The star rating really ought to be a 1 1/2 or something, because there were some characters and some parts that I really did enjoy, but those were islands of delight in a vast sea of disappointment. I was really looking forward to American Gods. I loved Neverwhere, and though I wasn't expecting a carbon copy, I wasn't expecting quite so much blandness. I'm all for subtle wonders and hidden magic. I'm all for not showing all your cards. 
 What disappointed me was how boring the protagonist was. His name is Shadow, and he literally seems to take whatever role his environment dictates. This isn't some fascinating look at espionage or magic. The guy just has no personality, seems quite alright to just go with the flow (even when things get crazy), and save for ONE moment in the beginning of the book, and a handful of moments toward the very end, you really feel he's not actually doing anything to affect his situation. He doesn't really do anything for the plot. 
 There were small "shorts" mixed into the story of what happened to gods and magical beings who were brought to America by those who believed in them. You learn about djinn and piskies. About gods who were made into prostitutes, and African magic. Those parts, sadly, were more interesting than reading about Shadow driving across the states, or him living his small town dream in the ass end of nowhere. Even Wednesday lost his initial charm partway through. Infinitely more fascinating were the other gods they encountered, but they were flashes in the pan most of them, and too soon are we returned to the dragging roadshow that is Shadow and Wednesday's "recruitment" efforts. 
 There isn't any doubt that Neil Gaiman is a great writer. It's just my feeling that the major themes of: societal evolution suffocating spiritual belief, nature vs. spirituality, the honoring of debts, the power of dreams, American life, the significance of endings and beginnings, and the paths we must forge for ourselves--could have been explored in a more evenly stimulating fashion. With a late bloomer protagonist, the abandoned characters that outshone him, and a plot that could've been a great deal shorter--I stick with my (imagined) rating of 1 1/2 stars.