June 17, 2001
Gaiman's Gods.
When you browse in a bookstore, there are often comfortable chairs that allow you to sit and sample the wares before you make a purchase. Rarely is anyone chastised for lingering too long with a book in each hand, wondering whether (or which) to buy. However, on the Internet, readers are often asked to invest their time and money into a novel without the slightest touch of the unbroken spine. Online shoppers can either hold, nor skim a novel to give the tactile senses a chance to lend a hand with the decision.
But if you are a fan of the fantastic and the extraordinary, then you are in luck. The entire opening chapter of Neil Gaiman's new book, American Gods, has been made available to the public online. This is more of the story than you would usually have time to read in the bookstore. What reader, given the first chapter of nearly any novel, wouldn't opt to see how the story unfolds? We feel as if we've just stepped into the party and been handed a fresh drink. We're not going to leave until we mingle and get a feel for the room and its occupants.
If the first chapter of American Gods is any indication, this will be one incredible journey. In it, we are introduced to Shadow; a newly released inmate who finds that life on the outside is nothing like he remembered it. As the pieces of his old life fall away, he finds himself inexplicably in the company of a most unusual man. It seems that this man will not be satisfied until Shadow agrees to accept the job he is offering.
American Gods is available as a preorder from Amazon or in stores on June 19th.