Slarti
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| | Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 8:48 pm: |
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pratchett and adams माझे अतिशय आवडते लेखक आहेत. truth शिवाय death trilogy, citywatch books, mostrous regiment, jingo आवडती पुस्तके. good omens वाचले नाहीये, वाचले की सांगेन.
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Shrini
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| | Friday, July 06, 2007 - 6:30 am: |
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hmm... slarti, the momment I saw aschig's post, my initial reaction was 'small gods!'. Then I realized that it's not so. in Small Goods, that god becomes powerful because people believe in him and then does things for Brutha. However, what aschig mentions is different. Here, gods make YOU do things if you believe in them.
I like both Adams and Pratchett too, and I've enjoyed almost all the Discworld novels... I see Pratchett as a 'philosophical Wodehouse with a turn for Science'.
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Aschig
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| | Friday, July 06, 2007 - 3:23 pm: |
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have you folks read Tom Sharpe's books (the Wilt series)? If you like Pratchett and Adams you are likely to like him. If I am to twist Shrini's phrase, I would say he is a completely earth based combination of the above people (perhaps like wodehouse) with a turn of •••.
BTW, if you do not have librarything.com lists, please make them and send me your login name. You will not regret making that account as you explore zeitgeist and go through lists of people whose likings match yours माझे नाव तिथे देखिल इथे आहे तेच आहे
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Slarti
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| | Friday, July 06, 2007 - 4:02 pm: |
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श्रीनी, point taken . तू म्हणतोस तसा फरक आहे. पण देव खुद्द करो वा करवून घेवो, मला "faith feeds god" ही संकल्पना विचारकारक वाटली. शिवाय a god who is full of faith doesn't need to be faithful, god fades when religion becomes more important than faith हे तर मला फार सूचक वाटते. आपल्याकडेसुद्धा "भगवंत भावाचा भुकेला" अशी कल्पना आहे. त्यामागील अध्यात्मिक विचार क्षणभर बाजूला ठेवला, तर सामाजिक उत्क्रांतीच्या संदर्भात मला हा विचार चिंतनीय वाटतो. असो. थोडे विषयांतर झाले.
आशिष, तुझे देव BB वरचे post वाचून लगेचच librarything ला भेट दिली. भन्नाटच. मी तिथे याच नावाने सदस्य झालो आहे. आता हळूहळू यादी तयार करतो...
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Shrini
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| | Saturday, July 07, 2007 - 7:18 am: |
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'faith feeds god' can be interpreted in two manners: 1) it actually creates a god and gives him power so he can perform miracles for his devotees... this doesn't fit in our current scientific understanding.
2) it doesn't create any god but people believe in his exitence anyway and hence they do things that they think would please their god. Thus, the non existent god still gets people to do things that they think he likes. This one makes more sense and doesn't go against current science.
Btw, have you guys read 'the long dark teatime of the soul' ? a rambling but mildly interesting book by Adams.
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Aschig
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| | Saturday, July 07, 2007 - 2:28 pm: |
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i did not like it so much :-(
You should try Salmon of doubt if you have not. Its a psothumously published set of essays.
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व्वा. मी पण तिथे नोंद केली. आशिष ती साइट सुचविल्या बद्दल धन्यवाद.
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Slarti
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| | Saturday, July 07, 2007 - 6:41 pm: |
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'faith in god' has a feedback loop.
salmon of doubt is good. i liked it. havnt read long dark teatime yet. actually, i have been meaning to read his 'liff' books. anybody read it ? how's it ?
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Aschig
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| | Saturday, July 07, 2007 - 9:39 pm: |
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I didn't like liff much either.
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Aschig
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| | Sunday, August 05, 2007 - 9:23 pm: |
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I was able to buy a hardcover copy of small gods for a dollar a few days back. Haven't started reading it yet.
slarti et al. you do not seem to have poplulated your librarything accounts yet. Please do.
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