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American Gods By Neil Gaiman

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 1 person)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

Ranked #197 in Books, #27465 overall

Rated G. (Control what you see)

American Gods - A Novel By Neil Gaiman

 

Have you ever wondered what happens to Gods when people stop believing in them?

In "American Gods", award winning British author Neil Gaiman, tells an intriguing tale of an ordinary young man who enounters some very extraordinary characters.

Shadow is a petty criminal serving out the last few remaining days of his jail sentence and looking forward to going back home to his beloved wife and his old life.

His dreams are shattered when he receives the news that both his wife and best friend have been killed in the same car crash and that they had been having an affair. Numb and bewildered, Shadow returns to a life beyond prison now devoid of any meaning and stability.

He is approached by a mysterious man calling himself "Mr Wednesday" who offers him work. Unable to think of anything better to occupy himself and grabbing at a chance to get away, Shadow soon finds himself travelling the length and breadth of America undertaking (literally) a very peculiar and often dangerous series of "jobs" and meeting the strangest "people" along the way...

If you like Neil Gaiman's other works, you'll love "American Gods" - it's as rich in characterisation and as cleverly written as Gaiman fans have come to expect...if you're a newcomer to the works of Neil Gaiman, you'll be amazed at how well he can tell a story...

"Gods die. And when they truly die they are unmourned and unremembered..."

Plot Summary Of American Gods 

Plot Summary Of American Gods by Neil Gaiman

The book follows the adventures of ex-convict Shadow, who is released from prison a few days early due to the death of his wife, Laura, in a car accident that also kills his best friend. Because his best friend, who was to give Shadow a job, has died, Shadow is hired by the mysterious "con man" Mr. Wednesday to act as an escort and bodyguard, and travels across America visiting Wednesday's colleagues and acquaintances. Gradually, it is revealed that Wednesday is an incarnation of Odin the All-Father (the word "Wednesday" is derived from "Odin's (Woden's) day"). Wednesday is recruiting American manifestations of the Old Gods of ancient mythology, whose powers have waned as their believers have decreased in number, to participate in an epic battle against the New American Gods, manifestations of modern life and technology (e.g., the internet, media, & modern means of transport).

Mythological characters prominently featured in the book include Odin, Loki, Czernobog, the Zorya, the Norns, Anansi, Eostre, Kali, Thoth, Anubis, Horus, and Bast. In addition to the numerous figures from real-world myths, a few characters from The Sandman and its spinoffs make brief cameos in the book. Other mythological characters featured in the novel are not divine, but are legendary or folk heroes, such as Johnny Appleseed. Shadow himself is implied to be Balder, which is confirmed in the follow-up novella, "Monarch of the Glen". The story also features, in its most erotic chapter, a succubus-like re-invention of the Queen of Sheba, who while posing as a prostitute literally swallows a man through her sexual organs. "Bilquis", as she is called here, is later killed by one of the New Gods. Sexuality as a rule plays a prominent part in the plot and subplots; Mr. Wednesday courts several young women on the journey across America, while Shadow is successfully seduced by a humanoid version of Bast. An exception to the association with sexuality is the Midnight Star of the Zorya, who gives Shadow the Moon but does not require a kiss in return.

When the New Gods murder Wednesday - thus galvanizing the Old Gods into action - Shadow obeys Wednesday's order by holding his vigil. This is accomplished by re-enacting the act performed by Odin of hanging from a "World Tree" while pierced by a spear. Shadow eventually dies and visits the land of the dead, where he is guided by Thoth and judged by Anubis. Eostre later brings him back to life, obeying orders that she does not fully understand. During the period between life and death, Shadow learns that he is Wednesday's son, conceived as part of the deity's plans.

At the climax of the story, Shadow reveals that America is bad "growing ground" for Gods - that the power of gods eventually wanes as long as they spend time in America. Wednesday's attempt to rally the gods is proved to be a deception, in that the deaths of gods on both sides of the war would restore some of Odin's powers. The leader of the New Gods is revealed to be Loki, who was secretly working with Odin to create the "sacrifice of gods". Odin would feed on the Gods' deaths, while Loki would feed on the chaos of the battle to empower himself. Shadow's information stops the battle in its tracks.

