American Gods [TV Tie-In]

By: Neil Gaiman

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 20 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Now a STARZ® Original Series produced by FremantleMedia North America, starring Ricky Whittle, Ian McShane, Emily Browning, and Pablo Schreiber.

Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the day when he could return to Eagle Point, Indiana. A man no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, all he wanted was to be with Laura, the wife he deeply loved, and start a new life.

But just days before his release, Laura and Shadow's best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, Shadow accepts a job from a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, an enigmatic man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and a rogue, Wednesday seems to know more about Shadow than Shadow does himself.

Life as Wednesday's bodyguard, driver, and errand boy is far more interesting and dangerous than Shadow ever imagined. Soon Shadow learns that the past never dies . . . and that beneath the placid surface of everyday life a storm is brewing—an epic war for the very soul of America—and that he is standing squarely in its path.

©2015 FreemantleMedia North America. All rights reserved. Artwork © Starz Entertainment, L.L.C. Starz and related services marks are the property of Starz Entertainment, L.L.C. (P)2001 HarperCollinsPublishers Inc.

Critic reviews

Hugo Award Winner, Best Novel, 2002

Nebula Award Winner, Best Novel, 2002

"Read dynamically and emotionally by George Guidall - who gives more personalities and ethnicities than one would think possible... Brilliant dialogue and profound insights into American consciousness show Gaiman to be a visionary and a master wordsmith." (AudioFile)

"Neil Gaiman enters Stephen King territory...with American Gods." (New York Post)

"A crackerjack suspense yarn...juicily original...Wagnerian noir." (Salon.com)

"By turns thoughtful, hilarious, disturbing, uplifting, horrifying and enjoyable, and sometimes all at once." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

A classic built upon classic tales.

If there were any book I wish I could erase from my mind and read again with a fresh slate, this would be it. Neil Gaiman has written an absorbing tale that combines old, old ideas with a great deal of Americana. I love how so many of the elements in the story are just a little off from what I would have expected from another author.

The narration was good, but it took me a little while to get used to the narrator's style.

Pretty good

I liked the book and caught a few lines I like to quote from it now. It’s easy to follow and you get the original story.

George Guidall is phenomenal!

George Guidall's performance makes the full cast version un necessary. Great book. Now I'm off to find more Neil Gaiman to read.

It's the only game in town.

Neil Gaiman’s magical mystery tour

What a delightful whimsical fantastic story—just so many great themes, so many interesting angles—I loved every minute of it!

Great story, sometimes hard to follow, but great.

I really like this book and all of the little hidden gems, but I feel like I needed to stop and research things to really understand what Neil was getting at. Maybe that’s intended. Overall, great book. Excited to steer my next one by him.

gripping

loved this. as i enjoy all of Neil gaiman books, a gripping story that changes and keeps you intrigued

Excellent!

Excellent story! Excellent narration! I loved all of it. Narrator was amazing. I prefer this to the full cast version.

Marathon Book but Worth the Listen

Fantastic book. Really enjoyed listening to it and talking about it with my son.

Narrator’s efforts to distinguish characters via vocal inflection was definitely appreciated

Listen to the interview at the end to understand how the story came to be.

An odd sidenote for audio fans...

Not so much a review of the book, but just a comment on audiobooks. George Guidall is a top notch narrator; one of the best. But his style and the style of this book made this sound EXACTLY like his narrations for Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. I kid you not; I think this one could be dropped in the middle and no one would know different.

For the record I enjoyed this book and I also enjoyed Stephen King's.

If it wasn't for the narrator?

Would you try another book from Neil Gaiman and/or George Guidall?

I would have to review the book thoroughly first by Mr. Gaiman... As far as George is concerned - Uhhh Yeah. He's one of the best. See Vince Flynn books

What was most disappointing about Neil Gaiman’s story?

There was no real story. A lot of good background. Also seemed a little anti American if I think too hard

Could you see American Gods being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No