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American Gods
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American Gods (original 2001; edition 1869)

Series: American Gods (1a)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
33,51693179 (4.07)12 / 1518
I was nervous about re-reading this, considering I was technically a teenager when I first read this, and I can rarely trust whatever it was my teenage self thought about things. I'm happy to tell you I still really love this book though, and it holds up as one of my all time favorites. ( )
  tuusannuuska | Dec 1, 2022 |
English (903)  Spanish (5)  German (4)  French (3)  Dutch (3)  Finnish (2)  Italian (2)  Norwegian (1)  Catalan (1)  Swedish (1)  Portuguese (Brazil) (1)  Portuguese (1)  All languages (927)
Showing 1-25 of 903 (next | show all)
I read American Gods when it first came out, some twenty years ago, and enjoyed it then, although I felt like quite a bit of it went over my head--perhaps because I read too fast? Reading it again some twenty years later, and reading Gaiman's preferred version that's some 12k longer than the original, I still suspect that many little details slipped by me, but I loved the journey of revisiting this book and these characters. There's something about this easy-going fantasy, traveling over endless territory and through so many gods' worlds, that is simply entrancing.

I'm not sure what genre it is, or why it is so hypnotic as it is, or even why I enjoy it so much, but I'll always recommend it. ( )
  whitewavedarling | Mar 3, 2024 |
Beautiful edition of one of my favorite books. ( )
  ZL10 | Mar 1, 2024 |
Mythology
  BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |
I am admittedly not the biggest fan of science fiction/fantasy, although there have been some standouts that I have read in these genres; this imaginative, suspenseful novel was close to the top of the heap for me, with its puns, jokes, mythology, and lots of engaging wordplay and brilliant wordsmithing. I both listened to the audio (well done by George Guidall) and read the book, which I have had for years but never got around to reading. Shadow, the novel’s protagonist, is released a few weeks early from a three-year prison sentence when his wife, Laura, is killed in a car accident under compromising circumstances. He keeps encountering a gentlemen who offers him a job as his bodyguard. It is an offer Shadow cannot refuse; mayhem ensues. Old-fashioned mythology meets gritty America. ( )
  bschweiger | Feb 4, 2024 |
Not for me
  jessiewinterspring | Jan 30, 2024 |
(2001)(audio) Fantasy about a man's odyssey trying to find himself and the meaning of his life/death. Neil Gaiman's best and most ambitious novel yet, a scary, strange, and hallucinogenic road-trip story wrapped around a deep examination of the American spirit. Gaiman tackles everything from the onslaught of the information age to the meaning of death, but he doesn't sacrifice the razor-sharp plotting and narrative style he's been delivering since his Sandman days.Shadow gets out of prison early when his wife is killed in a car crash. At a loss, he takes up with a mysterious character called Wednesday, who is much more than he appears. In fact, Wednesday is an old god, once known as Odin the All-father, who is roaming America rounding up his forgotten fellows in preparation for an epic battle against the upstart deities of the Internet, credit cards, television, and all that is wired. Shadow agrees to help Wednesday, and they whirl through a psycho-spiritual storm that becomes all too real in its manifestations. For instance, Shadow's dead wife Laura keeps showing up, and not just as a ghost--the difficulty of their continuing relationship is by turns grim and darkly funny, just like the rest of the book.Armed only with some coin tricks and a sense of purpose, Shadow travels through, around, and underneath the visible surface of things, digging up all the powerful myths Americans brought with them in their journeys to this land as well as the ones that were already here. Shadow's road story is the heart of the novel, and it's here that Gaiman offers up the details that make this such a cinematic book--the distinctly American foods and diversions, the bizarre roadside attractions, the decrepit gods reduced to shell games and prostitution. "This is a bad land for Gods," says Shadow.More than a tourist in America, but not a native, Neil Gaiman offers an outside-in and inside-out perspective on the soul and spirituality of the country--our obsessions with money and power, our jumbled religious heritage and its societal outcomes, and the millennial decisions we face about what's real and what's not.
  derailer | Jan 25, 2024 |
Just re-read (actually, listened to) American Gods for the first time since it was originally published. It was better than I remembered, so I have raised my rating. I can confidently recommend the full-cast recording of the audiobook. ( )
  Treebeard_404 | Jan 23, 2024 |
I am sorry to say that I only read this book because it was made a show on Starz. Sometimes books made to tv shows turns out well and sometimes its not. The show has two more episodes but I love the book. I should not have waited. I inhaled this book in 4 days. I am a huge fan of Mythology, The amount of lore in this book, and how it's handled is fantastic.The way the story is narrated in particular, makes the reader feel as if events are being guided by some higher power like fate, though it's obviously the author, and this lends itself greatly to the classical fantasy feel of the book.
( )
  b00kdarling87 | Jan 7, 2024 |
In my old age, I'm not really interested in fantasy novels that aren't fun. I think I understand why so many people like American Gods, but it was a bit of a slog for me to get through because it was so dark and the main character was so bland and serious. It's hot outside and I was hoping it would be lighter than it was instead of so much pain and misery.

