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The American Gods Quartet
Collected together for the first time, the extraordinary American Gods quartet from bestselling author and master storyteller Neil Gaiman. Award-winning, internationally acclaimed, beloved by readers everywhere and now an Emmy-nominated Amazon Prime TV series, this epic world is perfect for fans of His Dark Materials , Game of Thrones and Terry Pratchett.'Original, engrossing and endlessly inventive' George R.R. Martin'Gaiman is god in the universe of story' Stephen FryStep into a kaleidoscopic world where gods walk among us, and prepare to believe.Embark on a meandering road trip which is part thriller, part murder mystery, part romance - and everything in between.What did people first believe when they came to America? And what happened to the myths they believed in?Two novels and two novellas from storytelling genius Neil AMERICAN GODS. ANANSI BOYS. THE MONARCH OF THE GLEN. BLACK DOG.Praise for Neil 'Gaiman's achievement is to make the fantasy world seem true' The Times'Gaiman is, simply put, a treasure-house of story, and we are lucky to have him' Stephen King'Fantasy rooted in the darkest corners of reality' Independent on Sunday'In prose that dances and dazzles, Gaiman describes the indescribable' Susanna Clarke'One of the best fabulists of our age' Financial Times'A rich imagination . . . and an ability to tackle large themes' Philip Pullman'His mind is a dark, fathomless ocean, and every time I sink into it, this world fades, replaced by one far more terrible and beautiful in which I will happily drown' New York Times Book Review'Neil Gaiman is a star. He constructs stories like some demented cook might make a wedding cake, building layer upon layer, including all kinds of sweet and sour in the mix' Clive Barker
674 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 21, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 28, 2021
American Gods
It took a couple of chapters for me to see the enchanting whimsy of Neil Gaiman that I'm used to. But after a slow start, it quickly became one of those books I could not put down. The magical realism and many different mythologies were blended wonderfully and Neil Gaiman showed how talented a storyteller he is.
Anansi Boys
Another inventive, clever and humourous romp with Gaiman's Gods. It was very engaging with lots of different things going on. I was also delighted to be introduced to mythologies I previously knew very little about.
The Monarch of the Glen
Shadow Moon is back in a novella set about 2 years after the end of American Gods. Without giving too much away, something is going on in a big house in the middle of the Scottish Highlands and it may or may not involve Beowulf. I really enjoyed it.
Black Dog
Neil Gaiman puts an atmospheric spin on the black dog folklore of yore and shows once again he can write and is a wonderful storyteller. Dare we hope that this is not the last we see of Shadow et al?
It took a couple of chapters for me to see the enchanting whimsy of Neil Gaiman that I'm used to. But after a slow start, it quickly became one of those books I could not put down. The magical realism and many different mythologies were blended wonderfully and Neil Gaiman showed how talented a storyteller he is.
Anansi Boys
Another inventive, clever and humourous romp with Gaiman's Gods. It was very engaging with lots of different things going on. I was also delighted to be introduced to mythologies I previously knew very little about.
The Monarch of the Glen
Shadow Moon is back in a novella set about 2 years after the end of American Gods. Without giving too much away, something is going on in a big house in the middle of the Scottish Highlands and it may or may not involve Beowulf. I really enjoyed it.
Black Dog
Neil Gaiman puts an atmospheric spin on the black dog folklore of yore and shows once again he can write and is a wonderful storyteller. Dare we hope that this is not the last we see of Shadow et al?
May 11, 2020
American Gods
American Gods is essentially about what we worship as a society and for America the rituals and beliefs people brought with them to the new land. Shadow is an ex-con released to attend his wife Laura’s funeral. When he meets Wednesday Shadow enters into a pact to serve him, something he takes very seriously and literally. Wednesday is one of the old Gods and believes there will be a war between the old and the new. As a theme, the war is an anti-climax. It is debatable whether any side wins.
Loyalty is important to Shadow, even though it is debatable whether either Laura or Wednesday deserve it. Laura has been killed in the act of infidelity, yet she wants Shadow to bring her back to the land of the living. She has no notion or care about what this might cost him. Laura represents the selfishness of an individualistic culture. Wednesday, in contrast, appears to have more sentiment and understanding of what a vigil would cost Shadow and this is why he tries to dissuade him.
