American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition (A Full Cast Production)

By: Neil Gaiman

Narrated by: Ron McLarty, Daniel Oreskes, full cast

Length: 19 hrs and 39 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.

"Mystery, satire, sex, horror, poetic prose—American Gods uses all these to keep the reader turning the pages."—Washington Post

©2011 Neil Gaiman (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"This full-cast performance of the tenth anniversary edition of Neil Gaiman's American Gods (think director's cut) is one of the most mesmerizing audio experiences ever.... Ron McLarty plays a randy, crusty old Odin disguised as a white-collar con man to perfection. Daniel Oreskes's Shadow, the hero who doesn't know quite what he is, is masterful. Oliver Wyman, who did Mad Sweeney the Leprechaun, is a genius. Hats in the air for the whole cast, a flawless production, and a tour de force of a tale." ( AudioFile)

Lots of information dumps but a great story!

I found that a lot of the book was a character introduced to tell you something rather than the story being shown. That being said; I thought the story was great and the book was interesting!

roughly done.

This was a great idea for a story, but I was disappointed with the execution. there was a lack of mythical appeal for me.

It goes without saying....

It goes without saying that the book will be better than any screen adaptation. In fact, I can't think of a single movie/TV production of a book that I thought was better (and they're usually pretty bad - like "World Without End" by Ken Follet. A complete injustice to the book! But I digress....).

So when Showtime cancelled American Gods without ending the story, I knew I was in for a treat!

I'm kind of glad I had exposure to the story ahead of time - it made it easier to follow and helped make a little more sense out of it. I really enjoyed the series... but of course, the book was EVEN BETTER!!

So, of course, if you liked the Showtime series and haven't read the book, don't hesitate!! If you liked the book and haven't seen the series, it's fantastic - give it a shot; in this case, it did the book justice (in spite of a few plot changes - they worked)!

Dig it.

On the one hand the full cast made this a dynamic, exciting listen. On the other hand it made me aware of a shortcoming with audiobooks and that is that the voice actors interpretations and voices can interfere with your imagination. Hadn't been much of a distraction for me before. The performances were fantastic. They just didn't always match up with how i imagined the characters.

Story was great, if a little meandering at times. The whole thing slumped for me at times around the middle. But the last quarter is awesome and I loved the ending. And it's a unique and interesting perspective on america.

best audio book ever

this is now my favorite audio book of all time. the narration combined with amazing writing brought the book to life.

Will listen to again, even if it was 17hrs long.

loved it! warning though, some adult scenes you may not want people around to hear...its not murder scenes either.

awesome

loved it! the story itself was incredible and the narrator and cast really brought it to life, it was very enjoyable to listen to.

couldn't stop listening.

Loved it, wanted to keep listening but didnt want it to end. worth a listen.

Kafka on the Florida coast

The narration alone is worth a listen. One of the few story’s that has surreal and mysterious aspects and manages to give reason to most of them without stoping the pace.

Great story, voices and nice hearing the author

Many fun stories, great quotes and subtle mind games. some stories remain and this sure dif