I think I enjoyed the Lakeside subplot much more than the god-war main plot. I also liked all of the interludes about how some of the gods came to America. But I was a little annoyed that almost none of the gods were Greek or Roman, which are the gods I know a little bit about. Most of the gods in the book, I think, were Norse. There was a sprinkling of Egyptian, African, Native American, Indian, European, and Asian gods, but I don't see how Gaiman rationalized leaving out Zeus & company. If this review gets read by a fan(atic), I'm sure I'll have it explained to me in the comments. ( )
  LibrarianDest | Jan 3, 2024 |
Wanted to read this before the tv series. having now read and seen both i can say i prefer the book
( )
  Catsnmaths | Jan 3, 2024 |
I love this book. It remains in my top ten. This is my third read and it hasn't aged a bit. ( )
  rabbit-stew | Dec 31, 2023 |
Confusing as hell, but also one helluva ride. There will be many, many times you will want to give up on this book.Trust me. Don't. ( )
  BenM2023 | Nov 22, 2023 |
Rated "Good" in our old book database. ( )
  villemezbrown | Nov 19, 2023 |
Neil Gaiman never disappoints with his world creation. A story about the old gods (Scandinavian, Egyptian, etc.), who end up in America and an ex-con, Shadow, with a past more mysterious than he could've ever thought who unwillingly becomes part of a feud between these gods.
An amazing fantasy read. ( )
  BluezReader | Nov 12, 2023 |
One of the Banned Books on the US list. Gaiman takes on religions in an interesting way, linking immigration to the importing of gods from the old countries. These gods gradually get forgotten and they don't like that much. Roiling ensues.
It was probably banned because it equates everyone's gods with everyone else's - but I found the idea of gods being brought across with the people quite interesting and a good way to deal with profound cultural differences - that may be hidden or tucked away, but which still exist.
It's a fun book, filled with fascinating information. Like Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett, it tells us that ignoring our gods can have an impact - on the gods and on ourselves.
I love the way Gaiman's mind works. Read this, if only to protest a foolish ban and open your mind. Read it to wallow in a really creative mind. ( )
  Dabble58 | Nov 11, 2023 |
Not great. Not horrible. can't believe there are sequels. Won't be reading those. ( )
  CassandraSabo | Nov 2, 2023 |
I've finally finished this book and, despite the time it took to read it, thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you've seen the TV series, you really need to read this, as it has so much more depth to it than can be done on the small screen. The writing is on point, and the characters are made to seem so real you will come out of the final page wondering if the Old Gods really do exist. As to the New Gods, we see them all the time, and don't realise the obeisance we pay to them on a daily basis.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I do feel that so much more could have been done with the premise. However, this is my second time reading it, so there must be something in there that keeps me coming back. I think it's because as I read I can actually clearly visual the things that are being written about. ( )
  Melline | Oct 24, 2023 |
For most of the story the reader has a far better idea about what's happening than the protagonist which leads to a sense you're reading about the densest man alive. The big conceit of the book is interesting; what happens to the forgotten gods brought along into a new land, as they wrestle for relevance. Of course this ought to stir the most obvious question of what happens to the god that's most alive in America, a question Gaiman dodges entirely and leaves for a small outtake (depending on the edition).
The roadtrip through the US format works better than the mythological aspects, which at times just seems like rote recounting of stories found in a nonfiction book, retold but lacking real relevance to the story other than to acknowledge that mythology is indeed has a lot of variety. ( )
  A.Godhelm | Oct 20, 2023 |
Nothing like I am used to reading from Neil Gaiman. I always enjoyed his YA books, and this is one of his more adult books, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out to be. It is definitely an entertaining book. I liked it but I expected more. The story proposed is interesting, with gods fueled by belief and the new gods representing modern concepts, but for some reasons I thought it would have more action, and it took me a long time to hook me.
Even so, I would recommend it, the story is very well written, and the ending is incredible. ( )
  enlasnubess | Oct 2, 2023 |
I had to stop listening to this one, because of the content.

