Neil’s publisher has made “American Gods” available for free for a month. If you’ve never read anything by Neil, and have been wondering how I managed to fall so hard for some writing that I knitted a pair of plain black socks for a complete stranger, now is your chance.

“American Gods” is the first thing by Neil I ever read. It’s the second, if you count “Good Omens,” which I read because it had Pratchett’s name on it. I picked up ‘American Gods” for two equally potent reasons. One is that I wanted to see what the other name on my “Good Omens” book was all about. The other is that I spotted the book in mass market paperback (cheap) shortly after driving across America. I was curious what an Englishman would have to say about the gods of America, so I picked it up with no more information on it beyond what was on the cover of the book.

I was in for a pleasant surprise.

It’s been said that the end of the book gets sort of weird, that the story isn’t quite as taut as it is in the rest of the book, and that it sort of ruins the party for the rest of the book. It’s probably true, but I was enjoying the metaphors too much to mind. After finishing “American Gods” I immediately went out and bought everything I could find in my bookstore by Neil. About a year later, I started reading Sandman. To date, I have read everything by him in my collection at least twice, and I have shoved “Neverwhere” into the hands of many unsuspecting readers.

Neil’s publisher put up a poll to decide which book to make available for free, and I voted for “Neverwhere.” I lost, of course, but considering “American Gods” was my own entrance to the rabbit hole, I suppose this outcome isn’t so bad.

At the end of the beginning, Neil writes, “Furthermore, it goes without saying that all of the people, living, dead, and otherwise in this story are fictional or used in a fictional context. Only the gods are real.”

Who can resist a beginning like that?

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