Fantasy

American Gods

American Gods

  • Downloads：5675
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-03-25 09:18:54
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Neil Gaiman
  • ISBN：0755322819
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Alternate cover edition of American Gods

Days before his release from prison， Shadow's wife， Laura， dies in a mysterious car crash。 Numbly， he makes his way back home。 On the plane， he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday， who claims to be a refugee from a distant war， a former god and the king of America。

Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA， whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break。

Scary， gripping and deeply unsettling， American Gods takes a long， hard look into the soul of America。 You'll be surprised by what - and who - it finds there。。。

This is the author's preferred text， never before published in the UK， and is about 12，000 words longer than the previous UK edition。

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Reviews

Lindsey DeLost ，

Honestly， I expected more from Gaiman。 I know people fawn over his work， and this one in particular， but maybe I’m missing something。 The basic premise was fun， but didn’t deliver the hype I was expecting given the high praise。 I’ll be happy to move on to my book club’s next choice after this bizarre read。

Robert Hinds ，

It starts off interesting then gets annoying， then absolutely smacks of Gaiman desperately trying to write the Great American Road Novel。 Given that I utterly detest On The Road anything that veers down that path of romanticising bullshit and self indulgent tripe isn't going to be my fav book。 I picked this up from my neighbour who wisely left it out the front of their house。 I also definitely did not want a mental image of Neil Gaiman sitting down all sweaty trying to write ultra violence right It starts off interesting then gets annoying， then absolutely smacks of Gaiman desperately trying to write the Great American Road Novel。 Given that I utterly detest On The Road anything that veers down that path of romanticising bullshit and self indulgent tripe isn't going to be my fav book。 I picked this up from my neighbour who wisely left it out the front of their house。 I also definitely did not want a mental image of Neil Gaiman sitting down all sweaty trying to write ultra violence right next to over the top sex scenes for the sake of shock value。 It read like Grant Morrison fan fiction。 。。。more

Joe McGranaghan ，

Gaiman conjures memorable characters and some well drawn scenes， but the narrative as a whole meanders and the ratio of dream sequences to real life scenes is too close to 1:1 for my taste。

Terry ，

As someone who loves reading about various mythologies， especially when they are so nicely packed together， I can just say that this book was a real treat for me。Absolutely amazing！

Kayla Dae Page ，

This book is so wild。 Most of the time you don't know where the hell you're headed， in the best way。 I loved that Shadow just blindly walked into so many things with no question， like what are you going to do？ Say no to a god？ There was so much in this book I feel like I will probably have to revisit this book a couple more times in my lifetime。 This book is so wild。 Most of the time you don't know where the hell you're headed， in the best way。 I loved that Shadow just blindly walked into so many things with no question， like what are you going to do？ Say no to a god？ There was so much in this book I feel like I will probably have to revisit this book a couple more times in my lifetime。 。。。more

Lauren Weems ，

4。5 stars。 American Gods was incredibly entertaining and fast paced; I also really loved the “research” aspect of the book， where Neil Gaiman relies on the reader to independently look up the many different gods he incorporates into the novel。 That being said， I felt like the old gods were fleshed out way more than the new gods。 I would’ve liked to have learned more about both， and how they arrived to America or came about being created。 In addition， I felt like the ending was somewhat abrupt。 A 4。5 stars。 American Gods was incredibly entertaining and fast paced; I also really loved the “research” aspect of the book， where Neil Gaiman relies on the reader to independently look up the many different gods he incorporates into the novel。 That being said， I felt like the old gods were fleshed out way more than the new gods。 I would’ve liked to have learned more about both， and how they arrived to America or came about being created。 In addition， I felt like the ending was somewhat abrupt。 Almost all storylines were tied up in the end， don’t get me wrong， but it just felt like we were speeding towards the climax。。。and then it just ends so quickly。 I felt like there wasn’t enough time to mull over what had happened。 That being said， I really enjoyed the book and I will definitely return to it for a reread！ 。。。more

Kevin Bickard ，

Loved all of the midwest references。

Hannah Alexander ，

Finished listening to this book on Audible and it was an excellent performance。 The characters are amazing which made it easy to listen to。 The book jumps around a lot for me， making it hard to keep up。 Will have to listen again/read the print but I willbe happy to do so！

Daniel Barragan ，

Too many unfinished characters， lots of rambling and plot holes。 A few well written pages do not save this book that thinks it's too smart for itself Too many unfinished characters， lots of rambling and plot holes。 A few well written pages do not save this book that thinks it's too smart for itself 。。。more