Shadow appears to have a deep affection for the old gods who in their own way try to help him. The new gods oppose him and try to persuade him to switch sides, but he refuses. Even at the end where young lives are being sacrificed to the old gods in exchange for protection and prosperity, Shadow only blames one god, not the whole pantheon.
In the end, Shadow makes his peace with Czenobog, pays his debts, and goes to Iceland. There he meets Odin and gives him the glass eye, which he pockets. Finally, he throws the gold coin in the air not checking to see if it remains in the sky.
Ananasi Boys
Fat Charlie Nancy is the fiancé of Rosie Noah. He works for Gerald Coates as a bookkeeper. Estranged from his father, who he feels is a continual embarrassment, he does not want to invite him to the wedding. This problem is solved when his father suddenly dies in the middle of a karaoke session.
It is after the funeral that he meets sider, his brother. Outgoing, extrovert, and charming, he is everything Charlie isn’t. Assuming Charles’s identity he drives a wedge between him and Rosie but also introduced Charlie to Daisy on a drunken night out.
Spider is the catalyst for all Charlie’s problems, not just his relationship with Rosie, but his work and his family relationships. Spiders' interference exposes Gerald Coates's embezzlement from his clients, accusing Charlie and his flight from the country. In trying to remove Spider from his life and away from his fiancé, Charlie has to enter the world of the old gods and magic. A place where elderly women open the gateway with old magic and animal spirits dwell in caves. His strange deal with the birds becomes a Hitchcock moment and his efforts to reverse this are just as bizarre.
In the ending, there is a feeling that everything resolves itself for the best and that Charles gains some much-needed confidence.
Monarch of the Glen
Shadow returns as the protagonist in this shorter work based in Scotland. As he roams the countryside he is asked to stay and work a long weekend at a country estate. When he agreed he assumed it was as security for the party-goers, however in true Gaiman style there is myth and ritual involved. His job is to defeat the old on behalf of humanity, but Shadow is not as naïve as his human employers believe and things don’t quite go as planned.
Black Dog
This sees Shadow rambling in from Scotland and meeting some superstitious people. They believe that Wod’s dog haunts a particular lane and that if you see it you will die. There is also the legend that stuffed cats were brought from Egypt and ground down to use as fertilizer in the land. Only one of the stuffed cats survives in a glass case.
In the end we have the conflict between the mythical dog who ties to kill Shadow and Baste and her army of cats who save him. Again, there is the exposure of myth, legends, and superstitions. One being is set against the other in a fight for dominance and supremacy.
Like all of Gaiman’s work, mythology and strange experiences are natural parts of the tale. You are constantly suspended between mythology and reality. These works are not really about the gods of consumerism and individuality, more what man values and believes in terms of heritage and culture, and how those rituals are perpetuated.
American Gods is essentially about what we worship as a society and for America the rituals and beliefs people brought with them to the new land. Shadow is an ex-con released to attend his wife Laura’s funeral. When he meets Wednesday Shadow enters into a pact to serve him, something he takes very seriously and literally. Wednesday is one of the old Gods and believes there will be a war between the old and the new. As a theme, the war is an anti-climax. It is debatable whether any side wins.
Loyalty is important to Shadow, even though it is debatable whether either Laura or Wednesday deserve it. Laura has been killed in the act of infidelity, yet she wants Shadow to bring her back to the land of the living. She has no notion or care about what this might cost him. Laura represents the selfishness of an individualistic culture. Wednesday, in contrast, appears to have more sentiment and understanding of what a vigil would cost Shadow and this is why he tries to dissuade him.
Shadow appears to have a deep affection for the old gods who in their own way try to help him. The new gods oppose him and try to persuade him to switch sides, but he refuses. Even at the end where young lives are being sacrificed to the old gods in exchange for protection and prosperity, Shadow only blames one god, not the whole pantheon.
