I read "American Gods" about a year and a half ago. I thought it was very well done, with a good sense of the mythic nature of his characters. I did not like his preparatory comments about turning his stories into movies, how awed his editors were, etc. Authors tend to have egos, more than not, rather large egos, and Gaiman's incessant bragging almost had me toss the book away before I read the novel.

There are many excellent writers in this vein, and I have preferred Theordore Sturgeon to most. But then, I've usually preferred short stories.

Actually, if I had to rank Gaiman's novels, I'd put Neverwhere at the top. But that's just me. Don't get me started on Gaiman: he's got my number, he knows my buttons, and he's damn good at it. I'm an unabashed fan.