American Gods by Neil Gaiman

LOCATION CHANGE
To address some logistical concerns with parking, noise, and seating, we’re exploring new locations for 2023. January and February book clubs will be at the Seminole Heights Library in room 105. Dry food snacks and covered beverages are permitted in the meeting space.

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.

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.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Mythology, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

674 pages

First published June 19, 2001

Literary awards
Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel (2001), Hugo Award for Best Novel (2002), Nebula Award for Best Novel (2002), Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (2002), International Horror Guild Award Nominee for Best Novel (2001), World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel (2002), SFX Award for Best Novel (2002), Geffen Award (2003), Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Adult Literature (2002), British Science Fiction Association Award Nominee for Best Novel (2001), Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire Nominee for Roman étranger (2003), Prix Bob Morane for roman traduit (2003), British Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel (August Derlith Fantasy Award) (2002)