TV · Starz
American Gods: where to start reading
Adapts American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Say how far you watched, and pick the book up exactly there.
FantasyDrama
3 seasons
on screen
1 book
to read
Diverges
from the books
After Season 1, in the books you are
at American Gods.
the season covers roughly the first third of the novel, reworked and expanded.
Show and books diverge here
The first season covers roughly the first third of the novel, expanding it heavily and adding new material. The novel is well ahead of the show.
Start reading at American Gods (the novel). The first season covers only about the first third, so you can read from the beginning
Spoiler-safe, only what the show already showed you.
Get the book
Season 1 leaves off about 33% in. Pick the book up right there:
American Gods
Neil Gaiman
or borrow it: your library
As an Amazon Associate and a Bookshop.org affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
What the show changed here
- ChangedLaura Moon's role is greatly enlarged, with her own backstory and scenes the novel keeps offstage.
- ChangedMad Sweeney, a brief bit-part in the book, becomes a major recurring character with an invented road-trip thread.
- InventedThe season widens past Shadow's viewpoint, fleshing out several gods and the women around him well beyond the page.
- ChangedThe novel's standalone 'Coming to America' vignettes are kept but restaged and expanded across the episodes.
Where this comes from: en.wikipedia.org · tvguide.com · comicbook.com. Spotted a mistake? The report link at the foot of this page comes straight to us.
How far did you watch?
Tap the season you reached.
the showthe books
The show spreads Neil Gaiman's single novel across three seasons and reworks it heavily, adding original characters and storylines and drawing in elements from the companion novel Anansi Boys. It was cancelled before finishing the book's story, so no season cleanly ends the novel. The novel remains the single thing to read throughout.
Ratings
How is American Gods so far?
Rate it from where you are. No account, and nothing here says a word about what happens next.
★★★★★
Tap a star, half stars count
More like this
Spotted a wrong cutoff or a bad detail on this page?Report a problem