However, I decided it that it was instructive for myself to keep these ones in my list, but marked as DO NOT READ. ( )
  claidheamdanns | Sep 26, 2023 |
Cool concept but could have been much better with different writer / style. ( )
  lieblbiz | Aug 30, 2023 |
I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. The plot was nebulous, and I struggled seeing any symbology. Everything seems mysterious, and then boom the character figures things out. I thought based on the title and description, that the target audience would be teens or young adults, but I found the content to be more mature than that.

Still, it is well written, so even though I didn't like some things about it, I found the writing itself entertaining. ( )
  RaggedyMe | Aug 12, 2023 |
I had a quick look at the TV show and very quickly decided that i wanted to read the book instead, and i'm rather glad i did.   I absolutely, totally enjoyed 'Stardust', which was the only one of Neil's books i'd read before, so i was hoping i was in for another super reading treat with this.

So, suffice it to say, i still have no idea what the TV show was like, and having read the book i really have no interest because the book is so good i just don't want to spoil the memory of a great story.   But i'll most certainly be reading more of Neil's books though.

This book really has just about everything going on in it.   There's a dark satirical edge to it, a murder mystery thing, a love story, folklore, lots of action, lots of gods and goddesses and other mythical creatures, and many other things besides.   How Neil managed to tie it all up into one complete story is outstanding writing to say the least.

What struck me most about it was the dark satirical edge that i found within it.   How so many modern countries are turning their backs upon the old ways and enslaving themselves to modern ideas and ideologies.   The continuous tension between those that would hold us back and those who would drive us forward, and the battles that happen when one or both push it too far.   Yes, we all see it played out in the political realm every day, conservatives v modernisers, but underlying all of that is the beliefs and ideals of everyone in society and who gets to control and dictate them.

And in the middle of it all is our protagonist, Shadow.   What a character.   He's thrown into this world of gods and goddesses as each side attempts to attract him to their school of thought.   Just like the political classes, the corporatocracy and religions as they all attempt to enslave us into their ideologies and use us in their battles for ultimate power.

So yeah, super duper read.   It's a big, big book but well worth the time. ( )
  5t4n5 | Aug 9, 2023 |
I haven't been this bored with a book in a while. I really do not like Gaiman (although I do love the episode of "Babylon 5" he wrote), but one of my college suitemates loves this book and recommended it to me and I trust her taste and on top of that my Fantasy class kept mentioning it when we read "Neverwhere" so I decided to read it.

Firstly, if you are a fan of gods coming to life and interacting with each other, this is a novel you might be interested in. If you like series like "Percy Jackson and the Olympians"/"Heroes of Olympus", "The Kane Chronicles", Sherrilyn Kenyon's "Dark-Hunter" and related series, or are a "Gargoyles" fan, you might like this novel. If you love "Sandman", you will undoubtedly like this. The focus is principally on gods and mythical creatures from various pantheons/belief systems across the globe gathering together to interact. Anansi, Kali, Thoth, Odin, Loki, the Zorya, Wisakedjak, Eostre (Easter) and others make appearances. The research Gaiman did for this is very interesting and it's enjoyable to learn about all these different mythologies. I do love that this is not a strictly more familiar European mythologies story but covers nationalities around the globe.

