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Quick answer: If you loved American Gods, try Anansi Boys, Neverwhere, Good Omens, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Going Postal and The Golem and the Jinni. Each one blends myth, folklore and modern life in a sweeping, strange and witty story.
Neil Gaiman's novel follows Shadow Moon, an ex-convict who takes a job with the mysterious Mr. Wednesday and is pulled into a war between old gods brought to America by immigrants and new gods of media and technology. Readers love its road-trip structure, its folklore and its sly humor. These books share that blend of myth and modern America.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Genre | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anansi Boys | Neil Gaiman | Fantasy | readers who want more Gaiman |
| Neverwhere | Neil Gaiman | Urban fantasy | readers who like hidden worlds |
| Good Omens | Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman | Comic fantasy | readers who like humor |
| The Ocean at the End of the Lane | Neil Gaiman | Fantasy | readers who like short books |
| Going Postal | Terry Pratchett | Comic fantasy | readers who like witty con men |
| The Golem and the Jinni | Helene Wecker | Historical fantasy | readers who like immigrant stories |
| Circe | Madeline Miller | Mythological fiction | readers who like retold myths |
| The Night Circus | Erin Morgenstern | Fantasy | readers who like atmosphere |
| Norse Mythology | Neil Gaiman | Mythology | readers who want the myths |
| The Starless Sea | Erin Morgenstern | Fantasy | readers who love stories about stories |
| Mythago Wood | Robert Holdstock | Fantasy | readers who like folklore |
| Lovecraft Country | Matt Ruff | Horror | readers who like horror and history |
| The Library at Mount Char | Scott Hawkins | Dark fantasy | readers who like dark and strange |
| Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell | Susanna Clarke | Historical fantasy | readers who like long novels |
| Gods of Jade and Shadow | Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Mythological fantasy | readers who like Mexican myth |
1. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
A man discovers that his late father was the trickster god Anansi, and that he has a brother he never knew.
Best for: readers who want more Gaiman.
2. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
An ordinary man falls into London Below, a magical city beneath London.
Best for: readers who like hidden worlds.
3. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
An angel and a demon try to prevent the apocalypse.
Best for: readers who like humor.
4. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
A man remembers a strange childhood encounter with ancient forces.
Best for: readers who like short books.
5. Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
A con man is forced to run the city's broken post office in this Discworld favorite.
Best for: readers who like witty con men.
6. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
A golem and a jinni meet in 1899 New York.
Best for: readers who like immigrant stories.
7. Circe by Madeline Miller
The witch Circe tells her story, from Titans to Odysseus.
Best for: readers who like retold myths.
8. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Two magicians compete in a mysterious circus.
Best for: readers who like atmosphere.
9. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
Gaiman retells the Norse myths behind Odin, Thor and Loki.
Best for: readers who want the myths.
10. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
A graduate student finds a book that leads him to an underground library.
Best for: readers who love stories about stories.
11. Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock
A man discovers that an ancient English wood creates figures from myth.
Best for: readers who like folklore.
12. Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
A Black family faces both racism and cosmic horror in 1950s America.
Best for: readers who like horror and history.
13. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
A woman and her adopted siblings are trained by a godlike father.
Best for: readers who like dark and strange.
14. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Two magicians revive English magic during the Napoleonic wars.
Best for: readers who like long novels.
15. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
A young woman frees the Maya god of death and goes on a road trip.
Best for: readers who like Mexican myth.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with American Gods: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
Start with Anansi Boys, which shares a character. For more urban fantasy, read Neverwhere or Lovecraft Country. If it was the mythology you loved, try Norse Mythology, Circe or Gods of Jade and Shadow. For whimsical humor, pick Good Omens or Small Gods.
Related: The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt: Summary and Key Takeaways · 15 Best Books on the American Revolution: Histories, Biographies and Novels
Frequently Asked Questions
Is American Gods hard to read?
It is long and sometimes strange, but it is very readable.
Is there a TV series of American Gods?
Yes. It ran on Starz for three seasons beginning in 2017.
Is American Gods a series?
It is a standalone, though Anansi Boys is set in the same world.
Is American Gods for adults?
Yes. It includes violence and sexual content.
What genre is American Gods?
It is fantasy with elements of mythology, horror and road-trip fiction.