Claim: American Gods is a novel.

American Gods is a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novel by English author Neil Gaiman . The novel is a blend of Americana , fantasy , and various strands of ancient and modern mythology , all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow . Several of the themes touched upon in the book were previously glimpsed in The Sandman comic book series .   The book was published in 2001 by Headline in the United Kingdom and by William Morrow in the United States . A special tenth anniversary edition , which includes the `` author 's preferred text '' and 12,000 additional words , was published in June 2011 by William Morrow . The text is identical to the signed and numbered limited edition released in 2003 by Hill House Publishers , and to the edition from Headline , Gaiman 's publisher in the UK since 2005 . The tenth anniversary edition marks the first time the author 's preferred text has been available in wide release outside the UK . Gaiman also did an extensive sold-out book tour celebrating the tenth anniversary and promoting the book in 2011 .   There are two audio versions of the book , both produced and published by Harper Audio : an unabridged version of the original published edition , read by George Guidall , released in 2001 ; and a full cast audiobook version of the tenth anniversary edition , including the author 's preferred text and 12,000 additional words , released in 2011 . The full cast audiobook project also was announced on Neil Gaiman 's blog , along with a contest in which participants could submit audio auditions and the winner would get an all expense paid trip to New York City , to record a part for the audio book .   In March 2017 , The Folio Society published a special collector 's edition of American Gods with many corrections to the author 's preferred text version . Gaiman described it as ` the cleanest text there has ever been ' .   In April 2017 , Starz began airing an eponymous television adaptation of the novel . Bryan Fuller and Michael Green serve as showrunners , and Gaiman is an executive producer .