Free Neil Gaiman online ebook - American Gods

Kakyou · 02-28-2008, 10:08 PM

As thanks to his blog readers, Neil Gaiman and his publisher have made American Gods available online for the next month.

You can view the book (no downloads) here

http://browseinside.harpercollins.co...lAccess_022208

Read his blog here for more details.

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/

Cthulhu · 02-28-2008, 10:17 PM

Thanks for the heads up.

It might be my connexion, but that site loaded slower than a turtle with a six-shooter.

I applaud their effort, but their delivery seems to be off.

It seems that these 'release to online' type of deals miss part of the point of digital texts. Or rather, they offend me because it is another case of content provider attempting total, perfect control, dictating exactly, how, when, where, and for how long a consumer has access to content.

Kingston · 02-28-2008, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kakyou

As thanks to his blog readers, Neil Gaiman and his publisher have made American Gods available online for the next month.

Aaargh!!

I just bought that one and downloaded it last week.

Cthulhu · 02-28-2008, 10:55 PM

Gaiman claims his aim is to drive so much traffic there that Harper Collins gives the book away. Really gives it away. Guess I'll need to hit ye old 'feedback' button.

JSWolf · 02-28-2008, 11:02 PM

Please everyone send feedback telling them we do not want PDF. We want RTF or HTML. We already had experience with Mistborn from Tor as a PDF and it wasn't nice.

Cthulhu · 02-28-2008, 11:12 PM

Jon:

I told them good job for letting me browse the book, but the site was woefully slow, and that their "here's some ebook places" faux link stunk.

Doubt that the text will be available to download soon, so I tried to be as positive as possible.

Taylor514ce · 02-28-2008, 11:14 PM

I applaud the good motive and effort, but... gah! that was an awful book.

Cthulhu · 02-28-2008, 11:16 PM

taylor: really?

Did you like his other works?
Like most of the thing he's done, but trying to get into the book online was making my eyes bleed.

Taylor514ce · 02-28-2008, 11:18 PM

Perhaps to my loss, that was the first book of his I read, and I haven't been able to force myself to take another bite. That sounds unfair when I say it... but there are too many other authors I like that I know will be good, and new others (to me) waiting in line for a chance.

JSWolf · 02-28-2008, 11:22 PM

I did read Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. I rather liked it.

Cthulhu · 02-28-2008, 11:26 PM

taylor:

Entreat you to try some of his earlier stories. His collaboration with Pratchett is a marvelous send-up of The Omen , and many of his books exist in a wonderfully conjectured 'other England' where magic is real, yet forgotten. Frankly, am surprise no one ever ties some of his novels and Ms. Rowling together.

Taylor514ce · 02-28-2008, 11:30 PM

"many of his books exist in a wonderfully conjectured 'other England' where magic is real, yet forgotten."

Similar to Jonathan Strange & M. Norell? I depart this weekend for a trip to Boston (OnDemand Expo anyone? Send me a PM!) and will forgo a re-read of The Surgeon's Mate to try one. Any particular title I should start with?

moz · 02-28-2008, 11:33 PM

Is it just me or is that an appalling way to read the book? Not only can I not see how to record my place in the book, I can't even copy a chunk of text out so I can search for my place later. And no keyboard navigation? Who are these people? At least the scroll wheel works.

Specifically, I'm not so much against pdf, I'm against any ebook that is images instead of text. Bah!

Hmm, for those with a lot of patience, if you scroll to the end and wait long enough (twitching the scroll wheel every now and then to prompt more downloading) you will have all the images loaded. Assuming your browser can handle a page that big. Then you can save the page and view the jpg of each page in your own happy way. All 615/47MB of them. Oh, and it's sufficiently dumb that it doesn't cache the dowload (probably so you can't copy the images out of its cache)

Kingston · 02-29-2008, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I did read Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. I rather liked it.

I've read 'Neverwhere' and 'Coraline' by Gaiman, both worth reading but not exactly great stuff.

Neverwhere was made into a BBC 3hour drama (made while he was writing it...the director kept telling him to change scenes) and can be rented from Netflix or Blockbuster.

For a really, really good read try 'Warbreaker' by Brandon Sanderson that Jon posted up in the uploads sections a few weeks ago.

You will not be disappointed.

edsohsmith · 02-29-2008, 02:23 AM

I very much enjoyed American Gods. If you like Neil Gaiman's other works you should definitely give this one a try, not necessarily from this web page though...

