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American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition (A Full Cast Production)
- Narrated by: Ron McLarty, Daniel Oreskes, full cast
- Series: American Gods, Book 1
- Length: 19 hrs and 39 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
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In this new anthology, Neil Gaiman pierces the veil of reality to reveal the enigmatic, shadowy world that lies beneath. Trigger Warning includes previously published pieces of short fiction--stories, verse, and a very special Doctor Who story that was written for the fiftieth anniversary of the beloved series in 2013--as well as "Black Dog", a new tale that revisits the world of American Gods, exclusive to this collection.
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The performance lends it charm most importantly
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Wow Stephen Fry
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So much Fun!!
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The Stand
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This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death. And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides - or are chosen.
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Brilliant
- By Grantly on 2018-03-19
Publisher's Summary
Now a STARZ® Original Series produced by FremantleMedia North America starring Ricky Whittle, Ian McShane, Emily Browning, and Pablo Schreiber.
Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the day when he could return to Eagle Point, Indiana. A man no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, all he wanted was to be with Laura, the wife he deeply loved, and start a new life.
But just days before his release, Laura and Shadow's best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, Shadow accepts a job from a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, an enigmatic man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and a rogue, Wednesday seems to know more about Shadow than Shadow does himself.
Life as Wednesday's bodyguard, driver, and errand boy is far more interesting and dangerous than Shadow ever imagined. Soon Shadow learns that the past never dies . . . and that beneath the placid surface of everyday life a storm is brewing—an epic war for the very soul of America—and that he is standing squarely in its path.
"Mystery, satire, sex, horror, poetic prose—American Gods uses all these to keep the reader turning the pages."—Washington Post
What the critics say
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What listeners say about American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition (A Full Cast Production)
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jeff
- 2017-10-25
Excellent presentation of Neil Gaiman's classic
I read the hardcopy version of this novel when it first came out and I found as I listened to the audio version that I had forgotten almost everything about the book. The narration by the different voices is very effective and adds a lot to the enjoyment of the story. The story itself is almost a "who-done-it" although it's more like a "why'd you do that?". If you are a fan of Neil Gaiman and you haven't read American Gods, I highly recommend this audio version. It really brings the story to life. Even if you have read the novel, I recommend that you try the audio version. It provides a very rich experience of the story.
7 people found this helpful
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- Utilisateur anonyme
- 2018-09-19
Thoroughly Excellent
Neil Gaiman's American Gods is an amazing book. I first read it about 10 years ago and found it to be one of the best-written and most original novels I had experienced at the time. With the release of the Tenth Anniversary Edition I thought it was about time to read it again. In this case, I opted for an audio book. And I was not disappointed. I have major problems with "performances" or otherwise altered versions of books, so I was a bit skeptical about this "full cast production". I needn't have been worried, however, as this audio book takes the one good thing about performances (having different actors for different character voices) without losing any of the words or details that are generally thrown away when adapted to a radio-play type format. You have a full cast in this, but you also have a narrator reading all of Neil Gaiman's words - even down to the interstitial "he said, adjectively". In addition, you get Neil Gaiman himself narrating the "Coming to America" sections. So, an excellent book, written by an excellent author, and produced in a thoroughly excellent fashion. Hard to go wrong. #Audible1
3 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2018-09-16
Cast performance was great
#Audible1 Having a full cast produce the audiobook is so refreshing when accustomed to a single person using female and male vocals. Very high production value. Book is good but I believe too hyped up from the other reviews I have read before purchase. Get this book even if it’s just for the performances
2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2018-02-13
This story dared me to dream again.
This was my first reading of American Gods. I dont think there is a better way to experience it than have it read to you - its closer to a parable and a folk tale than a novel. Having it read to me reminds me of the folk tales I was raised on as a child. Neil Gaiman after experiencing American Gods is my favourite author. Just amazing prose.
2 people found this helpful
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- Allan Tetzlaff
- 2020-12-03
Brilliant
Haven’t watched the series at all but have listened through the book several times. Extremely well woven. Conceptually very interesting and deep. The characters are so varied and each has their own unique depth. Haven’t listened to any other version but the cast for narration provide colour to the characters.... you end up knowing and missing them when the tale draws to an end.
1 person found this helpful
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- Brad
- 2019-12-22
endless replayability
perfection. seriously; so good. narration and performances make the characters feel whole. very entertaining and quotable. many parts have made me smile. I love the way Gaimen speaks/writes, the words and phrasing build a world and more importantly, an idea that is clear and bright and sticks in your mind.
1 person found this helpful
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- Zuzy Rocka
- 2019-10-16
A book for certain tastes maybe
I can see why some people would love this book, it has an interesting concept but that was it for me. I found it utterly boring for 75% of it, just a guy walking around talking to people in cafes then in cars then more cafes. It tied together in the end and made it almost worth it with some twists, but some of the build up for a huge "storm" that is hinted never truly delivered. Maybe I don't have great taste but I could have easily gone without this book... it just had nothing for me to cling to.
