American Gods
core novel 2001 American Gods / Anansi Boys
Record
| First published | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.10 (1,004,805 ratings, collected 2026-09-14) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780380973651 |
Synopsis
Shadow Moon is released early from prison after learning that his wife Laura has died in a car accident, alongside the best friend with whom she had been having an affair. Adrift and without direction, he accepts an offer of work as a bodyguard from a mysterious, silver-tongued con man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. As the two travel across the United States recruiting allies for Wednesday's cause, Shadow gradually realizes that his employer is far more than he appears, and that he has been drawn into a hidden conflict between the old gods, brought to America by generations of immigrants and now fading from neglect, and the new gods born of media, technology, and modern obsession. Shadow finds himself caught between these opposing forces as the country itself becomes the battleground.
Where it sits
- Universe: American Gods / Anansi Boys
- Series: not part of a registered series (standalone work within its universe)
- Author: Neil Gaiman
Awards (verified)
- Hugo Award (Best Novel), 2002: won
- Nebula Award (Best Novel), 2002: won; SFWA's own site labels this the 2002 award; the author's own site labels it 2003 -- registered per SFWA's own convention, consistent with this project's established practice.
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 2002: won
- Bram Stoker Award (Best Novel), 2002: won
- World Fantasy Award (Best Novel), 2002: nominated
- British Fantasy Award (Best Novel (August Derleth Award)), 2002: nominated
- Mythopoeic Fantasy Award (Adult Literature), 2002: nominated
Notes
- The flagship novel. Two direct sequel short pieces follow the same protagonist (Shadow Moon) and are registered as Expanded: 'The Monarch of the Glen' (novella, 2003) and 'Black Dog' (2015). Anansi Boys (2005) shares one recurring character (Mr. Nancy/Anansi) but follows an entirely different protagonist and plot in a different city -- per Gaiman's own description of his loosely-connected works ('I think so, yes. Or at least they all share a car park'), this is treated the same way as Ysabel/Fionavar Tapestry: a cameo does not fold a separate story into this universe. Not registered here; flagged as a possible future standalone admission.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within American Gods / Anansi Boys (standalone work): position 1 of 4: next The Monarch of the Glen (2003)
Sources
- American Gods (Wikipedia)
- Awards and Honors (official Neil Gaiman site)
- 2002 Hugo Awards (The Hugo Award)
- American Gods (Nebula Awards, SFWA)
- Wikipedia: Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel
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