Issac Leon ，

Starts out feeling like a young adult novel with some profanity to make it seem more "adult" seeming。 It still follows the general formula， but if definitely takes a fairly unique approach at world building that works amazingly。 The ending is predictable， although it is set up in a way that plays out amazingly in my head， with just enough detail to imagine everything， but not so much that you get bogged down in fixtures。 Starts out feeling like a young adult novel with some profanity to make it seem more "adult" seeming。 It still follows the general formula， but if definitely takes a fairly unique approach at world building that works amazingly。 The ending is predictable， although it is set up in a way that plays out amazingly in my head， with just enough detail to imagine everything， but not so much that you get bogged down in fixtures。 。。。more

Alexis ，

Long and meandering。 Memorable。

ujwu louie ，

your coin tricks do not impress me mr big man。

The_gorn ，

This books is so many things that I won't even try explaining it。 If you're looking for a summary， the best one you could get is at the beginning of the book （of the 10th anniversary edition） where Neil Gaiman explains how he originally came up with the idea。I will be the first to admit that I'm not sure how I feel about this book。 It brings up many interesting concepts like gods being created by ideas， how the same god exists in different versions of themselves， the books gives you （or at least This books is so many things that I won't even try explaining it。 If you're looking for a summary， the best one you could get is at the beginning of the book （of the 10th anniversary edition） where Neil Gaiman explains how he originally came up with the idea。I will be the first to admit that I'm not sure how I feel about this book。 It brings up many interesting concepts like gods being created by ideas， how the same god exists in different versions of themselves， the books gives you （or at least me） a new way of thinking about mystical beings。 I've always liked the idea of many gods existing from many different religions and that what mainly drew me to this book （also that I love all of Neil Gaiman's work）。All that nice and all but the thing that threw me off the most is the nonchalance of Shadow， the narrator。 There were a bunch of bizarre things happening and he would just accept it and go on with regular life。 In a way it's odd but still refreshing。 After reading so many YA books were the protagonist is dragged into a mythical setting and just randomly accepts it， Shadows indifference to it all is a nice change。 Again， very odd to read; almost emotionless， but it's a new （at least for me） way of narrating。This is an oddly paced book， some things drag on for eternity but then some big events just happen one after the other and you don't have time to process it。 Despite this， I never lost interest in the book。This book is pretty much everything it promises it will be and written fairly well。I would 10/10 recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read， defiantly not for children， probably for older teens。 Otherwise， have fun reading， it's really a masterpiece。 。。。more

Mick Fletcher ，

A bit dull to be honest

Kenya Starflight ，

My opinion of Neil Gaiman is mixed， to say the least。 I admire his imagination， and his writing is usually decent， often good。 I enjoyed Neverwhere， The Graveyard Book， and The Ocean at the End of the Lane， while I despised Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders and couldn't finish Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter， Witch （though to be fair that one was a collaboration with another author， albeit a usually-excellent one）。 American Gods is said to be one of his fine My opinion of Neil Gaiman is mixed， to say the least。 I admire his imagination， and his writing is usually decent， often good。 I enjoyed Neverwhere， The Graveyard Book， and The Ocean at the End of the Lane， while I despised Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders and couldn't finish Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter， Witch （though to be fair that one was a collaboration with another author， albeit a usually-excellent one）。 American Gods is said to be one of his finest works， and given the premise I figured it would be fascinating。 Sadly， a good premise does not always make a good book， and American Gods is far more tedious than it is interesting， squandering a potentially fascinating story in the process。Shadow has just been released from prison to learn that his wife is dead。。。 and that a mysterious gentleman named Wednesday is offering him a job。 Feeling he has nothing else to live for， Shadow accepts the job， and he and Wednesday find themselves traveling across American's heartland meeting strange figures and wondrous creatures -- gods and mythic beings who came over to America with its immigrants and find their power waning as belief in them fades。 At the same time， new and modern gods are rising up to take their places -- gods of technology， money， fame， and illicit drugs。 And when Shadow finds himself caught up in a war between the old gods and the new， it's all he can do to stay alive， let alone make a difference。。。For having such a great premise， large chunks of this book are fairly boring。 There's a long interlude taken up by Shadow just whiling away time in a small Wisconsin town， and random chapters focusing on gods and beings who end up ultimately not impacting the plot all that much -- Sheba at least gets a second chapter， while the cabbie ifrit， the mammoth god， and others don't even get that。 The gods themselves come across as oddly petty and pedestrian， and while I can understand that said gods are losing their powers， I still expected a bit more from them than just being cryptic and eccentric。 Also。。。 is it just me， or does Neil Gaiman's writing get really WEIRD sexually？ Like， he seems obsessed with throwing in sexual details that add nothing to the plot besides being uncomfortable and gross。Shadow himself is an incredibly dull protagonist。 Not only is there little to his personality， with his only real quirk being his habit of doing coin tricks， but he barely reacts to the events happening all around him。 Whether it's the death of his wife， encountering a real-life god， or facing down certain death or bodily harm， he reacts calmly and without so much as a flinch。 Where's the wonder， the confusion， the grief， even a mention of "what the freak is going on here？" Not that many of the other characters are much better， though at least Nancy/Anansi and Czernobog are entertaining in their quirkiness and grouchy ways。Big spoiler for the climax -- （view spoiler）[or rather， the anticlimax。 After setting up for most of the book for an epic confrontation between the old gods and the new， there's no great war， very little of an actual battle。 It's all brought to a close with a few words by Shadow and all the gods just。。。 giving up and going home。 After being promised an epic showdown， this was a huge letdown， and I felt cheated by it。 The fact that the plot continues to putter along for two epilogues and a postscript after this just adds to the frustration。 （hide spoiler）]My edition of the book also came with a journal that Neil kept during the course of writing and publishing this novel。。。 but after slogging my way through the book itself， I couldn't be bothered to read it。 Maybe someone else will enjoy it， but I was just done by this point。American Gods had a lot of potential， but sadly squanders it。 It may be one of Neil's most famous works， but it's definitely not his best， and I have to wonder just what the hype is all about。 I do plan on giving him another chance -- Coraline and Stardust are still on my to-read list -- but I doubt I'm going to move on to the second book in this duology， and I'm disappointed that such a promising idea was executed so blandly。 。。。more