1 person found this helpful
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- Zinn
- 2019-08-01
They cancelled the show, but this was better.
As per usual, the book is much better than the television show. I started watching the show without realizing there was a book. After 2 seasons the show was cancelled and I got the audiobook. There are many differences(again, as there always is) and some very important information the show leaves out completely and some the show has fabricated as part of the plot(I mean, Easter and Jesusx200 is awesome...). 100% will listen to this one again!
1 person found this helpful
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- Enelra
- 2019-09-30
Boring
Found this book painfully boring. I plowed thru to the end and I was still bored. Wish I could get a refund.
2 people found this helpful
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- Mike
- 2021-01-05
Enjoyable 'til the very end
Although parts of the story were predictable the overall story was well constructed and entertaining. The breaks in the narrative of the coming to America stories were great, characters were strong and believable. Makes me want to take a road trip across America every time I listen to it. :)
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- Nightveil
- 2011-07-22
10 Years and Still a Fantastic Read
I read American Gods when it first came out and was amazed by what Neil Gaiman had done. I've been a Gaiman fan since his work on Sandman and understood that the core of his stories is almost always myth and storytelling. American Gods has these in spades.
This new recording, featuring a full cast, is actually very good. Some say that there is no life in the characters, but there is. It's set against the bleak backdrop of a war between gods old and new. It's set against the seeming non-involvement of the main character, Shaodow, who often seems to be along for the ride but ultimately acts as the one character the listener can relate to in a world filled with fantastical creatures called gods.
The first several times the cast interacts with the narrator can be jarring, but once the listener is used to the voices and the rhythm that builds over the first chapter or so, it becomes natural and the listener can get in to the story proper.
American Gods is dense. This edition has some 12,000 more words than previous editions. It is not a book to be taken lightly. It requires thought and it requires patience. Those willing to give it those things will find a solid, entertaining and thought provoking listen.
222 people found this helpful
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- Michael
- 2011-07-27
New to Neil
I am new to Neil Gaiman's work. I once tried to read a Sandman comic and felt utterly lost, so I gave up trying. His recent work on Doctor Who and my membership on Audible led me to pick this audio book. I'm not a big fan of full cast productions either. I like the idea of a single person reading the book... but after reading the criticism and researching the different versions of the book for myself, I decided to give this one a try.
It was fantastic.
The voice of Shadow is perfect... as is that of Mr. Wednesday. It really helps the book come alive. If I had read it or listened to a single person voicing it, I may have gotten sick of the tangents that Gaiman follows, but since I had the numerous voices as sign posts on the journey, it really did help. They do a great job of setting the tone.
This book is like a dream you don't want to wake up from. It makes so much sense, yet if you were to try to explain it to someone, it wouldn't. If you expect something from it, you may be disappointed, but if you just let it take you on a journey and let your mind wander with it, you will enjoy every minute of it. Neil Gaiman knows how to get you to feel for his characters by making them a part of the familiar. This really is something I could see myself dreaming.
I hope HBO does make it into a TV show, as is the buzz.
444 people found this helpful
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- Michael
- 2017-08-17
Incredibly Engaging
American Gods is an experience, it's a journey, and it's about the journey. These are characters so engaging that I would enjoy reading about them so much as stopping at a gas station to buy a candy bar.
8 people found this helpful
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- Mari
- 2017-10-30
I don't get it......
Convoluted and disjointed. I tried to like it, I really did. Not my kind of book.
15 people found this helpful
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- Timothy
- 2012-03-02
Stellar Full Cast Production
This isn't a review about the story American Gods; others will do that. What I felt important to review here was the superb production presented by this very talented group of narrators. The characterization- depth, realism and building of, and ability to relate to -in American Gods is very well done, but the performance of the narrators brings them further, adding an even more complex and integrated layer of emotion and connection.
The main narrator is easy to listen to and warm to the tale- I felt the narrator was telling me a story of his experience rather than a recitation of another's work.
And of Neil Gaiman's own short passages, sprinkled thru-ought: an excellent lift from the main story, giving each break an ethereal yet distinctive separation from the main story.
152 people found this helpful
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- CO Cyclist
- 2012-04-27
Will certainly be a classic
I really loved this story. My kids have been telling me for years to read it, and I finally got this edition to listen to. I can't imagine any part of it I'd hope to miss, and am not sure what the parts were in this edition that weren't in the previously released version, but again, I can't imagine I'd want anything left out.
I'm usually not a fan of "cast" performances on audiobooks. I like a single storyteller. However, this was really an outstanding performance - they did a truly great job.
