I’ve mentioned Neil Gaiman here before I think. He’s one of my favorite authors these days, something like a more whimsical Stephen King, a more prolific Douglas Adams, or a more literary Joss Whedon.
He’s got a great blog, regularly updated with all kinds of fascinating things, but I thought it was worth mentioning today because he’s made one of his books available for free. He actually held a vote on his site last month about which book it should be. I’m happy to report that my choice was the one that made it through. It’s called American Gods, and it’s one of the better books I’ve read in the last few years. And now you can read the whole thing for free thanks to the magic of the interwebs.
Of all his works, it’s the one that was the most immediately gripping. It’s also, I think, his most successful attempt to merge so-called speculative fiction with a contemporary novel. It’s kind of hard to imagine, but a book about Norse gods and ancient myths is also unmistakably modern.
The result is a book that’s quite insightful as well as extremely enjoyable reading. I think it took me all of two days to get through the 500+ pages a couple summers ago.
The long and short is that it’s totally free so there’s no excuse to not give it a shot. And if you like it, he’s got plenty of other free content as well as other novels, short story collections, graphic novels, and anything else you might desire.
Are You There Margaret? It’s Me God – The Lawrence Arms
God – John Lennon
Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine – Modest Mouse