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American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition: A Novel
 
 
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American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition: A Novel [Kindle Edition]

Neil Gaiman (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews) |
Print List Price: $26.99
Kindle Price: $12.99 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
You Save: $14.00 (52%)
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
This price was set by the publisher

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Kindle Edition with Audio/Video --   $14.99 --
Kindle Edition, June 21, 2011 --   $12.99 --
Hardcover $16.45   -- --
Paperback $11.55   -- --
Audible Audio Edition, Unabridged $30.95 or Free with Audible 30-day free trial

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Editorial Reviews

Review

American Gods is sexy, thrilling, dark, funny and poetic."

Product Description

First published in 2001, American Gods became an instant classic—an intellectual and artistic benchmark from the multiple-award-winning master of innovative fiction, Neil Gaiman. Now discover the mystery and magic of American Gods in this tenth anniversary edition. Newly updated and expanded with the author’s preferred text, this commemorative volume is a true celebration of a modern masterpiece by the one, the only, Neil Gaiman.

A storm is coming . . .

Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the magic 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 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—it is a job that takes him on a dark and strange road trip and introduces him to a host of eccentric characters whose fates are mysteriously intertwined with his own. Along the way Shadow will learn that the past never dies; that everyone, including his beloved Laura, harbors secrets; and that dreams, totems, legends, and myths are more real than we know. Ultimately, he will discover 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.

Relevant and prescient, American Gods has been lauded for its brilliant synthesis of “mystery, satire, sex, horror, and poetic prose” (Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World) and as a modern phantasmagoria that “distills the essence of America” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). It is, quite simply, an outstanding work of literary imagination that will endure for generations.

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Product Details

  • File Size: 871 KB
  • Print Length: 565 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0062059882
  • Publisher: William Morrow; 1 edition (June 21, 2011)
  • Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B004YW4L5K
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,442 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
91 of 99 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
There are so many reviews of the old book I won't spend much time doing that here. It is a modern day masterpiece. One that will be remembered for a long time.

What I would like to address is which edition you should purchase. If you already own American Gods then there is almost nothing new to be found here. There is just a small amount of new content. You should at least read his introduction to this edition. So if you have never purchased this book before then this is the best looking and most complete version available.

Bottom line is don't double dip but if this is your first copy you owe it to yourself to get this edition.
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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful
A Book Worth Reading Twice November 16, 2011
Format:Hardcover
It is important to take a moment and look at the books on our shelves and to give them a second read. With so many books and so little time, we can't possibly do this for all of our favorite books, but there are some classics and classics-in-the-making that deserve another reading. One such book is American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

Before I start, I should mention that I dedicate this review to Wednesday. If you don't know what I'm taking about, it's time to visit your bookstore. Go now.

This year is the tenth anniversary of the publication of American Gods. I can't tell you how many people I know who have been shocked by the fact that ten years have passed since Gaiman's novel first hit the shelves. What surprises me most about this book is that it feels as fresh and relevant today as it felt ten years ago. Likely, I'll be saying these same words ten years from now. I have no doubt that readers and scholars alike will be picking up American Gods in fifty or sixty years and using it as a stick in the sand by which to measure other books that were written in the early twentieth century, but only time will tell.

In a nutshell, American Gods is one man's journey to rebuild his life after getting released from prison. Little does Shadow know that the gods have other plans for him, and little do they know that he has his own plans.

American Gods is a beautifully told story that is gorgeously written. The characters are all strong, unique individuals. With each turn of the page, you feel like you are getting to know a live person replete with all of the human (and inhuman) flaws that come with wanting to hang onto whatever form of "life" they may be experiencing. This novel spreads out, telling a complex tale that spans a huge geographic area, a large number of people, and quite a bit of history and lore. However, as sprawling as American Gods may be, it maintains a cohesiveness that broadens and deepens the reading experience.

