American Gods
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 Cover of first edition (hardcover) |
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| Author | Neil Gaiman |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Released | June 19, 2001 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 480 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-380-97365-0 |
| Followed by | Anansi Boys, "The Monarch of the Glen" |
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 was 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.
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), does continue Shadow's journeys, and is a lead-in to a new American Gods novel yet to be written[citation needed]. 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; Gaiman, in his online journal, has stated that if he writes more of Shadow it will also involve Mr. Smith [1].
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The book follows the adventures of ex-convict Shadow upon his (few day) 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 more legends 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. [2]
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Gods and legends appearing in the novel
- Alvíss
- Anubis
- Anansi
- Antinous
- Ashtaroth
- Baldur
- Banshee
- Baron Samedi
- Bast
- Bielebog
- Brahma
- Bran
- Coatlicue
- Czernobog
- Damballa-Wedo
- Djinn
- Elegba
- Eostre
- Frau Holle
- Ganesha
- Golem
- Gorgon
- Gwydion
- Hero Twins
- Hershef
- Hinzelmann
- Horus
- Hubur
- Isten of the Hungarians
- Jesus
- Johnny Appleseed
- Kali
- Kitsune
- Kubera
- Leucotios
- Loki
- Maahes
- Mawu
- Mithras
- Minotaur
- Morrígan
- Norns
- Odin
- Ogu
- Pan
- The Queen of Sheba
- Ratatosk
- Rusalka
- Set
- Sha Wujing
- Shango
- Sweeney
- Shiva
- Thor
- Thoth
- Vishnu
- Wisakedjak
- Zaka
- Zorya
[edit] 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
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Gaiman, Neil. "More Mysteries of the Oracle", Neil Gaiman's Journal, 2007-03-01. Retrieved on January 3, 2007.
- Gaiman, Neil. "Neil Gaiman - September 2001", Neil Gaiman's Journal, 2001-09-25. Retrieved on January 3, 2007.
[edit] 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
| Preceded by The Quantum Rose by Catherine Asaro |
Nebula Award for Best Novel 2002 |
Succeeded by The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon |
