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American Gods [Hardcover]

Neil Gaiman (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (183 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: 5 July 2001
After three years in prison, Shadow has done his time. But as the days, then the hours, then the seconds until his release tick away, he can feel a storm building. Two days before he gets out, his wife Laura dies in a mysterious car crash, in apparently adulterous circumstances. Dazed, Shadow travels home, only to encounter the bizarre Mr Wednesday claiming 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 they are being pursued by someone with whom Shadow must make his peace ...

Disturbing, gripping and profoundly strange, Neil Gaiman's epic new novel sees him on the road to finding the soul of America.

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 512 pages
  • Publisher: Feature (5 July 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0747274231
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747274230
  • Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.4 x 4.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (183 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 405,964 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon Review

Within just a few pages of Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods, he commandingly reveals that he is at his considerable best with this disturbing and dark journey into the hidden soul of America. Gaiman, one of the most talented and imaginative writers at work today, achieved nigh-legendary status with his comic Sandman, which took the genre to heights that even the equally talented Alan Moore had not attained; Gaiman's subsequent career as a novelist has displayed the same glittering inventiveness and exquisite use of language.

Gaiman's protagonist Shadow has patiently done his time in prison. But as the moment of his release approaches, he begins to sense that some unnamed disaster is lying in wait for him. As he makes his way home, he encounters the mysterious Mr Wednesday, who appears to be both a refugee from a distant country at war and the King of America. And perhaps even a god. As Shadow and Mr Wednesday begin a bizarre odyssey across the United States, solving murders is only one of their accomplishments. With an epic storm of supernatural origin brewing, one questions whether they will be destroyed before Shadow pays the price for grim mistakes in his past.

The use of language here is impeccable, and it is wedded to a surreal narrative that brings out the most quirky and unsettling aspects of Gaiman's imagination. Forget Gaiman the Guru: just enjoy Gaiman the consummate writer:

He opened his mouth to catch the rain as it fell, moistening his cracked lips and his dry tongue, wetting the ropes that bound him to the trunk of the tree. There was a flash of lightning so bright it fell like a blow to his eyes, transforming the world into an intense panorama of image and after-image. The wind tugged at Shadow, trying to pull him from the tree, flaying him, cutting to the bone. Shadow knew in his soul that the real storm had truly begun...
--Barry Forshaw

Review

A very fine and imaginative writer (The Times)

'Gaiman has a rich imagination...and an ability to tackle large themes' (Philip Pullman) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Didn't want it to end... 17 Sep 2012
By G. Francis
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I will keep this short. I read this when it came out and enjoyed it, almost 10 years on I picked it up again and loved it. I have found myself thinking about the book when away from it, it has a magical effect, so fantastical yet so grounded in reality that you will never look at a cat or an undertaker in quite the same way. I am very excited to hear that HBO are planning a series based on it and the author is writing a sequel... Can't wait! If you like your fantasy a little dark, a little humorous, a little real, this is the book for you!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars What got me into Gaiman 4 Feb 2012
By Catherine C.
Format:Paperback
After driving down to Cornwall for a sun-and-sea camping holiday with the ladies, I realised I'd forgotten to bring a book, which was unusual for me since I'm a complete bookworm. I blamed it on the rush and panic of getting to the campsite on time and making sure we had everything. Luckily, one of my friends had brought two along with her and offered me American Gods. I'd not heard of Neil Gaiman until this point. I am so thankful that I was introduced to Gaiman's wonderful world of fiction. I could not put this book down, partly because I have a great interest in mythology, and partly because the prose was written in such a captivating way. I found the story very interesting, and the way Gaiman cleverly intertwined mythology of many cultures, along with 'modern gods' such as Internet, and Media. American Gods has ended up being one of my favourite books of all time. All time.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Swollen beyond measure 9 Jun 2009
By Crookedmouth HALL OF FAME TOP 10 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
Mr Gaiman tells us that this version (the "author's preferred text") is much enlarged from the original release. If this is so, then he would do well to listen to his editor next time, because there's some serious pruning needed here. As the book is aimed squarely at the US market (which seems to prefer a high weight to content ratio) it's hardly surprising that the editing process added pages rather than (and this is the more traditional function of an edit) remove them.

All that said, I actually enjoyed the book to begin with. It's witty, fun, absorbing and all that, and covers a lot of ground. The allegory is hardly subtle, and it reads like Stephen King on incense, but the rambling nature of the plot is engaging enough. In short, it's a supernatural road trip addressing the conflict between the old world gods and the icons of the technological age set against a small town American backdrop.

Nuff said: I have to admit that the scale of the project got the better of me in the end and I had to skim the last couple of chapters. The "war between the gods" that the story had been leading up to since the first page barely occupied more than a couple of paragraphs and seriously let the whole story down. Indeed, the ending is a bit of a damp squib all 'round.

I'm trying "Neverwhere" next, just to give Mr G a fair crack of the whip. However, I'm afraid that it's the "author's preferred text" (shudder).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
I've been a long term fan of Gaiman's work and I must admit that I think this is one of his best
Published 2 days ago by Emily
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I have ever read?
Very possibly. I found it wonderful and find myself quoting or using phrases from the characters. It was also long, so not only good value cost wise but kept me entertained... Read more
Published 7 days ago by bellowsmain
4.0 out of 5 stars Modern Mythology
A quirky, curious and absorbing story of gods being brought to the New World by immigrants, and their fates when they are largely forgotten and abandoned as the generations pass. Read more
Published 1 month ago by alexandra
5.0 out of 5 stars Found a new author
I have been a Stephen King and James Herbert, among others, for over thirty years now. However, for some strange reason I had never heard of Neil Gaiman. Read more
Published 1 month ago by BillyBeatnik
4.0 out of 5 stars I'm hooked
Another excellent book by Gaiman, I'm a huge fan now. Parts I got a little lost with but I loved Shadow and the concept of this book.
Published 1 month ago by Sarah
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
I loved this. The sort of gods you could believe in! And so good to read fantasy which has an internal logic, is based on considerable research and is really well-written. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ms. R. M. Hancock
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly inventive
Intelligent, witty, resonant. Walks the line between fantasy and realism with skill and will appeal to a range of readers.
Published 1 month ago by Lwax
5.0 out of 5 stars I love it
Its good and the way it has been writen it make the reader to think. I would by another book by Neil Gaiman.
Published 1 month ago by Pelisa Mqulwana
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Funny, irreverant and, like so much of Gaiman's work, twists your perceptions out of all recognition. Read more
Published 2 months ago by fionafrog
5.0 out of 5 stars A novel take on what it is to be a god
I love the character of shadow - his slow take on life and bafflement at it all - as he ends up becoming a god himself - but of what? The gods fade away but who is he ?
Published 2 months ago by Duncan Howorth
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