Name: American Gods [TV Tie-In]
Rating: 4.101518026565465 (1054 reviews)
ISBN: 9780062572110

Neil Gaiman

A Novel

American Gods [TV Tie-In]

Just released from prison, Shadow encounters Mr. Wednesday, an enigmatic stranger who seems to know a lot about him, and when Mr. Wednesday offers him a job as his bodyguard, Shadow accepts and is plunged into a dark and perilous world.

Shadow sets out on a journey across America fighting old myths and the gods of modern technology and material obsession when he takes employment with a man named Wednesday -- otherwise known as the god Odin.

American gods

Katy Welyczko

My new favorite! I was a huge Neverwhere fan of course but his books just get better and better the more I read.

Author's Preferred Text

American Gods

Marija

I read this book for 2 months... page by page [it's my fault not Gaiman's =D] and in the end I thought: WTF? When I re-read it I'll write new review

Alex Addams 

I can still remember picking up American Gods at the age of 21 when it was first released. As it sometimes goes with certain books, films or albums it was not the time for the book to become a part of my life. After reading the first chapters of the book I felt overwhelmed by it's richness and diverse ideas. Not until now, after acquiring my own ideas and concepts and understanding of life, have I been able to fully appreciate Gaiman's masterpiece. American Gods is a book rich in themes. The book's subject matter dealing with the concept of gods and godliness, to the mysteries surrounding the American highway and it's assortment of roadside attractions, to the tragedy of love, life and death and finally to the enigmatic realms of dreams is more engaging and intriguing than any piece of essential fiction I've ever read. Perhaps what appealed to me most of all while reading American Gods was that the book felt like something I imagine I could write, at least in concept. Gaiman's skilled penmanship is obviously linguistically and idealistically far superior to anything I could ever conceive of. The book has served as inspiration for me and has become a personal catalyst of sorts for the beginning of my own writing. Only time will tell if I shall succeed in completing my own novel but it won't be for lack of trying. I would like to thank Neil Gaiman for his body of work from Coraline, to the more recent, the Graveyard Book, which never ceases to fuel the fires of my imagination. American Gods shall forever find a spot in my short list of favourite novels.

Tim Pendry

As winner of the Hugo, Nebula, Bram Stoker, SFX and Locus Awards, this dark fantasy road trip raised a lot of expectations. They are largely fulfilled. Gaiman is a little defensive in an associated interview about being a Briton who deigns to comment on America. But he has no need to be. He is not commenting on what America is but what it believes itself to be - that belief is so freely expressed to the world through American cultural dominance that anyone can enter into its spirit surprisingly easily who is prepared to spend significant time in, and travel through, the country (as Gaiman has done). Nevertheless, be in no doubt, unlike Stephen King, this is still a European looking in on America. As always with such books, we need to make an effort to avoid spoilers here on GoodReads. Deep analysis of a story that owes something to King yet cannot be called derivative is not appropriate. What we can say is that Gaiman bases his fantasy (not truly science fiction nor horror despite the Awards) on the simple 'spiritual' proposition that if we believe in something enough, then it becomes real in the world precisely to the extent that we do believe in it. The history of man, in this essentially pagan world-view, is the history of the rise and fall of its gods. These gods include not only ancient gods as we would understand them from history but the tools of later civilisation such as the railways, and now the media and internet, all become socially constructed as real persons who, in this book, can exist in the world. The conceit of the book is that immigrants brought memories and beliefs of their gods to the New World where they became revised and derivative realities appropriate to their experience. The nature of North American culture places these beings under intolerable pressure. Instead of offering an honourable retirement in their original homelands, American progress pushes them down to the underclass as low-lifes, the marginalised and as criminals while the gods of the internet and modernisation ride around in limousines supported by the shadow agencies of the elite. This makes it sound as if the book has some political sub-text. This would be a misrepresentation. It is, like its time in history (written just before 9/11), passive and non-judgemental. Gaiman observes rather than judges, even has sympathy for the position of all the players in the game with a very English bias towards the underdog even when the underdog is a killer - albeit with a clear anger towards man's inhumanity to man. Gaiman has some sympathy for but is not sentimental about the old gods. The new gods, in turn, will pass one day, to be displaced from their high place in public estimation and so access to the good things in life (whatever the mode of sacrifice) by yet newer gods. These are memes made flesh. Perhaps Gaiman just appreciates the humanity within the old gods as they scrabble for their livelihoods and some semblance of power at the bottom of society. If anything it is a humanist book - in which the heroes are not the gods at all but common men, not necessarily very bright but with a fundamental decency, buffeted by circumstances and manipulated by persons who never are what they appear to be. There is Shadow himself, his zombie wife Laura, local police chief Chad Mulligan - all ignorant creatures of forces beyond their control. This is a common man who craves tranquillity from not understanding what is going on, even to the extent of craving non-existence at times as a final relief, but who can be transformed by bad experiences and by the ability to take existential risk. Gaiman captures the psychology of change well, especially the 'forgetting' that happens (of the experience of change) so that a new state can be lived without constant reference back to the old through an unwanted constant remembrance of the transformation itself. The social reality of America can be grim. The improvements that come from making obeisance to the god of the moment (there is an important sub-plot related to the perfect Mid-Western town of Lakeside that would be a cliche if it were not so well drawn) always have a price. The price paid by humanity for what the gods give is perhaps what concerns Gaiman (reading between the lines) more than the gods themselves. These latter are closer to the Greek than the Judaeo-Christian model - creatures who may be cruel or kind as whim and sentiment take them. They simply crave being believed in and noticed (through 'sacrifice'). We are just their pawns if they notice us as useful - at least until they cease to exist at all. Gaiman originally came to prominence as a creative comic book writer (sorry, graphic novel author). That genre encourages the cultural magpie, creating new hybrids out of old material - hence the never-ending developments and cross-overs in universes such as those of DC Comics or Marvel or the almost encyclopedic knowledge of popular cultural forms that you find in Alan Moore or, indeed Neil Gaiman's, work. It is a tendency is to be found in this book too, although, unusually since the visualisation of comic books enables the self-referential and cultural cherry-picking to be buried in a context that the written word can often make trite, it works. An annotator could make references back to American popular fiction and culture on almost every page but Gaiman makes the story stick because he is good at characterisation, because he makes many of the references allusive rather than sticking any cleverness down your throat and because he holds to his theme of confidence trickery, misdirection and stage management from the very first to the very last pages with consummate skill. This is what makes the book worth reading and worth the Awards. It is no mean trick for a writer to make us believe that the gods might actually exist and be living in your neighbourhood. (This particular edition is the author's preferred text. Not having read the others, I cannot judge whether this is an improvement on the published original but there seem to be no self-indulgences.)