Shortly after the battle, Shadow follows a clue given him by Ganesh to discover that a man called Hinzelmann, who had sometime been Shadow's neighbor, is a kobold using secret murders to empower himself and prevent the town of Lakeside from succumbing to the economic decay that has claimed many similar towns. Shadow confronts Hinzelmann, who is then shot by a local police man whose father Hinzelmann had previously killed to keep his secret. The presence of Hinzelmann as a kobold refers to the book's premise that dwarves, elves, leprechauns, and other spirits are derived from earlier myths of gods, and that whoever brings a story to a land brings the characters with it. Shadow later sees his friend and supporter, the apparently bisexual Samantha/Sam Black Crow, walking on a street with a companion, but does not speak to her. He goes unnoticed by both girls, despite being not a foot away from Natalie, the girl she is walking with. Shadow hands her the white roses he had bought for her, and leaves; without either girl knowing how they got there. He thought about speaking to her, but noticed the eyes she looked at Natalie with, who was implied to be her girlfriend, and knew that she'd never look at him with those eyes; at least not that way.

Following this, Shadow visits Iceland, where he meets the original Odin, of whom Wednesday is an incarnation. He accuses Odin of Wednesday's actions, whereupon Odin replies that "He [Wednesday] was me, but I'm not him". Shadow gives Odin Wednesday's glass eye, which Odin places in a leather bag as a keepsake. Shadow gives him the eye using a slight of hand trick to make it appear as if the eye just dropped out of nowhere, amusing the All-Father. The man asks for another trick, so Shadow threw a golden coin, not a magic one like the one that reanimated his wife, into the air. Shadow does not know where the coin falls, or even if it did; for he had already left.

Read the rest of this article at - American Gods on Wikipedia

Browse Inside "American Gods" 

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Neil Gaiman Reads An Extract From "American Gods" 

Gaiman reading American Gods

Neil Gaiman reading a small passage from American Gods Mantua - Italy septembe 8 2008

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Who Are All The Gods And Mythical Beings Featured In "American Gods"? 

A comprehensive listing of the mystical and mythical characters featured in "American Gods"...

Only The Gods Are Real
A listing of all the Gods and mythical beings featured in "American Gods"

"If I win, I get to knock your brains out. With a sledgehammer..."

American Gods - Awards And Nominations 

In 2002, American Gods won the following awards for Best Novel;
Hugo Award
Nebula Award
SFX Magazine Award
Bram Stoker Award

In the same year it was also nominated for the BSFA Award, World Fantasy Award, International Horror Guild Award and Mythopoeic Award.

In 2004, American Gods won the Geffen Award

Who Is Your Favourite "American Gods" Character? 

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"People imagine and people believe and it is that rock-solid belief, that makes things happen..."

More About The Author Of "American Gods" - Neil Gaiman 

Neil Richard Gaiman ()Author Name Pronunciation Guide - Neil Gaiman (born November 10, 1960Comics Buyers Guide #1636 (December 2007); Page 135) is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films. His notable works include The Sandman comic series, Stardust, and American Gods. The extreme enthusiasm of his fans has led some to call him the "rock star" of the literary world.Author Neil Gaiman Inspires Starstruck Fans, Columbia Daily Spectator, Oct. 1, 2008 [http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/55992]

He lives near Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, in an "Addams Family house". "I thought," says Gaiman, "you know, if I'm going to leave England and go to America, I want one of those things that only America can provide and one of those things is Addams Family houses." He is married to Mary T. McGrath and has three children, Michael, Holly and Madeleine.

Neil Gaiman Links 

Find out more about Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman - Home
The official website of Neil Gaiman.
Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman on IMDb
The Dreaming: The Neil Gaiman Page
The Neil Gaiman Page - Information on the author of The Sandman, Neverwhere and other great stories.
Neil Gaiman - The official UK publisher's website - Home Page
Official UK publisher's website for author Neil Gaiman

"This is a bad land for gods..."

"American Gods" Blog Posts 

Bloggers write about "American Gods" By Neil Gaiman...

