American goddess

After spending three years behind bars waiting for the magical day he would be released and return home, Shadow was no longer a man who fears tomorrow, and he wanted nothing but to return to the arms of his wife Laura, whom he adores with love, and start a new life with her. But just days before his release, Laura dies in a car accident, and now, with his world turned upside down, dreams shattered, and he no longer caring about anything, Shadow accepts work for a man he met by chance on a plane, a strange man with a charming personality and many tricks, who calls himself the pseudonym "Mr. Wednesday," and it seems he knows more about Shadow than Shadow knows about himself. With his work as a bodyguard, driver, and escort for Wednesday, Shadow finds life more exciting and dangerous than he ever imagined, and his work takes him on a dark journey filled with wonders across the United States, where he encounters a host of strange characters whose fates intertwine with his in facing the upcoming storm. "Gaiman - simply - a storytelling treasure, and we are lucky to have him." – Stephen King "Rich imagination… and the ability to handle great ideas." – Philip Pullman "In this novel, there is madness and fear, nobility and magic, sacrifice and wisdom, mystery and heartbreak, all with genuine emotional richness and brilliance born from mastery in storytelling." – Peter Straub "American Gods" was published in 2001 after three years of Gaiman's writing, and nine years after his move from England to America. The novel quickly achieved critical and popular success, entering the lists of the greatest fantasy books in history. The novel won the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, Bram Stoker, and other awards, and was adapted into a graphic novel illustrated by P. Craig Russell, into a television series, and translated into more than thirty languages.