When I first finished reading American Gods, I remember feeling like I had lost something important (innocence, perhaps), but I gained something of much greater value in return (wisdom, I hope). After rereading American Gods, I was left with the feeling that if there must be gods among us in this "new" world of ours, let them be writers who weave tales, tell stories, and keep us bound together in myth and fiction that helps us to better understand ourselves and our world. Neil Gaiman is a phenomenally brilliant writer and storyteller, especially when he turns his hand to these darker adult novels that dare you to think in unconventional ways and inspire you to imagine "what if" there were ancient and new gods among us? What would the world be like? Would we even know? Would we want to know?

American Gods is one of those books that you will not forget. It is a book that will likely remain on your bookshelf for years to come. If it's on your shelf now, I urge you to open it and to give it another read. If you haven't yet had the opportunity to read American Gods, you are missing out on something special.

It also bears mentioning that HBO is planning to produce American Gods as a multi-season series. More information on the development of the series is sure to be coming soon.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
then Neil Gaiman would be Willy Wonka. He is a masterful wordsmith and as he says in the introduction, this Tenth Anniversary Edition gives us 12,000 more words to revel in. From the deliriously phantasmagorical highs of his pixi-stick-like scenes to the gritty, poisonous depths of the milk duds moments, American Gods will have you engrossed and constantly wanting more! By sucking you into the world of new versus old in America, Gaiman gives us a beautiful fictional account of the anthropology of what we, as Americans, choose to worship! Pick this book up, and you will not put it down, and you will not regret a moment of it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.5 Stars
3.5 Stars

"People believe, thought Shadow. It's what people do. They believe, and then they do not take responsibility for their beliefs; they conjure things, and do not... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Anne L. Molinarolo
Really Fantastic Piece of Literature
After reading about the awards and the reviews, you get a little concerned that the book isnt going to live up to the praise -- i'm a cynic... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Armin Molavi
The Great American Novel
Many have tried, but Neil Gaiman did it. This book may not be recognized as such, but 20-50 years in the future, it will be lauded as one of the greats. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Julian K
A Must Read
I absolutely love this novel. It is most definitely amongst my top ten favorite books. The adventure, the style, everything about this book is captivating. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jennah
Surprising how enjoyable this was
This book is crazy, in a wonderful way :) Similar to the passing of time in the book, it took me WEEKS to finish this, but it felt like I never put it down once I started again. Read more
Published 2 months ago by reticent.reader
Almost great
I devoured this book in what is pretty much record time for me to read something this long. The only thing that kept me from giving it a full five stars is Gaiman's tendency to,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ian T. Healy
A Modern American Classic
I read this wonderfully written book some years ago, but had to have it on my phone. Neil Gaiman's writing is always a pleasure. Usually, I do not crave two book sets or trilogies. Read more
Published 2 months ago by GreenLantern
It's about the journey, not the destination
I REALLY enjoyed this novel. I've had a difficult time writing a review because, to me, this novel was more about the journey than the destination. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Clarice Marchman-Jones
Blah.
Ehhh.

Didn't have that couldn't-put-it-down feel, like I experienced with Martin's Ice & Fire series or Rothfuss' Kingkiller series. Read more
Published 2 months ago by WAS
Thought provoking, well told tale - 4.5/5 stars
American Gods was a very interesting book and my first introduction into Neal Gaiman. The book can be read without much or any understanding about various cultural gods but there's... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Label
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Gods die. And when they truly die they are unmourned and unremembered. Ideas are more difficult to kill than people, but they can be killed, in the end. &quote;
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All we have to believe with is our senses: the tools we use to perceive the world, our sight, our touch, our memory. If they lie to us, then nothing can be trusted. And even if we do not believe, then still we cannot travel in any other way than the road our senses show us; and we must walk that road to the end. &quote;
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Theres never been a true war that wasnt fought between two sets of people who were certain they were in the right. The really dangerous people believe that they are doing whatever they are doing solely and only because it is without question the right thing to do. And that is what makes them dangerous. &quote;
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