Review: American Gods, Vol. 2: My Ainsel

American Gods, Vol. 2: My Ainsel by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rating 4 out 5| A Grade; An Acid trip down dark alleyways

The bizarre yet phantasmal trip road trip with Shadow Moon & Mr. Wednesday continues. Having got a glimpse of the otherworld & beings which hide beneath the veneer of reality, Shadow finds himself further embroiled in the impending war between the Old Gods & New Ones.

Having found himself in a spot of trouble, Odin has his handyman spirited off to the innermost reaches of America, where hopefully he will be safe from prying eyes.

But outside our perception, the shadow conflict continues, as the first casualties of war begin to surface. Shadow is plagued by mysterious visions, about his destiny, past & not so dead wife, Lauren. Leading him to contemplate what his role is, in this whole kerfuffle. We are right there with him, riding along.



Volume 2, takes a breather after the events of the first Volume. We enter what is for many people one of the more interesting parts of the story, 'The Lakeside arc'. Shadow & we are given time to organize our thoughts and come to their own conclusions.

This volume also delves deeper into themes of human consciousness, predilection for violence, war, as well as philosophical musings as to the human condition. As they say, Gods are created from the thoughts of people, and in a way, they reflect the collective consciousness of the species.



We also meet an ever growing group of colorful characters, Gods & otherwise. With each new encounter, we are pulled deeper and deeper into the world which Mr. Gaiman have created. Where Gods work as Morticians, Call girls, cab drivers and see how their former awesome personas are made to reconcile with the reality that they now face. To scrap out a meagre existence in whatever fringes & gutters they can to survive.



Their varied reactions and outlook towards the current sorry state they find themselves in, form a crux of the narrative.

One other aspect, which I thoroughly enjoyed, were the various one-shots peppered throughout the story, 'Coming to America'. We get to know more, about how men through much trials & tribulations sailed to the new continent. And with them, much like rats in the hold, hitchhiked their gods, calling this land their new home.

Some however didn't make the journey intact. The rise of new religions & gods, pushing out the old. And one of the worse fates for a God is to be forgotten, as this would deal them the ultimate demise of oblivion. I think it is this glimpse into the abyss which makes 'The Tale of Nunnyunnini' one of my favorite one-shot.



Events are winding up to their inevitable conclusion. If you haven't picked up the story yet, I suggest you do so.

View all my reviews