I'm not even halfway through this book yet, and it's scaring the *@*# out of me. The simple process of reading it, the timing with my life and the progression of the plot are almost too much...

After the meeting in the House on the Rock (awesome setting Mr. Gaiman, no place else like it) I dreamed I was travelling with Zeus and another. He was old, barely more than a beggar, and to be replaced by his son soon, as we found out at one of the stops. We were wandering the country with a purpose. I don't remember much of it other than stopping at one man's house who fed us, and how Zeus shovelled the stew into his mouth fast as humanly possible with his spoon - tragic.

When I woke my immediate thought was "that was weird... This book is really getting to my head." Then I scratched my nose, and my fingertips smelled of tobacco. I quit smoking when I moved here from the midwest, and hadn't had one in weeks - no rational reason for my fingers to smell like that. I felt like Bethany in the movie "Dogma" must have felt when she found the maraccas under her pillow.

I've been forming a theory about certain writers of fiction tapping into deeper things, creativity coming from a Yungian source of unconsciousness. American Gods is a very good example of what I'm on about that...

Would you care to share your theory with us, or are you still working on it? I think it would be an interesting read!

Edit: Welcome, by the way! Just noticed this was your first post. Hope you're planning to stay for a while (take it from me, people here are very friendly).

Power of the mind is... powerful. Methinks your brain is playing tricks on you, fella.

quote:

I've been forming a theory about certain writers of fiction tapping into deeper things, creativity coming from a Yungian source of unconsciousness. American Gods is a very good example of what I'm on about that...

Oh, American Gods is certainly Jungian but that's one of the (many, many) things that make it so interesting... I'm not going to spoil anything for you but just keep this in mind... what happens when collective conscience begins to unravel and disintegrate because (as you encounter early in the book) of loss of collective memory? Where do gods go when they become merely myths? There is a great deal to ponder - scary stuff that we don't like to think about - in the book. And it doesn't have to do only with myth, but self as well. I'm reading it again just now - on page 116 and I'm reading it SLOWLY this time (there are two elements in the book which are particularly - frightening? - to me because they seem very personal) and would love to discuss this as we both read further.

Sorry to intrude on this conversation but this book is rocking me, as well! Good old Mr. G did it again...I think I might have a spell on me or something, but I like every single thing that man has written that I have read. Really. I thought I wouldn't like American Gods. I even didn't really like it, when I first started reading. It seemed...too American styled for me, actually--I dunno...and I almost wanted to not like it--I was sort of daring it to disappoint me...but now, a few pages to the end--and I FREAKIN' LOVE this book! It is sooooo amazingly entertaining.
How does he do it? I even like the books he writes blurbs on. Crazy.

i would love to hear more about your theory as well, I have a friend who is very interested in ideas of a collective subconcious or what ever you call it.

All this is making me want to reread AG. Which I can't do right now because I have other stuff to read.

The book is a work of art. It's a masterpiece. Simple as.

Hm I have had dreams related to this book - especially involving Shadow - but they never scared me... because they were.. uhmn... sexual. :P

^

No dreams, unfortunately, not yet...

*crosses fingers for luck*