"None of this can actually be happening. If it makes you more comfortable, you could simply think of it as metaphor. Religions are, by definitions, metaphors, after all: God is a dream, a hope, a woman, an ironfist, a father, a city, a house of many rooms, a watchmaker, who left his prize chronometer in the desert, someone who loves you--even, perhaps, against all evidence, a celestial being whose only interest is to make sure your football team, army, or marriage thrives, prospers, and triumphs over all opposition." 
 This book offered some great philosophical thoughts on humans, mythology, and religious belief. The concept of Gods existing among us in the modern day has been done many times over, and I like the premise generally, so I enjoyed this book. I thought that Neil Gaiman's take on the idea felt fresh. It starts off strong and intriguing. I really enjoyed Shadow's subdued personality. It's a pleasant change from the aggressive hero types and his stable, rational perspective as the story delves into the chaos was fascinating. 
 I felt the book was strongest when it told little stories of how the gods ended up in America. I also enjoyed the town of Lakeview and the characters within it, but neither of these felt like part of the great plot, the recruitment of old gods by Wednesday (Odin) for a war with new gods--and unfortunately all that build up leads to a rather disappointing payoff. 
 I felt there were way to many characters to keep track of, some made one time appearance, others had hints at a developed personality, but were almost instantly forgotten or killed off. I tried to keep track of them, but at some point I just gave up and they all became interchangeable. While I could get behind the twist in the story as it has deep roots in mythology, it wasn't surprising and kind of underwhelming. I really wanted to love this book as so many of my friends have spoken in great accolades about it, but I found that I just liked it.