The story starts with Shadow, whom we follow through the course of the story. He seems like a regular guy who happens to encounter a man named Wednesday, and through him, many other fascinating characters, stories, and rich histories. The artwork enhances this as well, with different art styles used to represent different periods of history or culture.
Title: American Gods
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology, Urban Fantasy.
Publication Date: June 19, 2001
Review Date: May 26, 2025
Number of Pages: 208 (Graphic Novel)
My Rating: 5/5
Buy here:
Book Blurb of American Gods #1:
Days before his release from prison, Shadow’s wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr. Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America.
Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.
Scary, gripping and deeply unsettling, American Gods takes a long, hard look into the soul of America. You’ll be surprised by what – and who – it finds there…
Book Review of American Gods #1:
Neil Gaiman is iconic, and unfortunately I have never read any of his books. This graphic novel version of American Gods caught my eye, and I’m just blown away by the sheer beauty of it. The story is fantastic, the plot and characters have so much depth, and the artwork adds so so much to it.
The story starts with Shadow, whom we follow through the course of the story. He’s a regular guy (maybe?) who encounters a man named Wednesday, and through him, many other fascinating characters, stories, and rich histories. The artwork enhances this as well, with different art styles used to represent different periods of history or culture. It’s so beautifully done, truly. I’m fully aware I’m fangirling, but graphic novels tend to make me do this, just like my review of The Complete Persepolis. There’s just something about that combination that really works for me.
As we follow Shadow, we are introduced to many individuals, or should I say, American Gods? The idea is that people from all over came to America to build a life, and brought their ideas, beliefs, and Gods with them. The power of belief is what sustains them, so what happens when that power reduces? When belief reduces? What happens to story and culture? What happens when there are new Gods? These are the questions this story explores.
As Shadow learns more, so do we. There are many surprises and a lot to learn, too. As I kept reading, many curious bits caught my attention that I want to know more about! The sheer scale of the story means that there’s a lot of “side quests” and explorations happening while we follow the main journey. In terms of that, there’s a lot to explore by the time this book ends.
There are 9 chapters in this book, which is part one of a total of three. I can’t wait to start part two! I borrowed the graphic novel eBook of American Gods from my public library via the Libby app.
Recommended for fans of:
magical realism, stories about friendship, tiny furniture, timelessness, stories that play out over years and generations, bloggers and/or writers as MCs, magical fate, and beautiful descriptive prose.