In the end, Shadow makes his peace with Czenobog, pays his debts, and goes to Iceland. There he meets Odin and gives him the glass eye, which he pockets. Finally, he throws the gold coin in the air not checking to see if it remains in the sky.
Ananasi Boys
Fat Charlie Nancy is the fiancé of Rosie Noah. He works for Gerald Coates as a bookkeeper. Estranged from his father, who he feels is a continual embarrassment, he does not want to invite him to the wedding. This problem is solved when his father suddenly dies in the middle of a karaoke session.
It is after the funeral that he meets sider, his brother. Outgoing, extrovert, and charming, he is everything Charlie isn’t. Assuming Charles’s identity he drives a wedge between him and Rosie but also introduced Charlie to Daisy on a drunken night out.
Spider is the catalyst for all Charlie’s problems, not just his relationship with Rosie, but his work and his family relationships. Spiders' interference exposes Gerald Coates's embezzlement from his clients, accusing Charlie and his flight from the country. In trying to remove Spider from his life and away from his fiancé, Charlie has to enter the world of the old gods and magic. A place where elderly women open the gateway with old magic and animal spirits dwell in caves. His strange deal with the birds becomes a Hitchcock moment and his efforts to reverse this are just as bizarre.
In the ending, there is a feeling that everything resolves itself for the best and that Charles gains some much-needed confidence.
Monarch of the Glen
Shadow returns as the protagonist in this shorter work based in Scotland. As he roams the countryside he is asked to stay and work a long weekend at a country estate. When he agreed he assumed it was as security for the party-goers, however in true Gaiman style there is myth and ritual involved. His job is to defeat the old on behalf of humanity, but Shadow is not as naïve as his human employers believe and things don’t quite go as planned.
Black Dog
This sees Shadow rambling in from Scotland and meeting some superstitious people. They believe that Wod’s dog haunts a particular lane and that if you see it you will die. There is also the legend that stuffed cats were brought from Egypt and ground down to use as fertilizer in the land. Only one of the stuffed cats survives in a glass case.
In the end we have the conflict between the mythical dog who ties to kill Shadow and Baste and her army of cats who save him. Again, there is the exposure of myth, legends, and superstitions. One being is set against the other in a fight for dominance and supremacy.
Like all of Gaiman’s work, mythology and strange experiences are natural parts of the tale. You are constantly suspended between mythology and reality. These works are not really about the gods of consumerism and individuality, more what man values and believes in terms of heritage and culture, and how those rituals are perpetuated.
December 24, 2019
Good but title is deceptive
It’s not really a quartet. Two decent sized books and two novellas, if you haven’t read the first two then go for it. If you have then go for it only if you think two novellas justify the price. They are good. But short
It’s not really a quartet. Two decent sized books and two novellas, if you haven’t read the first two then go for it. If you have then go for it only if you think two novellas justify the price. They are good. But short
February 21, 2020
Excellent
Reread these books for first time in nearly twenty years. I do think the first two (American Gods and Anansis Boys) are the finest books he has written. He matches Stephen King at his best with the first and equals Terry Pritchett with the second. Highly recommended.
Reread these books for first time in nearly twenty years. I do think the first two (American Gods and Anansis Boys) are the finest books he has written. He matches Stephen King at his best with the first and equals Terry Pritchett with the second. Highly recommended.
March 26, 2020
I find Neil Gaiman somewhat hit-and-miss...but thought American Gods is a hit!
Entertaining characters, snappy writing , with good degree of tongue-in-cheek.
The three add-on stories aren't quite up to it though...effectively gave up on those rather rapidly
Entertaining characters, snappy writing , with good degree of tongue-in-cheek.
The three add-on stories aren't quite up to it though...effectively gave up on those rather rapidly
January 7, 2022
To read it you need a very basic knowledge about gods in order not to be confused and recognise them. The book is good, from times to times I've gotten lost but have a whole picture. The ending seems to me sweet and I don't like how the last problem was solved.
December 28, 2019
Good read
This was like a slightly darker Terry Pratchett set in our own world.
The use of language to evoke different regions and beliefs was very good.
