I’m going to put the question in spoiler boxes, but chances are things will be spoiled openly during the course of the thread. Be warned.
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How many of you figured out the top-secret identity of Low-Key Lyesmith?
I never saw it coming. This does not suprise me. I’m completely oblivious to subtle textual clues (unless it’s clear that there’s going to be a twist). I’m wondering what people with normal reading comprehension skills thought? Did you read the name and say to yourself, “Hey! That’s a pun! Maybe he’s really…”, or was it more like “Forget about the guy mentioned briefly at the beginning and never seen, la di la di la… HOLY NORSE MYTHOLOGY, BATMAN! I never woulda thunk that!”?
I didn’t know there was anything to figure out so no, I didn’t. I honestly don’t even remember what Low Key’s role in the end was, other than he was keeping an eye on Shadow for some reason? But then again I was confused through most of that book (could of been because I read it at work so only had half a mind on it at the best of times, and only got to read about 2-3 pages each sitting). The protagonist defeats the trickster and then… there’s some sort of hobgoblin and a girl in the trunk of a car? What did that subplot have to do with anything, and why was it resolved 30 pages after the main climax of the story? It seemed to come out of left field to me, like Gaimen had to tack on another couple pages to keep his publisher happy or something.
(Anyone who would care to explain would be helpful)
It’s been years since I read the book, but I don’t recall being surprised by anyone’s idenity. Well, I take that back. I was surprised by the reveal about Hinzelmann but he wasn’t a god.
I spent so much time trying to figure out who the established gods were that I didn’t even think about Low-Key. I don’t think I was really surprised, though. It was more of an “Oh yeah. Duh.” kind of thing.
Oh, and Hinzelmann was a god. He was a very old tribal god. Remember the story about the little boy left to starve in a hut and then run through with swords? As good a way to make a god as any, according to the story.
I figured it out. I also guessed who Shadow was and that Odin was up to no good. I am a practicing Asatruar so it wasn’t hard to make those leaps. I found it to be an excellent book.
I didn’t catch it. But then, I’m a very candid reader, I never figure those things out, never spot the obvious parallels and so forth. Which is part of why I love Gaiman so much, I suppose. He takes people like me on wild rides that always end in a “woaaah, clever !”
Loki’s role was to keep the conflict going so that Odin’s con would work and a gigantic battle between the gods would nourish Odin since he is also the Lord of Battle. The ending bit was just tying up loose ends as Shadow goes to the places he’s been and finishes what he’s started/been involved in, including stopping the kobold (who was indeed a kind of a god) from carrying on the human sacrifices. It wasn’t about tacking on extra page length, but about showing how Shadow had grown and come to understand the world of the gods by the end of the novel.
That makes absolutely no sense at all.
Especially since Shadow wasn’t a god.
I didn’t catch that “Low-Key” equalled “Loki” in the beginning when Low-Key is first mentioned as Shadow’s cellmate. I figured it out in the middle of the book when Wednesday is telling Shadow about the cons he used to run, and that he sometimes had a junior partner. Hmm, who would Odin’s partner in a con be? Probably Loki the trickster. Oh, wait! Low-key!
I found it to be an excellent book.