Author: Neil Gaiman
Narrator: George Guidall
Length: 19 hours 40 minutes
Language: English
Table of Contents
The Plot
American Gods Audiobook is a novel that was written by Neil Gaiman with the original series full-cast production by Freemantle Media. It is the tenth-anniversary edition which follows the story of the American Gods and Shadow, a man in his 30’s who was behind bars for an armed robbery offense that he committed years ago. Now that he has done his time, he silently waits for the day that he can finally return to Eagle Point in Indiana. This edition of American Gods shows a man that is no longer afraid of what tomorrow would bring as he looks forward to starting a new life.
To be with Laura, the wife that he deeply loved was all that he ever wanted. This audiobook tells of the unfortunate incident a few days before he was free from the prison walls. His best friend and Laura are both killed in an accident. After his release and although he is free at present, his life is shattered into pieces. With nothing to hold him back, he takes on a job offer from a random stranger whom he meets on his way home.
He is a mysterious man who goes by the title of Mr. Wednesday and in this American Gods series Shadow is impressed by his stature. This man however is a deceiving scoundrel that is a trickster and rogue and knows all the stories about him. He knows more than he lets on and has hidden agendas that Shadow is seemingly blinded to, after all, he is one of the American Gods, Gods who don’t follow the ways of the worshippers.
The American Gods
In this anniversary edition of the American Gods fantasy novel, Shadow’s life takes a different turn as he works and serves the Gods as a driver, errand boy, and bodyguard. When you listen to the audio you will find that things seem far more dangerous and interesting than he ever imagined them to be. The audiobook tells us how he learns about the destruction caused by the American Gods.
He takes a long time to figure out who his new master really is although his name does serve as a clue. He doesn’t know that his new employer isn’t the only God that is navigating through American soil as there are many other Gods just like him. This is one of the main focuses in this anniversary series of American Gods that author Neil Gaiman portrays in the book as the American nation is made up of a vast variety of the worlds’ population.
If the New World populations are rooted on American soil wouldn’t it create a melange of pantheons and American Gods? It appears that the American Gods have lost their stature as it seems that nobody actually believes in them anymore. The new Gods of technology are on a reign on American soil as they have accumulated a multitude of followers. This poses a huge problem for the older Gods as without their believers they are nothing.
Shadow
In his ventures, Shadow learns that the past never dies and that it always comes back to haunt us. He discovers that everything and everyone is not as they seem as beneath the calm surface of life’s daily routines a storm is cooking up an epic war to gut down the American soil. This brew of destruction is gunning the soul of America and he realizes that he is standing in the center of its path.
The new American Gods are willing to go to war and want the old Gods out of their way. This narrative tells us of the storm that’s coming. He travels through American soil and gains knowledge about the Gods and the war that they are facing. This book speaks of a secretive and hidden American society, one that we can compare to the present day. Although everything seems to be in shambles, and the storm of the American Gods linger, there still is some hope which makes everything worthwhile.
What to expect
Narrator George Guidall does a fantastic job at taking us through this glorious book of old and new Gods that is filled with poetic prose, horror, destruction, sex, mystery, and much more. This fantasy novel is filled with frightening chills that are snowbound and cold, set in the dark trenches of American soil.
It’s set during the joyous season of Christmas with the heavy cloud of destructive thunder that is created by the Gods, threatening to explode. This fantasy novel takes us deep into the pits of darkness making us appreciate the bright ray of the sun and stars when we do eventually come out of the darkness. The audiobook is well worth the listen as it is audible, and will surely have you glued to this phenomenal story of the American Gods.
The American Gods book is the epitome of a raw but polished fantasy novel with simultaneous urgency that will hook the listener. The author Neil Gaiman is a decorative writer with the stance to paint the world in a multitude of colors all at once. It is a fantasy novel with Gods and Wars and a man that stands in their way. Niel Gaiman practices the freedoms of his mind’s eye and relays them perfectly in this American Gods book.