Gaiman uses an interesting writing technique for a great portion of the book: the chapters switch up, so that one chapter is the primary plot while every other chapter is a 'random' story focusing on some mythological figure in some manner. My particular favorites are the one starring a female thief and her journey from England to America and an early group of Native Americans and their holy woman. These chapters, which are more like a collection of short stories, were far more enjoyable than the primary story. I think I would have liked this book more if it was a collection of short stories starring various mythological figures than an anthology interspersed with a novel. This actually does not surprise me, since I have enjoyed several unrelated Gaiman short stories a great deal, like his "Matrix" story, "Goliath". Maybe he's just better at short fiction.

When the story starts, it seems to try and pull you into the character of Shadow and you are caught between learning what the plot is about (and you don't actually learn that until way after the middle of the book) and learning who Shadow is. Quite frankly, I found it hard to care about EITHER mystery. Some guy in prison who does coin tricks and some war between old gods/magical creatures and 'modern' gods along with a small-town sideplot and drama. Worse yet, the other characters are not all that interesting, either. Wednesday is a lecherous most likely pedophile and a con artist wrapped in too many mysteries with too few clues that could make the writers of "Lost" jealous. The Zorya were interesting to learn about and I liked Eostre, but other than that this novel does not inspire me to research any of these people as I have when the characters (like Anansi) were presented elsewhere. They often feel placed simply for name recognition and are thus used poorly.

Then there's the way the book treats women. Again we come back to Gaiman's weird obsession with prostitution. I seriously cannot comprehend why he almost always does this but he does. I did not expect the best treatment of women here, especially since it's Gaiman, but I held out. He does better here than he does in most other places. There are great number of prominent female characters. Some physically powerful. Some simply vocal and powerful through the use of their voice. Two women even play strongly into the primary finale. Their treatment is formulaic, lazy and insulting and puts the focus back on Shadow. The old gods are, shockingly, run by a guy and his male toadie. The new ones are run by a guy and his mostly male toadies. I don't know what message Gaiman was trying to send by making the embodiment of modern Media be a woman, but none of the messages are very appealing. If you want to be charitable, I would say he's making a comment on how women cover media as objects that people see all the time, whether it's advertising, special trimming on shows or things men trade around on dramas. If you don't want to be charitable, you could say he's making a comment that media is a woman because the stereotype of a woman is bossy, bitchy, obnoxious, too curious for their own good, loud and annoying, like media tends to be, and this is all-around insulting. I hate to think he's naive enough to believe that women are actually in charge of media in general and THAT'S really why he did this because the truth is completely the opposite and that makes this decision look laughable at best. I also don't really understand two major characters in Shadow's story life: Bast and Samantha Black Crow. Bast randomly decides to sleep with Shadow in one of the weirdest 'heroes get sex' moments I've read in a long time. By the end of the story, for some reason Shadow seems to think there's the possibility that Samantha liked him in a romantic manner, even though they have only met twice and he knew there was no attraction those two times. The first time Gaiman has a 'lovely' bit of writing where he mocks what sounds like the college female stereotype (great job with that). The second time the audience meets Samantha it's unclear how the situation she was involved in fell out and is never explained. The second time Shadow meets her I just rolled my eyes and prayed for the story to end.

I did not enjoy this novel and I would not recommend it to anyone unless you are a Gaiman fan. ( )
  AnonR | Aug 5, 2023 |
Some interesting ideas, complicated plot line, clever dialog. Not my usual fare but quite enjoyable, I'm sure I'll enjoy re-reading it as much as I enjoyed reading it the first time. ( )
  furicle | Aug 5, 2023 |
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