This was like a slightly darker Terry Pratchett set in our own world.
The use of language to evoke different regions and beliefs was very good.
March 28, 2020
Of this collection I think Anansi Boys was the most entertaining but American Gods and the other two stories were also fantastic reads
January 18, 2021
Detailed and interesting but anticlimactic with a rather dull ending.
April 18, 2021
Not sure I got the flair and grandiose of a Gaiman story here. Felt ambitious, but hollow.
June 25, 2021
.
I read the first two some years ago, so this review/rating is just for the latter two stories. American Gods and Anansi Boys got their own stars then!
I read the first two some years ago, so this review/rating is just for the latter two stories. American Gods and Anansi Boys got their own stars then!
January 20, 2022
I liked the three books with Shadow in them.
August 22, 2023
Story between old and new gods with betrayal and murder
August 25, 2023
plot twist
August 2, 2022
Crazy, weird world, drawn with a fine pen by Gaiman. Bizarre and convoluted, trickery, deceit and family loyalties all tangled up in a knot of myth, legend and fantasy. Loved all 4 stories in this quartet.
March 3, 2023
AMERICAN GODS
It took me a long time to get through this. I couldn't get into it, and ended up putting it down for long periods of time, with the result that by the time I picked it up again I had forgotten who everyone was. There is a large cast of characters, mostly drawn from the myths and legends of various cultures. I can't help but marvel at Gaiman's knowledge and learning about various storytelling traditions. The idea at the base of the whole story is that as various people from many nations arrived in the States, they brought their culture and faith with them - including their gods. But, Tinkerbell-style, gods need belief to survive, and in modern day secular America, they are weakening. They are real flesh and blood characters, but immortal, trying to exist in the human world while still maintaining their own. I enjoyed the 'stories within a story' - when Gaiman makes an aside to tell us about the origins of various gods and the people who brought them. But the main story had me somewhat lost. Shadow is the man with a past, recently released from prison at the same time as his wife dies in a car crash. Now directionless, he ends up working for the mysterious Mr Wednesday (If you have any knowledge of Norse myths it doesn't take long to work out who Mr Wednesday really is). On the way he accidentally causes his dead wife to become a zombie, walks many times in the mysterious dream world of the gods, hangs on the World Ash in a vigil while Ragnarok/Apocalypse is trying to get underway for everyone else, and solves a murder. I didn't dislike Shadow, but I never cared about him as much, unfortunate in a protagonist. Due to the 'road trip/journey' nature of the book we encounted many places and characters. There were too many wanderings and wonderings, meetings and greetings for me to keep up, and I felt a bit lost at times, along with the plot.
ANANSI BOYS
Much more straightforward! Anansi is a character in African myths, a spider god, and a trickster - many of his tales are now retold as the Brer Rabbit stories, such as the Tar Baby. He appears in American Gods as 'Mr Nancy'. This story is about his son - or in fact two sons, the apparently normal, unambitious, just-wants-a-quiet-life Charlie and the one who inherited the god stuff, Spider. Anansi has just died (or has he? Something we learn both here and in American Gods is that it is convenient for gods to die every once in a while). We follow Charlie as he attends his estranged father's funeral - and ends up unleashing a series of events including a coven of Caribbean witches, a terrifying mother-in-law, a nasty piece of work boss, a determined young policewoman and - a bit of a surprise in the second half of the book - a very endearing ghost planning revenge. As with American Gods there's a lot of wandering around the astral plane - this is a 'mystical realism' book - but it is much more contained than in AG and, for me, drives the plot much better. I zipped through this and am pleased to see a TV adaptation is in production!
MONARCH OF THE GLEN/BLACK DOG
The final two stories are short novellas, again both featuring Shadow Moon, who is now travelling around the UK. Both of them involve him meeting strange people and having stranger things happen as a result. As it's in the UK, Gaiman is able to make use of some local myth and folklore. I was pleased I was able to work out who the young man was who was hypersensitive to noise, and his mother. (If you have studied Old English it's not difficult). You start to wonder why things just happen to Shadow, and why he doesn't get more upset about it. They were readable but I'm not sure they always entirely made sense.
