NEIL GAIMAN: WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?

I follow him on twitter @NeilHimself, and even regularly check his blog, but I'd never read anything other than his young adult novel Coraline so I decided to give Neil Gaiman's American Gods a try. At first the story grabbed me. Easy-going Shadow, the main character, is released early from prison, only to find himself mysteriously approached by a series of modern day mythical remnants. There's a grouchy leprechaun, a mysterious all-knowing, all-seeing Mr. Wednesday, and an array of other washed up, down-on-their-luck fairy tale creatures. Sort of like Shrek for adults. I was intrigued because I don't know much about myths and folk stories from other cultures, and the novel seemed to be weaving these tales into a fractured all-American web.

So, I continued to follow Shadow on his journey back into "civilian" life. How easily accepts the mystery surrounding him! Gold coins and magic and cryptic conversations all appear out of nowhere! He wakes up in strange places, but always with a full stomach and in the comfort of a bed. And at one point, he even watches an old woman pull the moon out of the sky and return it to his palm in the shape of a silver dollar! Shadow travels across the Midwest, to the Bad Lands,  down south to a funeral home run by modern day equivalents of the Egyptian gods Anubis and Horace, and back again until he must (too easily?) make life-threatening choices about what role he will play in the penultimate war between the gods and humans. (What are they actually fighting over? I'm not sure, but I think it has something to do with the humans believing in technology instead of the spirits.)

But what I'm realizing as I trudge through is that Neil Gaiman cannot write female characters. All the female goddesses or dead human women so far (now I'm 85% finished)  serve the purpose of teasing or comforting the male characters.

For example, there's Laura, Shadow's dead wife, who dies in a incriminating situation revealing her affair with Shadow's best friend, Robbie.  She continues to follow and tease Shadow as a ghost for the rest of the book--can she help him come back to life?--and Shadow just can't seem to make up his mind: Is he still in love with her? Does he want to help her? Or is he spiteful about her betrayal? Then there's Easter, the goddess of the said-Holiday, who is sassy, "curvaceous," and restores Shadow's health upon his deathbed with her nutrients. Also, there's Sam, a young Native American college student and lesbian, who has an unlikely crush on Shadow (but he's a boy!?).  Thus, it's my opinion these female characters only serve the purpose of serving the men, and  this novel would certainly not pass the Bechdal Test. 

When I have a strong opinion I love to do some research and find others that agree with my strong opinion. :) I did some research only to confirm: Neil Gaiman overly relies on stereotypes. This story, and probably many of his others, relies on the old hero journey. This formula is re-blogged from Neil Gaiman: sorry unbro, it’s not me, it’s you:

• gutless, spineless everyman-loser protagonist with limited personality, intelligence, and no charm: hereafter known as Mr. Cliched Stock Type
• the woman who henpecks Mr. Cliched Stock Type
• Mr. Cliched Stock Type discovers a hidden magical world
• Mr. Cliched Stock Type discovers a special destiny, either prophesied, part of his secret magic heritage, or both
• Mr. Cliched Stock Type fulfills special destiny

Haven't heard that story before! So, what space does this formula leave for a female character that resembles a human and not a male's accessory?  And you might even ask, what space does this formula leave for fully developed male characters too? I'm convinced it's possibly to do it all, maintain this classic hero structure while also making it new,  and to also incorporate believable characters of both sexes. So, my search continues for a satisfying sci-fi read.