02-28-2008, 10:08 PM	#1
Kakyou Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2006 Device: Many	Free Neil Gaiman online ebook - American Gods As thanks to his blog readers, Neil Gaiman and his publisher have made American Gods available online for the next month. You can view the book (no downloads) here http://browseinside.harpercollins.co...lAccess_022208 Read his blog here for more details. http://journal.neilgaiman.com/

02-28-2008, 11:33 PM	#13
moz Addict Posts: 370 Karma: 1553 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Melbun Device: Kobo H2O	Is it just me or is that an appalling way to read the book? Not only can I not see how to record my place in the book, I can't even copy a chunk of text out so I can search for my place later. And no keyboard navigation? Who are these people? At least the scroll wheel works. Specifically, I'm not so much against pdf, I'm against any ebook that is images instead of text. Bah! Hmm, for those with a lot of patience, if you scroll to the end and wait long enough (twitching the scroll wheel every now and then to prompt more downloading) you will have all the images loaded. Assuming your browser can handle a page that big. Then you can save the page and view the jpg of each page in your own happy way. All 615/47MB of them. Oh, and it's sufficiently dumb that it doesn't cache the dowload (probably so you can't copy the images out of its cache) Last edited by moz; 02-29-2008 at 12:09 AM. Reason: caching comment

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02-28-2008, 10:17 PM	#2
Cthulhu Technologist Posts: 488 Karma: 585237 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: I'm between Cities Device: SONY Reader PRS-500	Thanks for the heads up. It might be my connexion, but that site loaded slower than a turtle with a six-shooter. I applaud their effort, but their delivery seems to be off. It seems that these 'release to online' type of deals miss part of the point of digital texts. Or rather, they offend me because it is another case of content provider attempting total, perfect control, dictating exactly, how, when, where, and for how long a consumer has access to content.

02-28-2008, 10:55 PM	#4
Cthulhu Technologist Posts: 488 Karma: 585237 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: I'm between Cities Device: SONY Reader PRS-500	Gaiman claims his aim is to drive so much traffic there that Harper Collins gives the book away. Really gives it away. Guess I'll need to hit ye old 'feedback' button.

02-28-2008, 11:02 PM	#5
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,142 Karma: 144284184 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Please everyone send feedback telling them we do not want PDF. We want RTF or HTML. We already had experience with Mistborn from Tor as a PDF and it wasn't nice.

02-28-2008, 11:12 PM	#6
Cthulhu Technologist Posts: 488 Karma: 585237 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: I'm between Cities Device: SONY Reader PRS-500	Jon: I told them good job for letting me browse the book, but the site was woefully slow, and that their "here's some ebook places" faux link stunk. Doubt that the text will be available to download soon, so I tried to be as positive as possible.

02-28-2008, 11:14 PM	#7
Taylor514ce Actively passive. Posts: 2,042 Karma: 478376 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: US Device: Sony PRS-505/LC	I applaud the good motive and effort, but... gah! that was an awful book.

02-28-2008, 11:16 PM	#8
Cthulhu Technologist Posts: 488 Karma: 585237 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: I'm between Cities Device: SONY Reader PRS-500	taylor: really? Did you like his other works? Like most of the thing he's done, but trying to get into the book online was making my eyes bleed.

02-28-2008, 11:18 PM	#9
Taylor514ce Actively passive. Posts: 2,042 Karma: 478376 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: US Device: Sony PRS-505/LC	Perhaps to my loss, that was the first book of his I read, and I haven't been able to force myself to take another bite. That sounds unfair when I say it... but there are too many other authors I like that I know will be good, and new others (to me) waiting in line for a chance.

02-28-2008, 11:22 PM	#10
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,142 Karma: 144284184 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I did read Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. I rather liked it.

02-28-2008, 11:26 PM	#11
Cthulhu Technologist Posts: 488 Karma: 585237 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: I'm between Cities Device: SONY Reader PRS-500	taylor: Entreat you to try some of his earlier stories. His collaboration with Pratchett is a marvelous send-up of The Omen , and many of his books exist in a wonderfully conjectured 'other England' where magic is real, yet forgotten. Frankly, am surprise no one ever ties some of his novels and Ms. Rowling together.

02-28-2008, 11:30 PM	#12
Taylor514ce Actively passive. Posts: 2,042 Karma: 478376 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: US Device: Sony PRS-505/LC	"many of his books exist in a wonderfully conjectured 'other England' where magic is real, yet forgotten." Similar to Jonathan Strange & M. Norell? I depart this weekend for a trip to Boston (OnDemand Expo anyone? Send me a PM!) and will forgo a re-read of The Surgeon's Mate to try one. Any particular title I should start with?

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02-29-2008, 02:23 AM	#15
edsohsmith Connoisseur Posts: 69 Karma: 11 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: Sony PRS 505 (soon)	I very much enjoyed American Gods. If you like Neil Gaiman's other works you should definitely give this one a try, not necessarily from this web page though...