Book Review: The Monarch of the Glen by Neil Gaiman


I was hesitant when I discovered this was a continuation of the American Gods story. I always am when I have enjoyed a stand-alone book and then find out that there was more written later and it’s not a proper sequel. If it’s part of the story then why wasn’t it included in the book in the first place? It feels like an attempt to cash in on the success of the original, rather than for any artistic reason or for the sake of the story. I’ve been burned before, but I should have more faith in Gaiman by now.  
It took me a little while to buy in. It didn’t immediately feel right to me that this is what Shadow is doing now. It didn’t seem to fit at first, but after thinking about possible alternatives it started to make more sense. I think Shadow is going to spend the rest of his days as a wanderer, never finding a place to call home, while gods old and new constantly try to use him for their own means. Poor Shadow.
This novella was full of the things that made American Gods so good. Foreboding, a sense that not everything is as is seems, there’s something not right that you can’t quite put your finger on, and, of course, the feeling that once events are in motion there’s no stopping them. We’re going to ride this train to the end of the line, even if means the destruction of us all.


Monarch of the Glen took nothing away from American Gods, which I think is what I was worried about. That it would lessen my enjoyment of it by tacking on some extras or changes that altered the feel of the original. It didn’t do that, it just gave me a new perspective on Shadow and a deeper understanding of him and the American Gods universe.
5 out of 5 stars

The Monarch of the Glen meets criteria fifteen for the 2018 Read Harder Challenge.
Have you read The Monarch of the Glen? Did you enjoy it? Let me know in the comments below!

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