104 people found this helpful
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- PlantCrone
- 2012-05-05
Complicated-enjoyable, a champion audio book
Gaiman is one of those authors for who I simply buy the hardbound when it comes out and I read and re-read these over the years. I was thrilled to find this revised production version of it on Audible.com. I may be prejudiced but I found this audio book immaculately performed and amongst the top of the books I've listened to.
I really enjoyed the variety of narrators-with a novel this involved, a multi cast interpretation is the only way to do it justice.Yes, it's long and quite complex, especially if you've not read it previously but it's well worth the time and any effort. If you're a fan of fantasy fiction, American gods should fascinate you.
A caveat: It may take a while to get into..because it is long and as a bit convoluted, you might not be grabbed in the first chapter..Gaiman develops his novels slowly-they creep up on you. I hope readers who are unfamiliar with his work don't give up right away..this book is a synopsis of past gods and goddesses from our ancestors and their plight in the world of technology.
For me, this is a book thats worth reading, and re reading again-I know I'll be listening again in a couple of years.
58 people found this helpful
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- Nosh F.
- 2016-05-11
Plodding and Frayed Story
I did not like the story, and I disliked nearly every character. That is not to say this is a terrible book. It is full of obscure places and bits of anthropological American history which are fascinating, revealing how little I know of my own country. The prose is beautiful at times, direct, and not distracting.
The plot seemed more like a mechanism for the author’s rambling exploration of the myriad histories that have fallen together to create the scrapbook heap of America’s past. The result was not characterization of likable people but of characters who can pull us through the author’s expansive understanding of America. We, therefore, never truly feel attached to the outcome of anything or anyone (save for the few unexplored supporting characters), and even the anticlimactic outcome of the book only serves to underscore the unimportance of the plot.
Hence, the unexpected revelations that could be shocking are met with, “Meh.” I felt more interested in the non-central-plot immigrant characters whose stories skirted the edges of the story just as they skirted the edges of American society. The vignettes depicting them were far more poignant, more telling, and ultimately more revelatory of America than the rest of the meandering storyline.
I had held out hope that Shadow, our central hero, once awakened by the revelation of what it meant to be alive would actually come alive as a character. But he remained robotic. He developed somewhat by becoming more proactive and less reactive, but the proactive actions he took were not those of a living person. They were those of a character in a book who needed to wrap up the plot so that the story could end.
I like the writing, and I will come back to Gaiman, but this piece left me wanting so much more from him, his story, and the characters.
As for the narration of the audiobook, I liked every voice except for the narrator’s. He was cloyingly redundant in his intonation patterns to the point that it distracted me from the material he was narrating. He had a habit of raising his pitch at the start of a sentence and then quickly falling toward an aloof sarcastic tone at the close of the sentence. I found him off-putting. The other voices in the Full Cast version of the narration excellently portrayed the characters’ physical and emotional traits. I was especially fond of Hinzelmann, despite his dark secret because of just how effectively he was voiced; he also turned out to be one of the most complex and complete characters in the story despite his minor role in the overall plot.
88 people found this helpful
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- Eugenia
- 2016-10-22
Not For Me
I feel so alone in my opinion after so many zillion glowing reviews. But this book either left me cold or sometimes irritated me.
The endless fantasy historical mythology told by characters of whom I cared little. The repetitive dream sequences that were just a lot of symbolic images that went nowhere. Characters who talked and talked about other characters who were never in the actual plot. Most of the time I couldn't place where the characters were when they talked with each other. Which was a lot of talk.
I have listened to Neil Caiman's Graveyard in the past and I loved it. This was a big mess of a disappointment.
144 people found this helpful
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- Carol
- 2011-06-28
A Different Opinion
I haven't finished listening to this yet but wanted to weigh in about the narration. If you are one of George Guidall's many fans, by all means get his production. But when I first searched this book on Audible and found only Guidall's version, I chose not to get it because have never cared for his voice or performances. That is not meant as a criticism of this much-honored narrator, it is strictly personal taste and preference. I like the use of different readers and in general think all four of these do a good job. This is an *extremely* dense and confusing book, and hearing different voices, at least for me, creates welcome breaks. Whether this production will wind up being worth the heavy going is still up for debate with me. Gaiman's Preface to this anniversary edition characterizes it as "big, odd, and meandering." It's certainly all of those. He also acknowledges that some of his fans "really hate it." But there is a lot of interesting stuff in the book, especially for people who enjoy the off-center, the surreal--and the ineffable.
115 people found this helpful
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- starlyte
- 2019-05-01
Story that you don't get tired of
Complexe and detailed, of gods and demi gods, with their games, that beats the classical myths in quality.
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- Alexei Tcherkassov
- 2018-09-10
great fiction!
Men, Gods, Undead, unknown beings - this book is full of mysterious and at the same time familiar and exciting personages. it's a story about a grey common and untalkative hero, about his journey presented as a road trip through past and future, about his encounters and unconscious actions, about his believe in everything and absence of convictions. I enjoyed this great work of fiction.