It took me a long time to get through this. I couldn't get into it, and ended up putting it down for long periods of time, with the result that by the time I picked it up again I had forgotten who everyone was. There is a large cast of characters, mostly drawn from the myths and legends of various cultures. I can't help but marvel at Gaiman's knowledge and learning about various storytelling traditions. The idea at the base of the whole story is that as various people from many nations arrived in the States, they brought their culture and faith with them - including their gods. But, Tinkerbell-style, gods need belief to survive, and in modern day secular America, they are weakening. They are real flesh and blood characters, but immortal, trying to exist in the human world while still maintaining their own. I enjoyed the 'stories within a story' - when Gaiman makes an aside to tell us about the origins of various gods and the people who brought them. But the main story had me somewhat lost. Shadow is the man with a past, recently released from prison at the same time as his wife dies in a car crash. Now directionless, he ends up working for the mysterious Mr Wednesday (If you have any knowledge of Norse myths it doesn't take long to work out who Mr Wednesday really is). On the way he accidentally causes his dead wife to become a zombie, walks many times in the mysterious dream world of the gods, hangs on the World Ash in a vigil while Ragnarok/Apocalypse is trying to get underway for everyone else, and solves a murder. I didn't dislike Shadow, but I never cared about him as much, unfortunate in a protagonist. Due to the 'road trip/journey' nature of the book we encounted many places and characters. There were too many wanderings and wonderings, meetings and greetings for me to keep up, and I felt a bit lost at times, along with the plot.
ANANSI BOYS
Much more straightforward! Anansi is a character in African myths, a spider god, and a trickster - many of his tales are now retold as the Brer Rabbit stories, such as the Tar Baby. He appears in American Gods as 'Mr Nancy'. This story is about his son - or in fact two sons, the apparently normal, unambitious, just-wants-a-quiet-life Charlie and the one who inherited the god stuff, Spider. Anansi has just died (or has he? Something we learn both here and in American Gods is that it is convenient for gods to die every once in a while). We follow Charlie as he attends his estranged father's funeral - and ends up unleashing a series of events including a coven of Caribbean witches, a terrifying mother-in-law, a nasty piece of work boss, a determined young policewoman and - a bit of a surprise in the second half of the book - a very endearing ghost planning revenge. As with American Gods there's a lot of wandering around the astral plane - this is a 'mystical realism' book - but it is much more contained than in AG and, for me, drives the plot much better. I zipped through this and am pleased to see a TV adaptation is in production!
MONARCH OF THE GLEN/BLACK DOG
The final two stories are short novellas, again both featuring Shadow Moon, who is now travelling around the UK. Both of them involve him meeting strange people and having stranger things happen as a result. As it's in the UK, Gaiman is able to make use of some local myth and folklore. I was pleased I was able to work out who the young man was who was hypersensitive to noise, and his mother. (If you have studied Old English it's not difficult). You start to wonder why things just happen to Shadow, and why he doesn't get more upset about it. They were readable but I'm not sure they always entirely made sense.
August 25, 2023
American Gods:
I've been a fan of Neil Gaiman since his time writing The Sandman, and I love this. It's important that Shadow Moon always feels like a bit of an outsider because this novel is undeniably a foreigner's view of some of the weirder bits of America. Gaiman manages to make the place feel odd, alien and creepy. And it's a book that would probably only work when set in America - because almost all the gods and people are immigrants.
I also experienced a particularly geeky joy at playing 'spot the god'. They range from the blindingly obvious to requiring an internet search to uncover a whole new group of myths to delight in.
Some people may find the slow pace off-putting, but the narrative lavishes attention on the details to build a compelling atmosphere. I particularly enjoyed the Lakeside section of the novel; you just know that there's something sinister behind the town's success, even while it's trying to make you comfortable.
The plot is inspired by various mythologies but interweaves them all with its central concern: How do the old gods make themselves relevant in the modern world?
This factor does open the book up to a minor failing - it is a book of its time. It's not dated, exactly, but because it doesn't address some aspects of modern life that feel like they should be relevant (social media being the most obvious) it now has to be read as something of a period piece.
