on his luck when he takes an undefined job with the mysterious Mr. Wednesday. His ensuing road trip is that when immigrants (and the enslaved) crossed oceans, they carried with them their Slavic, Egyptian, Norse, Ghanaian, and Hindu deities, nourishing them with prayers whispered in the dark. Some gods flourished, for a time, brushing up against homegrown legends like Wisakedjak and Johnny Appleseed, but now they starve. Capitalist New Gods get all the worship these days. When things finally come to a head, we see the likes of Anubis, Anansi, and Ganesh facing off against the blacksuited gods of the Internet, Roads, and Conspiracy Theories. Add to this colorful cast a Machiavellian Odin, fiery leprechaun, friendly serial killer, and the reanimated corpse of Shadow’s beloved wife, and you’ve got an epic fantasy that plumbs identity and how it shapeshifts through time and space.
