I have been a firm believer in watching adaptations before reading the books that they are based on. That enables my mental picture to not influence my level of enjoyment on screen. Then there was American Gods, where I got to experience it both orders.
The background concept for the book is what happens to gods when people no long worship them. I love how it plays with the definition of “god” – being whomever or whatever people focus their attention on. Money and television are considered among the new gods in our county.
I was able to get a discounted subscription to Starz network, so DH2U and I started watching the series based on Neil Gaiman’s work. I really enjoyed it, so I decided to use my next Audible credit to get the audio book. It was cool because they had the same actors from the show playing the parts in audio performance. It is yet another five star book for this year.
Parts of the show were true to the book, but there were some notable variations. I’m strangely okay with that, even after I finished the book and started watching season two. At first I couldn’t figure out why the stark straying from the original didn’t bother me. Then it hit me: I don’t know how the series will end since the book’s ending no longer seems possible. Plus some of my favorite characters in the show had only had bit parts in the original.
So now we’re hurrying to finish up before my subscription goes to full price. I’m so glad I am having the unusual experience of watching the series the both first and last. Maybe I’ll have to rethink my whole movie before book hang up. I’m dying to read John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War, but they will start filming a mini-series of it this year. I’d hate to not like anything associated with him
Grown Up, Now What? 