Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
31 used & new from £2.44
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
American Gods
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

American Gods (Paperback)

by Neil Gaiman (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.27 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.72 (34%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Saturday, July 11? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
21 new from £3.35 10 used from £2.44
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 9 used & new from £4.19
Paperback (Export Ed) 21 used & new from £2.44

Frequently Bought Together

American Gods + Neverwhere: The Author's Preferred Text + Stardust
Price For All Three: £17.25

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Neverwhere: The Author's Preferred Text

Neverwhere: The Author's Preferred Text

by Neil Gaiman
4.4 out of 5 stars (79)  £5.99
Stardust

Stardust

by Neil Gaiman
4.5 out of 5 stars (72)  £5.99
Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors

by Neil Gaiman
3.9 out of 5 stars (24)  £5.49
Anansi Boys

Anansi Boys

by Neil Gaiman
4.5 out of 5 stars (17)  £5.99
The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman
4.6 out of 5 stars (35)  £6.49
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 672 pages
  • Publisher: Headline Review (19 Sep 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0755322819
  • ISBN-13: 978-0755322817
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 4.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 637 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #2 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > G > Gaiman, Neil
    #43 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy
    #82 in  Books > Fiction > Contemporary Fiction: 1970 Onwards

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk 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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Independent
‘This is a fantastic novel...runs as precisely as clockwork, but reads as smoothly as silk or warm chocolate’

See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(7)
(4)
(3)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
See all 12 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

American Gods
77% buy the item featured on this page:
American Gods 3.9 out of 5 stars (104)
£5.27
Neverwhere: The Author's Preferred Text
9% buy
Neverwhere: The Author's Preferred Text 4.4 out of 5 stars (79)
£5.99
The Graveyard Book
6% buy
The Graveyard Book 4.6 out of 5 stars (35)
£6.49
Stardust
4% buy
Stardust 4.5 out of 5 stars (72)
£5.99
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

104 Reviews
5 star:
 (45)
4 star:
 (24)
3 star:
 (19)
2 star:
 (10)
1 star:
 (6)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (104 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Big book, big ideas, 30 Nov 2005
American Gods is a big book in more ways than one; not only is it over six hundred pages long, but it deals with big ideas. The main character, Shadow, has been released from prison a few days early in order to be able to attend his wife's funeral. On the way home, he's recruited buy the mysterious Mr Wednesday.
It eventually transpires that Shadow has been recruited into a war between gods; the old gods, brought to America by the various immigrants over time, and the new gods of television and media and so forth.

The nice thing about this book is the amount of mythology hidden to a lesser or greater extent in the storytelling. Some of the gods are more easily recognisable than others; the jump from "Mr Nancy" to "Anansi", for instance, is not so great, whereas the link between Mr Wednesday to Odin is not as immediately obvious. But you don't have to have much grounding in mythology to be able to enjoy the book, which is one of the great things about it; there are plenty of layers to be unpicked, if you're that way inclined, but on the other hand, you can just sit back and enjoy Neil Gaiman's masterful storytelling.

The added benefit of this particular edition is the author interview in the back, which gives that extra little insight into the book. It's apparently also the author's preferred text, though having read both versions, I have to say that for the reader it makes little difference.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The most fun that you can have by yourself., 22 Nov 2005
American Gods is possibly one of the greatest books ever written. Not because of its prose, not because it is an evolutionary book of its time, but because it is the most bizarrely conceived idea that is presented in an almost plausible manner with that magical ingredient: the story weaving ability of Neil Gaiman. I loved this book, truly.

The story centres on the character of Shadow who is about to be released from prison and is eager to get back to a life and, above all, back to his wife. Two days before he is due to be released Shadows wife dies tragically in a car accident. On the journey home from prison to attend his wife’s funeral Shadow meets the enigmatic Mr Wednesday who offers him a job. Having nothing of his old life remaining to go back to Shadow reluctantly agrees to the offer on, what he believes are, his terms.

Mr Wednesday takes Shadow to a bar where he drinks three glasses of mead to “seal the agreement” and the pair meet Mad Sweeney; a leprechaun and an alcoholic. From then on nothing in Shadows life is conventional as we follow him on the path of Mr Wednesday’s agenda to a surprising and satisfying conclusion.