Raymond Smith ，

I've read this twice now and I keep finding new plot points。 Gaiman is soo good。 I've read this twice now and I keep finding new plot points。 Gaiman is soo good。 。。。more

Alexandre Bourdages ，

I usually love Neil Gaiman's work。 I think he has excellent world-building skills and his prose is always top-notch。This one just fell a little flat for me。 I think it's too long by far and wildly inconsistent in its scope and themes。 It feels very meandering in its plot construction and tries to do too many things at once。 I think this could have been a lot better or even the masterpiece some people consider it to be if it had undergone a more thorough editing process。Overall， I still enjoyed i I usually love Neil Gaiman's work。 I think he has excellent world-building skills and his prose is always top-notch。This one just fell a little flat for me。 I think it's too long by far and wildly inconsistent in its scope and themes。 It feels very meandering in its plot construction and tries to do too many things at once。 I think this could have been a lot better or even the masterpiece some people consider it to be if it had undergone a more thorough editing process。Overall， I still enjoyed it。 I just would have preferred it if the book were more focused。 。。。more

Danny ，

I wanted to love this more than I did。 But the book meandered and I never felt a genuine hook to get me engaged in what happens to the characters or plot。 It was occasionally funny and even creepy， but rarely was it a page turner for me。 I think Gaiman is very idiosyncratic in that only he could have written this and see God's and myths in this light。 I enjoyed how he found ways to make us understand the social climate of American beliefs。 Just wish it wasn't so meditative and a bit more fun。 I wanted to love this more than I did。 But the book meandered and I never felt a genuine hook to get me engaged in what happens to the characters or plot。 It was occasionally funny and even creepy， but rarely was it a page turner for me。 I think Gaiman is very idiosyncratic in that only he could have written this and see God's and myths in this light。 I enjoyed how he found ways to make us understand the social climate of American beliefs。 Just wish it wasn't so meditative and a bit more fun。 。。。more

Barbara ，

I would not normally read a book of this genre but once I started I could not put it down。

Ryder McGinnis ，

I am so remarkably satisfied after reading this book。 I'm quite sure I read the last 200 pages in one go。 This book totally hits the mark when it comes to speculations on the spiritual plane。 The majority of this book is a beautiful mystery that continually had me furrowing my brow， and then finally things start to come together; it's like a magic trick that confounds you and then you get to peek behind the curtain。 I am so remarkably satisfied after reading this book。 I'm quite sure I read the last 200 pages in one go。 This book totally hits the mark when it comes to speculations on the spiritual plane。 The majority of this book is a beautiful mystery that continually had me furrowing my brow， and then finally things start to come together; it's like a magic trick that confounds you and then you get to peek behind the curtain。 。。。more

Leonardo Dutra ，

Muito bom。 Incrível

Maria Vercelli ，

I enjoyed the pantheistic view of gods and belief， and the trek through the Midwest was nostalgic of home。 The audiobook voices are amazing。 The ending felt a bit anticlimactic

