About this title: After three years in prison, Shadow has done his time. But as the days, then the hours, then the seconds until his release tick away, he can feel a storm building. Two days before he gets out, his wife Laura dies in a mysterious car crash, in apparently adulterous circumstances. Dazed, Shadow travels home, only to encounter the bizarre Mr Wednesday claiming to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America. Together they embark on a very strange journey across the States, along the way solving the murders which have occurred every winter in one small American town. But ...
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Description: Used-Acceptable. Spine shows wear. Slight rubbing damage to corners and edges. Cover shows some scuffing. Good reading copy. We ship daily. read more
Description: Very Good. 0380789035 Mass Market Paperback, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light curve to the spine / light reading creases to the covers. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780060558123ISBN:0060558121
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Pages clean and tight, no markings at all. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 592 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Acceptable. 2003-Paperback----Used-Acceptable-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York City
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780965221542ISBN:0965221547
Description: Good. This book has been bent a little Every heavytail order includes with a sweet! We carefully hand clean and reinspect each and every item we ship. Our quality control process ensures items to be in the condition described or better. Heavytail is determined to earn your repeat business through old fashioned customer service. We love international orders. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Harpercollins
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780380789030ISBN:0380789035
Description: Good. Size: 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall; Good Plus Mass Market Paperback w/light shelfwear, light shelf smudges. Light edge/spine wear/chips. Text free of notes, binding good. Spine leans a bit and has some reader creases. Confirmation on all Domestic Orders! read more
Description: Very Good. 0380789035 Mass Market Paperback, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light discoloration due to aging and other light wear. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Perennial
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780060558123ISBN:0060558121
Description: Good. X. Paperback. Spine creased. Text is clean, unmarked, tight. All items are carefully and securely packed to insure they arrive in the advertised condition. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 9/2/2003
ISBN-13:9780060558123ISBN:0060558121
Description: Fine. 0060558121 Ships next business day. NEW/UNREAD BOOK! ! ! Text is Clean and Unmarked! ! ! --Be Sure to Compare Seller Feedback and Ratings before Purchasing--Has a small black line on the bottom/exterior edge of pages. May have light shelf wear to cover from storage, if any. read more
"This was my second attempt at reading American Gods. I tried a few years ago and I just couldn't get into it. This time I got into the rhythm of the novel and couldn't put it down. It is a fascinating tale about old gods, new gods, and a man named Shadow who fits into the picture in a way he can not yet imagine. I loved the mixture of myth and gods. Most are actual names from our past cultures but maybe there are a few Gaiman made up.(Does anyone know who we were worshiping in 14,000 BC?) It is a long read and does almost derail in a few spots but always gets back on track. A good novel combining mythology, philosophy, theology, and modern fantasy-adventure."
"I enjoyed the Sandman graphic novels by Gaiman. I appreciated that Gaiman is well read in myths and incorporated diverse array of cultures and characters into his writings. However, those novels were freaky and they are more compilation of several loosely short stories than an on going series. All the same I wondered what he would do with an adult novel, and I am constantly looking for new good Fantasy novels.
It's easy to instantly fall in love with Shadow, the muscular ex-con protagonist who is released from prison and can think of nothing less than to return home to simple life with his wife. I like that Shadow constantly works against the stereotype of the thuggish brute to show purposefully that he is an intellectual and good for more than moving a heavy couch. But the winds are changing quite literally.
But I still had trouble finishing the book because there never seemed to be enough urgency moving the story along. I went SLOOOOOOW. Ultimately there's a fascinating premise that America is a relatively new country not old enough to have a lot of it's own myths. Thus, like real life human immigrants, gods and legends from far away lands moved to America for opportunities. The older god are dying out to new gods of what Americans really worship: sex, money, and everything else new and shiny. A war was brewing, I just wished the dang war would boil over already!"
"Shadow didn’t want anything but to go home to his wife. After spending time in prison, finding out his wife was killed in a car accident days before he came home to her left him open to new ideas. Taking a job with a man named Wednesday, a man that he met on the plain, he set off for a new adventure that most would have found unbelievable. Seeing Laura (his dead wife) in the flesh, not just a ghost or a dream was one thing, but meeting Gods, and traveling across America to try and form a strong front was something Shadow took in without much thought. He was able to believe.
Truly a strange book, the only reason I read this is because I was told ’If you like weird, you will like this’, so I thought I would give it a try. Hard to explain or give a synopsis, very intricate story line. Lots of characters, many of them Gods from many different countries with hard to pronounce and hard to remember names. Some characters had simple names, Mr. World (but he had more than one name), most Gods have more than one name. There was back stories of how and why the Gods were brought to America which did help, never thought I would learn so much about ancient Gods and mythology from a novel (found myself googling Czernobog, Odin, the Zorya sisters and more). There is also time spent in the Gods world, the ’backstage’ that sometimes came across as a dream state. Almost everything was tied up neatly by the end, Neil Gaiman wrote a very imaginative and creative book, I very much enjoyed the “weird” of this one."
"This is a work of dark, urban fantasy with roots going back to the dawn of man. The old gods who came to America with immigrants from cultures worldwide have faded with their believers. Now, they are in a battle for existence with the new deities of technology, transportation, and telecommunication. Can Odin rally the old gods to battle? Or is it too late?
* I really like all the background mythology flashbacks, with the different cultures and gods. And I was verrrry curious as to who, exactly Shadow, the protagonist, would turn out to be.
* Gaiman drew me in, informed me, entertained me, given me the creeps, and never let up. I really appreciated the exposition when Shadow explains what's going on to Sam - it was a welcome clarification of everything and let me know I was understanding all there was to understand.
* Final thoughts: This is a book rich with mythology and symbolism, and on one level is a commentary on what America holds dear, written from an outside perspective on America. On another level, it's just a wonderful dark fantasy that keeps you guessing. I'm still wondering about a particular gold coin passed on to Shadow by a character named Mad Sweeney... I especially loved: "this is a good town", the Egyptian undertakers, and the Native American mythology/trickster elements. Tricky, indeed, is the word for this book. Very tricky, Mr. Gaiman, if you are reading this..."
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