Praise of Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman” « Books Are Good
Interestingly I had been curious of Gaiman's Sandman books before beginning my real comic reading mostly because I had greatly enjoyed his novels Neverwhere and American Gods (both wonderful pieces of urban fantasy). ...
The first draft of anything is shit...: To be read...
American Gods - Neil Gaiman; 12. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver; 13. The Scarlett Pimpernel - Baroness Emmuska Orczy; 14. An Excellent Mystery - Ellis Peter; 15. The Third Chimpanzee - Jared Diamond ...
The Hooded Utilitarian: Unifinished Comics: The Eternals by Neil ...
Coraline underwhelmed me, but American Gods was all right; a friend found the reverse. Whatever. They're still a long way down the slope from the Sandman issues that I liked. Maybe I'm just older; then again I really liked "A Study in ...
the New Cybrary: Gaiman on free speech, freedom to read
One of my favorite writers is Neil Gaiman, British ex-patriate author of Sandman, American Gods, Stardust, Coraline, and many other magical works. On his blog today, he publishes an impassioned defense of free expression in a ...

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Buy "American Gods" On Amazon (UK Customers) 


American Gods

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

Peter Straub
'Poignancy, terror, nobility, magic, sacrifice, wisdom, mystery, heartbreak, and a hard-earned sense of resolution... Masterful storytelling'


American Gods

Hardback
"In the spirit of Roger Zelazny and even James Joyce, Neil Gaiman's American Gods combines elements of mythology with an almost naturalistic portrayal of American values in a stunning and absorbing novel. From the gods of the Norse pantheon to spirits of Native American deities, the history and development of American values is presented in a suspenseful, entertaining and thought-provoking manner. At the same time, the development and revelation of character, especially of the main protagonist Shadow and his wife Laura, is captivating and rewarding. This is an outstanding book that will stand re-reading often. "


American Gods


MP3 CD - Audiobook
Read by George Guidall

Buy American Gods On Amazon (USA Customers) 

American Gods: A Novel

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American Gods: A Novel

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Neil Gaiman On Amazon! 

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American Gods Links 

Websites and articles about American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Powell's Books - American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Shadow is a man with a past. But now he wants nothing more than to live a quiet life with his wife a...
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In Neil Gaiman's latest novel American Gods, we tag along on quite a different kind of road trip...
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Dreaming American Gods: an Interview With Neil Gaiman. by Rudi Dornemann and Kelly Everding. Neil Ga...
American Gods by Neil Gaiman | LibraryThing
Aug 25, 2008 ... All about American Gods by Neil Gaiman. LibraryThing is a cataloging and social net...
american gods (neil gaiman) tags on virb.com
Friends, Music and Video... we're helping you stay connected. Url : http://virb.com/tags/America...
CNN.com - Neil Gaiman on writing and 'American Gods' - July 30, 2001
Jul 30, 2001 ... (CNN) -- Neil Gaiman is the author of many novels such as "American Gods,"...
BBC - collective - american gods - neil gaiman
Old gods may fade away, but that doesn't make them any less vengeful. Url : http://www.bbc.co.uk...
Neil Gaiman's American Gods | MetaFilter
Feb 29, 2008 ... The novel American Gods by Neil Gaiman is being offered for free in its entirety at...
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Neil Gaiman · Journal · Neil's Work · Cool Stuff & Things · Abou...
Neil Gaiman, American Gods (Author's Preferred Edition)
Neil Gaiman, American Gods (Author's Preferred Edition) (Hill House, 2004) Neil Gaiman, American...
American Gods - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American Gods is a novel by Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various str...
Amazon.com: American Gods: Neil Gaiman: Books
American Gods is Neil Gaiman's best and most ambitious novel yet, a scary, ..... The old gods wa...
Neil Gaiman - Neil's Work > Books > American Gods
One of the most talked-about books of the new millennium, American Gods is a kaleidoscopic journey d...
Free download of Neil Gaiman's American Gods - Boing Boing
Neil Gaiman's publisher Harper Collins has put his magnificent novel American Gods online for fr...
Neil Gaiman's Journal: Kids! Free! Book!
Feb 28, 2008 ... The good news is the link to the free online American Gods is up on the front page...
Neil Gaiman's Journal: Scary eyes
Mar 25, 2008 ... 68000 unique visitors to the book pages of American Gods ... For the latest news an...
Salon.com Books | "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
June 22, 2001 | As with most noir heroes, we meet Shadow, the protagonist of Neil Gaiman's hard-...
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