American Gods — the modern mythology of Americana

"Original, engrossing, and endlessly inventive; a picaresque journey across America where travelers are even stranger than the roadside attractions."
— George R. R. Martin

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Published in 2001 in the UK by Headline and US by William Morrow, the book is a mix of ancient mythology, Americana, and fantasy. A special collector's edition was published in March 2017 by The Folio Society. It has two audio versions by Harper Audio and a TV show which began airing in April 2017. The novel stars the characters Shadow and Wednesday who are trapped in the battle between the old gods and the new ones. As a taciturn convict, Shadow takes a job as a bodyguard for Mr Wednesday who is Odin's incarnate. They travel across America where Shadow meets many gods and magical creatures including a leprechaun who gives him a gold coin that brings his wife back from the dead as a semi-living reverent. They try to bring together the old gods that have been losing power because people’s beliefs are diminishing. The new gods represent new technology, media celebrity, drugs, etc. have risen but most of the old gods are reluctant to fight.

"Gods die. And when they truly die they are unmourned and unremembered"

The story unravels as Shadow and Wednesday die under different circumstances. Shadow discovers more about his life, the death of his wife, and finally, comes across the town's secret. The author Neil Gaiman has given the fantasy world a new twist. Several subplots and cutaway scenes feature in the novel detailing various mythical beings in the US. The twist and turns each episodes present makes the book too interesting to stop reading. The author has blended the modern and ancient history of people's beliefs giving a thrilling story of power and gods. The TV show was estimated to air in May 2015 by Brayan Fuller, the show runner, but it premiered in April 2017 with Ricky Whittle as Shadow and Ian McShane as Wednesday. Emily Browning plays Laura Moon who is Shadows wife while the roles of Mad Sweeney, Bilquis, and Technical boy are played by Sean Harris, Yetide Badaki, and Bruce Langley respectively. On July 22, 2016, the first trailer for the series was released at San Diego Comic-Con International.

Starz original presentation American Gods television show

In U.S, American Gods premiere on the Starz app each week where internationally, each episode is available on Amazon Video a day after U.S broadcast.  So far, it has received "generally favorable reviews" from the public with viewers impressed by the chemistry between Ian and Ricky. Its vibe was compared to the most alluring dream of Hannibal by Ben Travers of Indie wire. I loved it.

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