bellatuscana bellatuscana ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I originally started out this book as the show instead - which I loved。 This author， and his concepts， are so imaginary and out of the ordinary。 American Gods is no exception - it really emphasizes the cultural diversity of America。 I liked how the show emphasized the black experience that much more than the book - as well as how it kept Mad Sweeney alive and developed a relationship between the two。 Yet， I couldn't agree completely that Laura was a mere pawn either。 I think this book showed som I originally started out this book as the show instead - which I loved。 This author， and his concepts， are so imaginary and out of the ordinary。 American Gods is no exception - it really emphasizes the cultural diversity of America。 I liked how the show emphasized the black experience that much more than the book - as well as how it kept Mad Sweeney alive and developed a relationship between the two。 Yet， I couldn't agree completely that Laura was a mere pawn either。 I think this book showed some of Laura's strengths， even though the show showed a bit more。 Same with ALL of the other gods。 There are so many characters in this story。 When Shadow got stuck in that north/midwestern town， I really lost a lot of interest。 I wonder how the show will even keep a little of that interest。 By the end， it made sense。 I was a bit disappointed that Odin / Wednesday could be such a jerk。 Yet it made sense。 By the end， Shadow persuades many of the gods to give up fighting and go back to their human selves。 Laura still didn't get the ending she wanted （DAMN NEIL。。。 MAD AND LAURA DESERVE THE PERFECT AFTERLIFE） but all in all， great， epic book。 。。。more

Deanna ，

It's heavy on descriptions， but that doesn't slow the plot excessively。 It's an engaging story full of religious parallels and metaphors。 It's heavy on descriptions， but that doesn't slow the plot excessively。 It's an engaging story full of religious parallels and metaphors。 。。。more

Emmy ，

Long

Jeannie ，

This book was a lot。 It's long， and at times meandering， but for the most part I enjoyed it。 I think listening to it in audiobook format was the right choice for me。 The 10th anniversary author's preferred text， with Gaiman's voice and thoughts sprinkled throughout， made this experience better for me than what I've heard from other people。 I liked Shadow， and I know some people find him to be a very unsympathetic character。 I think it helped to have his voice read aloud to me。 I also talked to s This book was a lot。 It's long， and at times meandering， but for the most part I enjoyed it。 I think listening to it in audiobook format was the right choice for me。 The 10th anniversary author's preferred text， with Gaiman's voice and thoughts sprinkled throughout， made this experience better for me than what I've heard from other people。 I liked Shadow， and I know some people find him to be a very unsympathetic character。 I think it helped to have his voice read aloud to me。 I also talked to someone who pretty much had the "How dare you？" question that Gaiman addresses as a post script: as in， "How dare you write about America when you are British？" I know that Gaiman has lived in the United States a long time， and is married to an American。 The other ways he explained why he dared made sense to me， and I'm not mad at him at all。The audiobook is over 19 hours long， so。。。with a toddler who insists on listening to the "Bluey" soundtrack every time we're in the car together， it took a while to get through。 。。。more

Marilu ，

From now on， every time someone told me about a "great book" I will have "American Gods" as parameter From now on， every time someone told me about a "great book" I will have "American Gods" as parameter 。。。more

Frederico Vidigal ，

The plot of the book is very good， the story of Shadow is apprehensive due to the fact that he follows someone he has just met and without knowing very well what awaits him。 I just think that sex scenes don't need to be detailed in a book， but that is just my opinion and I am aware that this is part of the author's work。 For those who knew the story because of the Amazon Primevideo series like me， I recommend the book and I promise you will not regret it。 The plot of the book is very good， the story of Shadow is apprehensive due to the fact that he follows someone he has just met and without knowing very well what awaits him。 I just think that sex scenes don't need to be detailed in a book， but that is just my opinion and I am aware that this is part of the author's work。 For those who knew the story because of the Amazon Primevideo series like me， I recommend the book and I promise you will not regret it。 。。。more

Mohamed ，

3。5， full cast audiobook highly recommended

Molly Nash ，

I'll be honest- I finished reading this book 47 seconds ago。 I read the ending， then I read the extra ending， then I read the author's Extra Bits， then I added another tally for my 2021 books， and then I sat down at my computer and I wrote this。 American Gods is a strange book-however long it takes you to read it， you're lying to yourself， because every time you open the book time decides to clock out （pun intended） for the day， and next thing you know， you've been devouring words for roughly 29 I'll be honest- I finished reading this book 47 seconds ago。 I read the ending， then I read the extra ending， then I read the author's Extra Bits， then I added another tally for my 2021 books， and then I sat down at my computer and I wrote this。 American Gods is a strange book-however long it takes you to read it， you're lying to yourself， because every time you open the book time decides to clock out （pun intended） for the day， and next thing you know， you've been devouring words for roughly 29 seconds， or 7 hours， or 3 days。 You cannot tell which is correct。 Shadow's story is horrible and that is why the book is incredible。 The storyline， the turmoil， the moral ambiguity， the whole shebang really intertwine to create this absolutely tremendous book that I am furious I've only read once。 This book is fantastic。 Personally， I am a massive Gaiman nerd， so perhaps I could be biased， but this book is possibly one of the best I've read in years。 It leaves you with a begrudging respect for Gods and an incessant curiosity of myths and legends and coin tricks and a unwavering unease of small American towns。 Okay that's all。 American Gods is marvellous。 Read it。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=American Gods

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=American Gods&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,American Gods&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0