The storm was coming.... Shadow spent three years in prison, keeping his head down, doing his time. All he wanted was to get back to the loving arms of his wife and to stay out of trouble for the rest of his life. But days before his scheduled release, he learns that his wife has been killed in an accident, and his world becomes a colder place. On the plane ride home to the funeral, Shadow meets a grizzled man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A self-styled grifter and rogue, Wednesday offers Shadow a job. And Shadow, a man with nothing to lose, accepts. But working for the enigmatic Wednesday is not without its price, and Shadow soon learns that his role in Wednesday's schemes will be far more dangerous than he ever could have imagined. Entangled in a world of secrets, he embarks on a wild road trip and encounters, among others, the murderous Czernobog, the impish Mr. Nancy, and the beautiful Easter -- all of whom seem to know more about Shadow than he himself does. Shadow will learn that the past does not die, that everyone, including his late wife, had secrets, and that the stakes are higher than anyone could have imagined. All around them a storm of epic proportions threatens to break. Soon Shadow and Wednesday will be swept up into a conflict as old as humanity itself. For beneath the placid surface of everyday life a war is being fought -- and the prize is the very soul of America. As unsettling as it is exhilarating, American Gods is a dark and kaleidoscopic journey deep into myth and across an America at once eerily familiar and utterly alien. Magnificently told, this work of literary magic will haunt the reader far beyond the final page.
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Publisher:
New York : W. Morrow, c2001.
Edition:
1st ed.
ISBN:
9780380973651
0380973650
0380973650
Characteristics:
465 pages ; 25 cm.
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MERAJ AHMED KHAN
Jul 06, 2017
MERAJ AHMED KHAN thinks this title is suitable for 14 years and over
Notices
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Quotes
Add a Quote“Hey," said Shadow. "Huginn or Muninn, or whoever you are."
The bird turned, head tipped, suspiciously, on one side, and it stared at him with bright eyes.
"Say 'Nevermore,'" said Shadow.
"Fuck you," said the raven.”
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Sophie2798
Jun 24, 2014
The house smelled musty and damp, and a little sweet, as if it were haunted by the ghosts of long-dead cookies.
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Stonesoul1
Jul 01, 2015
Possibly one of the greatest pieces of modern Literature by a writer who is surely one of he greatest literary treasures of our time. Gaiman weaves a complex and epic tale of Old World deities surviving adapting and warring in the New World, bereft of the believers that brought them there.
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Add a CommentA strange original. I had never read anything like this before. Capable to giving chills and the creeps without violent action.
Wow - and to think, I put off reading this one because I did not think I would like it. Neil Gaiman never fails to write an amazing, unique story that you can't help but finish. Sure, this one was pretty long and could be seen as slightly dry at some parts. All the while, every little piece of the story comes together to mean something. I am so glad I stuck with this book, I feel a great sense of satisfaction in finishing it :-)
This is in my top five favorite books. I wish I could re-read it over again for the first time. I have had a soft spot for mythology and folk tales for many years and this book has both.
I loved listening to this audiobook, read by Neil Gaiman himself. I HIGHLY recommend giving it a listen!
When I started it I found it very interesting and then not too far in I started getting bored but I wanted to see what happened so I continued to read it and then was finding myself just wanting to get it over with and started speed reading/skimming so by the time I got to page 374 I just felt I gave up.
Loved the book, was very excited to hear Starz was bringing it to t.v. Just finished first season, looking forward to season 2. Neither the book nor the series is everyone's cup of tea, but Neil Gaiman is not for the faint of heart.
This book awesome, it started really interested. In the middle it got pretty dry, but the ending was very action pack. I’m excited to watch the series when the Library gets it.
Having just watched season 1 of the tv series, I wanted to re-visit this great book that I read years ago. It still holds up as a fantastic example of Gaiman's work, and as a fantastic piece of uniquely-American folklore.
I enjoyed the book. It meandered a bit but given that most of the story took place on the road, it fit well. There were many colourful and unique characters and the reader was left to interpret them by their actions rather than their thoughts. The plot had many jogs, turns, and spins and Gaiman's storytelling was very compelling. I found myself trying to anticipate where the story was going. I was sometimes satisfied by my correct guesses and sometimes by the unanticipated direction the story took. I enjoyed feeling sympathetic towards flawed characters made more interesting by their bizarre circumstances. Recommended for those who like magic realism, mythology, semiotics, and the dark and strange.
American Gods fell far below my expectations given the hype surrounding it. Gaiman struggles to figure out how to introduce a female character in a way that doesn't remark on her beauty and curvaceous form (or lack thereof) save for a scant few characters. The book feels way too bulky for what it is as well. It meanders to the point where, by the time I hit the halfway mark, I was just bored silly. The premise is interesting and has potential but I was mostly just unimpressed. If you can overlook the sexism and long-winded plot I'm sure it's enjoyable, but I just couldn't get myself to pick it back up.