American Gods
American Gods (2001) is a fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow.
Where American Gods keeps showing up
Four of our editors' lists feature this novel.
Also by Neil Gaiman
Books in conversation with American Gods
A few of the closest reads from our full list.
What you might want to know about American Gods
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Just released from prison and freshly bereaved, Shadow takes a strange job working for a charming one-eyed traveler named Wednesday and is pulled into a quiet war between America's gods.
Yes. Starz produced a three-season American Gods adaptation between 2017 and 2021, with Neil Gaiman executive producing. The show was cancelled before adapting the full novel and its planned sequel material.
American Gods is a standalone but has a companion novel, Anansi Boys, set in the same world with a side character from the first book. Several short stories also expand the universe.
American Gods was written by Neil Gaiman, published in 2001 by Polaris.
American Gods is 576 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, American Gods takes most readers 9 to 12 hours to finish.
American Gods is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