I'd still unreservedly recommend it.
Anansi Boys:
This is not really a sequel, it just shares one major character with American Gods, the trickster Mr. Nancy.
It is much lighter in tone; a delightfully chaotic tale full of swagger that still manages to carry some themes that get you thinking.
Gaiman somehow got me to like both Mr. Nancy and Spider, while feeling guilty about it, because some of their behaviour is completely outrageous. Such is the way of trickster gods.
The Monarch of the Glen:
This short novella just doesn't live up to the rest of the collection. It's perfectly fine. But it's nothing exceptional.
I did get a kick out of spotting Grendel and his Mother though.
Black Dog:
Another novella following Shadow Moon in Britain, this time in a small village in England.
I found this story impressive. It manages to be creepy and melancholy, but also hopeful, as Shadow comes out of another supernatural scrape a little bit wiser.
I think it would still work if you had not read American Gods. The evocation of the place and the characters is compelling, even without your attachment to Shadow. Excellent short story.
I've been a fan of Neil Gaiman since his time writing The Sandman, and I love this. It's important that Shadow Moon always feels like a bit of an outsider because this novel is undeniably a foreigner's view of some of the weirder bits of America. Gaiman manages to make the place feel odd, alien and creepy. And it's a book that would probably only work when set in America - because almost all the gods and people are immigrants.
I also experienced a particularly geeky joy at playing 'spot the god'. They range from the blindingly obvious to requiring an internet search to uncover a whole new group of myths to delight in.
Some people may find the slow pace off-putting, but the narrative lavishes attention on the details to build a compelling atmosphere. I particularly enjoyed the Lakeside section of the novel; you just know that there's something sinister behind the town's success, even while it's trying to make you comfortable.
The plot is inspired by various mythologies but interweaves them all with its central concern: How do the old gods make themselves relevant in the modern world?
This factor does open the book up to a minor failing - it is a book of its time. It's not dated, exactly, but because it doesn't address some aspects of modern life that feel like they should be relevant (social media being the most obvious) it now has to be read as something of a period piece.
I'd still unreservedly recommend it.
Anansi Boys:
This is not really a sequel, it just shares one major character with American Gods, the trickster Mr. Nancy.
It is much lighter in tone; a delightfully chaotic tale full of swagger that still manages to carry some themes that get you thinking.
Gaiman somehow got me to like both Mr. Nancy and Spider, while feeling guilty about it, because some of their behaviour is completely outrageous. Such is the way of trickster gods.
The Monarch of the Glen:
This short novella just doesn't live up to the rest of the collection. It's perfectly fine. But it's nothing exceptional.
I did get a kick out of spotting Grendel and his Mother though.
Black Dog:
Another novella following Shadow Moon in Britain, this time in a small village in England.
I found this story impressive. It manages to be creepy and melancholy, but also hopeful, as Shadow comes out of another supernatural scrape a little bit wiser.
I think it would still work if you had not read American Gods. The evocation of the place and the characters is compelling, even without your attachment to Shadow. Excellent short story.
July 3, 2021
An excellent anthology
American Gods is the greater part of this, then Anansi Boys is a decent length novella, the other two tales are of Shadow's further adventures through the UK. All well written and entertaining, with a wonderful mixture of new story and ancient fables. Highly recommended
American Gods is the greater part of this, then Anansi Boys is a decent length novella, the other two tales are of Shadow's further adventures through the UK. All well written and entertaining, with a wonderful mixture of new story and ancient fables. Highly recommended
November 6, 2020
Writing this review long after reading the book to say I absolutely loved it! Every single character we are introduced to feels so real and still alive in my mind. The story pulled me in and really kept me there. The mix of mythology and belief was fascinating. Absolutely worth a read!
October 12, 2023
soooo good!!!!!
i loved it!! it was absolutely amazing! highly recommend to anyone who loved good omens! deserves more hype to be honest!
i loved it!! it was absolutely amazing! highly recommend to anyone who loved good omens! deserves more hype to be honest!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews