'''American Gods''' is a
novel by
Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of
Americana,
fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern
mythology, all centering on a mysterious and taciturn
protagonist, Shadow. It is Gaiman's fourth prose novel, being preceded by ''
Good Omens'' (a collaboration with
Terry Pratchett), ''
Neverwhere'', and ''
Stardust'' (a
fairy tale illustrated by
Charles Vess). Several of the themes touched upon in the book were previously glimpsed in ''
The Sandman''
graphic novels, for which Gaiman may be best known.
The book was published in 2001 by Headline in the
United Kingdom and by William Morrow in the
United States.
Two signed and numbered limited editions have been released by Hill House Publishers. They are 12,000 words longer than the mass market editions and represent Neil Gaiman's preferred edition.
Gaiman's subsequent novel ''
Anansi Boys'' was actually conceived before ''American Gods'', and shares a character, Mr. Nancy. It is not a sequel but is a part of the same fictional world. The novella, "Monarch of the Glen" (from the ''Legends II'' anthology, later collected in ''
Fragile Things''), continues Shadow's journeys. This latter story also features the characters of Mr. Alice and Mr. Smith, a pair of dubious men who also appeared in a Gaiman short story called "Keepsakes and Treasures", suggesting that this tale is a part of the ''American Gods'' universe as well.
Plot
The
book follows the
adventures of ex-convict Shadow upon his early release from prison due to the death of his wife, Laura, in a car accident. He is hired by the mysterious 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, for instance,
Johnny Appleseed. Shadow himself is implied to be
Balder, which is confirmed in the follow-up novella, "Monarch of the Glen".
Various real-life towns and tourist attractions, including the
House on the Rock and
Rock City, are featured through the course of the book. Gaiman states in an introduction that he has obscured the precise location of some actual locales.
According to Gaiman, ''American Gods'' is not based on
Diana Wynne Jones's ''
Eight Days of Luke'', "although they bear an odd relationship, like second cousins once removed or something." When working on the structure of a story linking gods and
days of the
week, he realised that this idea had already been used in ''Eight Days of Luke''. He abandoned the story, but later used the
character Wednesday and the day of meeting when writing ''American Gods''.
[1]
Website Tie-In
While Gaiman was writing ''American Gods'', his publishers set up a promotional web site featuring a
weblog in which Gaiman described the day-to-day process of writing, revising, publishing, and promoting the novel. After the novel was published, the web site evolved into a more general Official Neil Gaiman Web Site, and as of 2007 Gaiman still regularly adds to the weblog, describing the day-to-day process of being Neil Gaiman and writing, revising, publishing, or promoting his current project.
Awards
The book won the 2002
Hugo,
Nebula and
Bram Stoker awards, all for Best Novel. In 2002 it was nominated for the Best Novel
BSFA Award. These and other awards place it among the most-honored works of fiction in recent history.
[2]
Gods and legends appearing in the novel
Translations
★ ''Amerykańscy bogowie'' (
Polish), ISBN 83-89004-10-0
★ ''Zei Americani'' (
Romanian), ISBN 973-733-070-6
★ ''Elim Amerikaim'' (
Hebrew)
★ ''American Gods'' (
Italian), ISBN 88-04-52083-3
★ ''Deuses Americanos'' (
Portuguese)
★ ''Američtí bohové'' (
Czech), ISBN 80-85911-98-1
★ ''Unohdetut jumalat'' ("Forgotten Gods") (
Finnish), ISBN 951-1-18055-X
★ ''Amerikai Istenek'' (
Hungarian), ISBN 9639441538
★ ''American Gods'' (
Spanish), ISBN 84-8431-627-0
★ ''Američki Bogovi'' (
Croatian), ISBN 953-220-126-2
★ ''Американские боги'' (
Russian), ISBN 5-17-019844-2
★ ''Amerikos Dievai'' (
Lithuanian), ISBN 9986-97-101-2
★ ''Amerikan Tanrıları'' (
Turkish), ISBN 9789751019042
See also
★
Anansi Boys
References
★
More Mysteries of the Oracle Neil Gaiman
1.
★ Neil Gaiman - September 2001 Neil Gaiman
2. Honor roll:Fiction books
External links
★
Gaiman's American Gods Journal
★ ''
only the gods are real'', a listing of all the gods and mythical beings featured in ''American Gods''
★ ''
Most honored fantasy book list'': ''American Gods'' ranks at the top
★ ''
Internet Speculative Fiction Database - Top 100 lists'': ''American Gods'' ranks second on the 'Balanced' and 'Popular' lists, and third on the 'Critical' list
★
Review by Tom Knapp
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