hotdamhistorian

literally my favorite gaiman book, i've reread it so many times

Since it was first published, American Gods became an instant classic. Now discover the mystery and majesty of American Gods in this beautiful reissue of the Author's Preferred Text edition. Featuring a new preface by Neil Gaiman in honor of the novel's 20th anniversary, this commemorative volume is a true celebration of a modern masterpiece. Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the magic day when he could return to Eagle Point, Indiana. A man no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, all he wanted was to be with Laura, the wife he deeply loved, and start a new life. But just days before his release, Laura and Shadow's best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, Shadow accepts a job from a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, an enigmatic man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and a rogue, Wednesday seems to know more about Shadow than Shadow does himself. Life as Wednesday's bodyguard, driver, and errand boy is far more interesting and dangerous than Shadow ever imagined--it is a job that takes him on a dark and strange road trip and introduces him to a host of eccentric characters whose fates are mysteriously intertwined with his own.

Fantastic book. I started this book the day my grandfather died and went through the process (and still am) of grief while Shadow did. Love how everything comes full circle in the end, was quite literally a “trust the process” book though I loved the journey to get there.

Dylan Starr

   The extraordinary epic novel from storytelling genius and international bestseller Neil Gaiman. Now brought vividly to life for TV in the highly acclaimed, Emmy-nominated Amazon Prime video seriesstarring Ricky Whittle, Ian McShane and Emily Browning. For fans of Good Omens and His Dark Materials. 'Gaiman is a treasure-house of story and we are lucky to have him' Stephen King After three years in prison, Shadow has served his time. But as the days and hours until his release tick away, he can feel a storm brewing. Two days before his release date, his wife Laura dies in a mysterious car crash, in adulterous circumstances. Dazed, Shadow travels home, only to encounter the bizarre Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America. Together they embark on a very strange journey across the States, along the way solving the murders which have occurred every winter in one small American town. But the storm is about to break . . . Disturbing, gripping and profoundly strange, Gaiman's epic novel sees him on the road to the heart of America.

American Gods #1

this was such an unusual read. first of all I absolutely loved the plot and the world building however I felt like the end was a bit anticlimactic. I understand that was the point but knowing that doesn't shake the feeling that it is unfinished. I really enjoyed this book and do (unfortunately) enjoy all of Neil Gaiman's works but just a very interesting and unusual read.

Soph

I loved. Hard to go wrong with mythical themes and imagery I think, but loved the twists in the story and how they were just unconventional enough to surprise me. Maybe this will break my book slump, who knows 

Terra Ganey

Patrick Book

For some reason I expected something very pretentious, but this was a really phenomenal, imaginative story. I really enjoyed it.

Danny Pallett

Sarah Sammis

Re-reading with the most excellent George Guidall at the helm. 

It's a better audio than print book but I'm just not in the mood for it right now.

Annotated American Gods

Reading this again with the annotations was so cool. Very fun learning more about all the gods and seeing a lot of stuff that was cut from the original text. Most disappointing part was the Backstage spider. I was hoping for any amount of information on it and there wasn’t a single annotation. I want to know more! Still one of my fave books.

American Gods [TV Tie-In] A Novel

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