Here in one bumper edition we have the four tales that make up the title of this book. Starting off with the sprawling novel American Gods we then move onto the more normal length novel Anansi Boys, then these are followed by the novellas The Monarch of the Glen and Black Dog. All these tales are highly enjoyable although for many people I suspect it is only the first novel that they have read and are familiar with. The copy of American Gods here is the later version, rather than the one that was originally published and you do get the piece here by Neil Gaiman about how this came about, plus with both the novels here we get reading group ideas as well as interviews with the author.
Really all the stories here cross over genres, making them entertaining and somewhat thoughtful in the tales that we are told. American Gods introduces us to gods, both old and new, thus we have the Norse pantheon and others as they find themselves getting ready to battle the newer gods, such as technology and media. Here we meet Shadow, as he gets ready to leave prison, only to find that his wife has died in a car crash in an embarrassing way. Getting mixed up with an old man called Mr Wednesday so he finds himself with a job, and meets some very unusual people, and also finds out more about who his father really is. This is certainly always fun to read, and we see manipulation and trickery going on throughout as we take in this sprawling road trip type story. With twists and turns we see what has happened as immigrants have moved to America over the centuries, bringing their own beliefs and gods with them. If you have read Terry Pratchett’s Small Gods then you will see certain similarities between both books in that they both concern themselves with how beliefs can create gods, and as the influence spreads, make them more powerful.
After this we have the novel Anansi Boys where we see what happens when Mr Nancy, the name used by the god Anansi who appears in the previous novel apparently dies. Charlie Nancy, best known to others as Fat Charlie lives in London when he gets a call about his father’s death, thus making the trip to the funeral. What Fat Charlie, rather like Shadow doesn’t know, is who his father really is, and thus we end up with quite a humorous tale, as he finds that he apparently has a brother that he cannot remember, and gets caught up in not only romantic entanglements, but also a major fraud scheme. With the appearance of a rather peeved ghost and other encounters so we have a tale here that will certainly amuse you.
With the last two pieces here, which are both novellas, so we find ourselves back with Shadow, who is travelling since the first novel, and here both stories take place on out shores, the first in Scotland, the second in England. Both these tales take in the strange beliefs and myths and legends which our shores are populated with, and we see what happens when Shadow finds himself coming into danger, how he deals with it, and the assistance he gets. Both tales remind us of some of the weirder elements that make up aspects of our cultural history.
With so much here to read this is something that you can wallow and indulge yourself in and have a fine old time. In all there is nothing that should really disappoint with this bumper edition.
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![The American Gods Quartet by [Neil Gaiman]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/511LqMGSL-L._SY346_.jpg)
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