I could rave on about this book but I would not want to spoil the plot for you. Needless to say it has won the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, the Bram Stoker Award and the Locus Award. This book is pure Gaiman; its book heroin. I was reading it on the toilet, on the tube, during my tea breaks, during commercial breaks, in fact any spare minute that I had was spent reading this book I enjoyed it that much, and now my girlfriend is suffering the same fate. I would recommend this read in a heartbeat.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Poor old gods: abandoned and neglected, 3 May 2004
By Sally-Anne "mynameissally" (Leicestershire, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: American Gods (Paperback)
Mixed reviews I see. It just goes to show how tastes differ. I really enjoyed this book a lot and it will be one of the few books I'll read more than once. Of course there are problems with it if you're looking for logic. How could the modern world fail to provide Loki with sufficient chaos to satisfy his needs? Why isn't Odin working as a war correspondent or an arms dealer - positions that would provide him with all the death and destruction a god of war could wish for? He's fiddling while the world could be burning for him. These gods were conjured out of the primitive human imagination though. Rational behaviour and a logical, scientific outlook seems a lot to expect of such, umm ... , entities. They are the supernatural personalities dreamed up by ancient tribes, so they could be expected to be a bit peculiar and irrational.

In any case, I had no trouble suspending disbelief and getting into the story. Hordes of old gods from a range of pantheons, could be living in America; getting grumpy and cantankerous; longing for the old days when they were worshiped and venerated; fearing and despising the brash, bland new gods; preparing for war -- after all, stranger and more unlikely things have been believed by millions of people throughout human history.

It's a pleasure to read Neil Gaiman's prose and his imagination is impressive.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Neil Gaiman excels outside the graphic novel genre
The magic reality created by Neil Gaiman in American Gods... is the american equivalent of his Neverwhere... Read more
Published 15 hours ago by Marina Nogales Fulwood

4.0 out of 5 stars Orpheus in the Underworld gets the Discworld treatment
Another fantastic adventure from Mr Pratchett, following his theme of basing these so called 'younger-reader' books on popular mythology this one loosely follows the idea of... Read more
Published 25 days ago by Jimternet

3.0 out of 5 stars Swollen beyond measure
Mr Gaiman tells us that this version (the "author's preferred text") is much enlarged from the original release. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Crookedmouth

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant.
I'll keep this short, but I loved this book. It's the first Gaiman book I've read, bought on a whim (author's preferred choice. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Martin

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting ideas, but massively self-indulgent
This is book filled with big, interesting ideas, and many layers of complexity which may intrigue many readers. Read more
Published 4 months ago by D. M. Powell

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book! - if you have the cultural shorthand.
I have just started this book and I have to say I am loving it. In summary - an alienated protagonist stumbles into growing conflict between the old order and the new, and a... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Stonegiant

2.0 out of 5 stars If Ever A Book Needed Editing...
Came to this after reading Neverwhere, which I thought was great. It's an ambitious book that unfortunately the author just can't show enough self-restraint to pull off. Read more
Published 6 months ago by A. Barnard

2.0 out of 5 stars american gods
Half interesting short story idea strung out over what seems like a very long novel. Not sure if i'm required to suspend my disbelief. Or is it an essay on folk memory.
Published 6 months ago by Stephen Smith

2.0 out of 5 stars Expected a lot more
A friend with similar literary intrests highly recomended me to read this book. I don't know if it was the excess of expectation, but I spent most of the book thinking: "No. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Joao Carvalho

3.0 out of 5 stars Difficult book to review
This is a difficult book to review. I bought it because of a recommendation, and as it had won numerous awards I thought I couldn't go wrong - so I actually bought the sort-of... Read more
Published 7 months ago by G. C. McGlothlen

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Elemis Resurface and Renew Skin Care Gift Set of 4 Products
From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

›Discover Health & Beauty

  

Make A Wish

Get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List Make sure you always get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List.

›More info on Wish Lists

  

Boys Smell

Lynx Africa Body Spray and After Shave Gift set
But we make sure they smell good...

›Discover male grooming at Amazon.co.uk

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4.5 out of 5 stars (72)£3.86
 Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4.1 out of 5 stars (457)£6.49
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (161)£3.99
 The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4.2 out of 5 stars (80)£3.86

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates