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)

Clear narrative

"American Gods" was the Hugo award winning novel for 2002, though it is fantasy rather than science fiction.

The narrator reads fine, though slower with more pauses than other audiobooks. This makes the audio longer. I still enjoyed it immensely and have recommended the audio version. I read the book 18-months before listening.

Not my favorite~

I really, really love Neil Gaiman's work. I adored The Graveyard Book, Anansi Boys, Stardust, Neverwhere... And I loved the reading of each of those books by Neil or Anansi Boys by Lenny Henry. But this book... this book was different. Ultimately, the story was engrossing and tied together neatly with some interesting perspectives... but the journey there was not always very enjoyable.

Maybe it was the extremely adult nature of some of the passages... grossly violent, gory or sexual that I just don't associate with NG's work. Or, perhaps it's that every other audio book of his that I've listened to has been read with a sultry British accent, and this reader's rendition was somewhat harsh and unpleasant to the ear. Or maybe the fact that I found only one or two of the myriad of characters to actually be very likable.

Regardless... my final take on this story is that it is not my favorite book. I expect that I'll listen to my other Neil Gaiman audio books over and over.... This one? I think I'm done. Still... if you're a Neil Gaiman fan, I think it's ultimately worth a listen. But don't be surprised if you don't find yourself as enamored as you are of his other work.

So good I listened twice

Not surprisingly, American gods are material goods, rather than spiritual heroes -- but we learn of this through our protagonist and epic hero Shadow, who, once out of prison, lands a job with Wednesday and experiences one weird thing after another, read aloud beautifully by the same guy who reads Steinbeck's East of Eden. I loved the way so many old and new myths intertwined, on earth and in more spiritual realms, current and historical -- and the more I listened, the more I wanted to hear. The sample Audible provides as a teaser doesn't do the story justice at all -- Shadow is far more interesting a character than his boyhood excerpt reveals. I liked this even better than The Anansi Boys -- darker, and also deeper.

Good God!

I only knew Neil Gaiman from his work in The Sandman comics, and even then my knowledge was pretty limited. However, knowing the acclaim he has gotten for his work, I decided to give American Gods a read. It's weird and it's strange, but it's also very engaging. The characters and scenes came to life very easily and that could be attributed to the reading of George Guidall. He is one of the best I have heard so far and he was able to convince me that every character that I heard was very different indeed. I give the book itself a ****, but I add another * for the excellent reading. If there's one Neil Gaiman book you buy, start here.

eh

This is a gifted Author, but he never explains anything. His worlds and magic systems are left 90% unexplained, which if you are a logical sci-fi fan will drive you crazy.

This book is not a bad read, but it's definately not anywhere near the realm of Neil Stephenson, Louis McMaster Bujold, or Orson Scott Card works which are "epic" in their genre.

Slight of Hand

A very original and creative piece of work, that needs editing. As usual, Gaiman's character development and imagery is excellent but the story wanders and relies too often on the literary dream sequence crutch. A recurring theme throughout the book is the art of slight of hand and "the grift" and in truth the real trick that is played is Gaiman "convincing" us there is a cohesive story here. Yes there is a main thread that ultimately makes sense, but there is a whole world of baggage that tags along with it without much context or explanation.
I give it a luke warm recommendation.

Review

I loved it! at first I was hesitant because of the eff word, gd, and smut, but it really worked out well! I am so impressed! I would say anyone who likes any sort of mythology would love this book! well anyone who loves adventure, plot twist, and a good time then you will love it!

Good, but too long.

That I usually have of audiobooks. The story is good but it develops to slowly on my tast

Great Read

I actually read this book last year and didn't get it. I decided to read it again and was blown away. What a great read. The plot is complex and contains many side stories that are as interesting and engaging as the main plot and do not distract but add substance. Narration was excellent.

Brilliant

This book is superbly written, and masterfully read. I had already read the paper book and was astonished to realize how poetic and eloquent the language throughout this book is. The story is extremely engaging while it explores the nature and consequences of belief through the characters of various mythological figures. If you are interested in mythology and enjoy a good road trip story, you can't miss this book. If you are not very well read or are easily offended by a few well written graphic scenes, then don't bother.