American Gods: A Novel

Now a STARZ(R) Original Series produced by FremantleMedia North America starring Ricky Whittle, Ian McShane, Emily Browning, and Pablo Schreiber.

Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the 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. Soon Shadow learns that the past never dies . . . and that beneath the placid surface of everyday life a storm is brewing--an epic war for the very soul of America--and that he is standing squarely in its path.

"Mystery, satire, sex, horror, poetic prose--American Gods uses all these to keep the reader turning the pages."--Washington Post

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560 pages

Average rating: 7.69

166 RATINGS

10 REVIEWS

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Keedee27

Oct 04, 2023

6/10 stars

Great story and cleverly written. Ending felt rushed and wrapped up weird. Wish the mini story lines played a bigger role with the main story.

J-nell

Sep 24, 2023

8/10 stars

Gaiman writes a great story. I loved the intertwining of the different religious deities in the story. I spent time trying to place who was from which culture without looking it up. It was fun. It did get a little long around 3/4 through and I struggled holding my attention for a bit. But the story is interesting and I found that again.

Jackie N

Sep 02, 2023

9/10 stars

Great read!

terihealy

May 21, 2023

8/10 stars

Greg

Liv H

Apr 19, 2023

10/10 stars

This book needed to be 750 pages. The structure is comparable to Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, as the chapters regularly switch between the protagonist’s plot and vignettes about various gods and deisms in and out of the US. Such and interesting structure for such an intriguing concept, and of course it’s written so craftily that there’s enjoyment just in the way the words are clumped together. I think my favorite part of this experience was the last sections of the book, when I was dragging through the last 200 pages or so, and the protagonist’s voice change so drastically it was unmissable. Usually, I would call this growth inconsistency and move on but Gaiman, being Gaiman, did it deliberately and transparently. Earlier in the novel, the protagonist is told that he isn’t really living. When he (spoiler) experiences death and comes back, his dialogue is much less of a separate, untold thing and his voice become present. It’s crazy that he feels, through Gaiman’s writing, like he’s come alive.