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American Gods: A Novelby Neil Gaiman
AwardsStaff Pick
Do you ever wonder where gods go when all their worshippers are gone? Neil Gaiman tries to answer that question. Some live quiet lives in the Midwest, some don't remember who they are, and others have plans. Gaiman, as always, has a unique voice and good characters. His villains are scary, his heroes not always heroic, and his other characters are unique. I would recommend this book to anyone. As is true with most of Gaiman's work, American Gods is approachable by any reader, and everyone I've recommend it to has loved it (with the exception of the occasional contrarian or hater). Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Released from prison, Shadow finds his world turned upside down. His wife has been killed; a mysterious stranger offers him a job. But Mr. Wednesday, who knows more about Shadow than is possible, warns that a storm is coming — a battle for the very soul of America...and they are in its direct path.
One of the most talked-about books of the new millennium, American Gods is a kaleidoscopic journey deep into myth and across an American landscape at once eerily familiar and utterly alien. It is, quite simply, a contemporary masterpiece. Review:"[A]mbitious, gloriously funny, and oddly heartwarming....A magical mystery tour through the mythologies of all cultures, a unique and moving love story — and another winner for the phenomenally gifted, consummately reader-friendly Gaiman." Kirkus Reviews Review:"[A] noirish sci-fi road trip....[Gaiman] has a deft hand with the mythologies he tinkers with here; even better, he's a fine, droll storyteller." Kera Bolonik, The New York Times Book Review Review:"American Gods is a crackerjack suspense yarn with an ending that both surprises and makes perfect sense, as well as many passages of heady, imagistic writing. And for all that he's missed in the American propensity for religious fanaticism, Gaiman has exactly nailed the way we talk..." Laura Miller, Salon.com (read the entire Salon review) Review:"Mystery, satire, sex, horror, poetic prose — American Gods uses all these to keep the reader turning the pages." Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Review:"Shadow's poignant personal moments and the tale's affectionate slices of smalltown life are much better developed than the aimless plot....Mere mortal readers will enjoy the tale's wit, but puzzle over its strained mythopoeia." Publishers Weekly Review:"With his latest novel, Gaiman has created an engrossing mythology already begging for new installments....[F]iercely imagined..." Chris Barsanti, Book Magazine Review:"By turns thoughtful, hilarious, disturbing, uplifting, horrifying and enjoyable — and sometimes all at once." St. Louis Post-Dispatch Review:"After two sterling fantasies...Gaiman comes a cropper in a tale that is just too busy and, oddly for him, unengaging. His large fandom may make it a success, but many of them, even, will find it a chore to get through." Ray Olson, Booklist Review:"Every word in this amazing book is loaded with double meaning, every line of the story has a purpose, and each character is more than he or she seems....Filled with sly, dark humor and vivid personalities..." VOYA Review:"Immensely rewarding....A finely crafted novel of weight and significance." Cleveland Plain Dealer Review:"Provocative yet fun....American Gods works because of Gaiman's singular control over the proceedings, his nimble and intelligent voice, and his gift for painting spectacle and splashing big themes across his canvas. (Grade: B)" Entertainment Weekly Review:"Smart, dark....Uniquely ambitious." GQ Review:"Shadow's personal tale and the details of American small-town life are well developed compared with the not-well-defined plot....The book has wit but is too busy and not very engaging..." Library Journal Review:"Pointed, occasionally comic, often scary, consistently moving and provocative....Gaiman's novel will probably please newcomers to his work while convincing many devoted followers that his creativity and craft are still razor-sharp." USA Today Review:"Gaiman is fast becoming one of the most important of modern writers. In American Gods he has crafted a novel that is unique, literate, and highly readable. Don't miss it. (Grade: A+)" Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO) Review:"American Gods manages to reinvent, and to reassert, the enduring importance of fantastic literature itself in this late age of the world. Dark fun, and nourishing to the soul." Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay Review:"Neil Gaiman, a writer of rare perception and endless imagination...is...an American treasure." William Gibson, author of Neuromancer and Pattern Recognition Review:"Here we have...a real emotional richness and grandeur that emerge from masterful storytelling." Peter Straub, co-author of Black House Review:"A magical modern Adventures of Huckleberry Finn — this book will astonish you on ever page." Tim Powers, author of Declare Review:"Gaiman slithers his snakily poetic way through the labyrinth of the human soul." Diana Gabaldon Review:"American Gods is like a fast run downhill through a maze — both exhilarating and twisted. In it, Gaiman introduces a world where the dead past is all too alive, where gods struggle to keep a toehold on existence, and where reality's backstage is only a carousel ride away." Jane Lindskold, author of Changer About the AuthorA professional writer for more than twenty years, Neil Gaiman has been one of the top writers in modern comics, and is now a bestselling novelist.His work has appeared in translation in more than nineteen countries, and nearly all of his novels, graphic and otherwise, have been optioned for films.He is listed in the Dictionary of Literary Biography as one of the top ten living post-modern writers. Gaiman was the creator/writer of the monthly cult DC Comics series, "Sandman," which won Neil nine Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, including the award for best writer four times, and three Harvey Awards."Sandman #19" took the 1991 World Fantasy Award for best short story, making it the first comic ever to be awarded a literary award. His six-part fantastical TV series for the BBC, "Neverwhere," was broadcast in 1996.His novel, also called "Neverwhere," and set in the same strange underground world as the television series, was released in 1997; it appeared on a number of bestseller lists, including those of the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Locus. Stardust, an illustrated prose novel in four parts, began to appear from DC Comics in 1997.In 1999 Avon released the all-prose unillustrated version, which appeared on a number of bestseller lists, was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the best books of the year, and was awarded the prestigious Mythopoeic Award as best novel for adults. American Gods, a novel for adults, was published in 2001 and appeared on many best-of- the-year lists, was a New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback, and won the Hugo, Nebula, SFX, Bram Stoker, and Locus Awards. Coraline (2002), his first novel for children, was a New York Times and international bestseller, was nominated forthe Prix Tam Tam, and won the Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award, the BSFA Award, the HUgo, the Nebula and the Bram Stoker Award. 2003 saw the publication ofbestseller The Wolves in the Walls a children's picture book,illustrated by Gaiman's longtime collaborator Dave McKean, which the New York Times named as one of the best illustrated books of the year; and the first Sandman graphic novel in seven years, Endless Nights, the first graphic novel to make the New York Times bestseller list. In 2004, Gaiman published the a new graphic novel for Marvel called 1602, which was the best-selling comic of 2004, and 2005 saw the Sundance Film Festival premiere of "MirrorMask," a Jim Henson Company Production written by Gaiman and directed by McKean.A lavishly designed book containing the complete script, black and white storyboards, and full-color art from the film will be published by William Morrow in early 2005; a picture book for younger readers, also written by Gaiman and illustrated with art from the movie, will be published by HarperCollins Children's Books at a later date. Gaiman's official website has 400,000 unique visitors per month in 2004; close to 600,000 per month are expected in 2005. His online journal is syndicated to thousands of blog readers every day. Born and raised in England, Neil Gaiman now lives near Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he is currently at work on Anansi Boys, the long-awaited follow-up to American Gods. 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