Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

What is American Gods about? Of course everybody know! It’s about old gods, new gods, human beliefs, etc etc. And it’s a great idea. But did you consider it as a coin trick performed by Mr. Gaiman? Well I did!

What makes a story interesting when you get towards the end of it? TWIST IN THE TALE! But if the reader can guess it, the fun is spoiled! (Classical method, as you probably know, is the character with most noble actions is revealed at the end as the evil puppeteer, Chamberlain did it! Oh, David why you? I trusted you!) If you can prevent audience from doing the guesswork you can deliver a mind blowing plot twist. It is simple as that.

That is where the coin trick (or more precisely how to make pull a coin from thin air trick) comes. To make a successful illusion you need a really good distraction. “Look it’s Santa Claus!� While everybody look away you take the coin from the butt of your hand.

Constant remarks about the coming storm add a Lord of the Rings quality to the story, war has begun and Shadow must find out his part in it. So you vaguely make presumptions about the outcome of the battle and ready to face it with Shadow. But suddenly here we are in a wintery landscape in town of Lakeside with Shadow (or Mike Ainsel) wondering what happened to those poor children. So here’s the distraction (which is a very enjoyable and well written part): the mystery of disappearing children which I believe many readers successfully solved by the art of deduction.

While you are solving the mystery new gods have made their first move and battle has begun. No time for speculations this time; you are at The Moment of Storm and near the end of the book, chapters are relatively short, you are reading fast and hold and behold TWIST IN THE TALE!

It’s simplicity makes you pause and ponder what were you doing the day they handed out brains. Mr. Gaiman you just performed one of the best sleight of the hand ever in fiction.