American Gods, by Neil GaimanRead about the other entries on the list.
Gaiman’s classic novel is coming to television this year, and color us excited. The Norse gods are only part of the story in Gaiman’s brilliantly imagined universe, in which belief manifests the gods and then imbues them with power that dissipates when the world moves on to new gods—leaving the Norse gods waning and weak, while new American deities like The Technical Boy rise. It all makes for a thrilling conflict between tradition and modernity that drives a compelling fantasy narrative that hums along with its own ancient power.
American Gods is among Jeff Somers's ten top SFF stories lousy with giant spiders, Josh Ritter's six favorite books that invoke the supernatural, and John T. Ottinger's top 12 science fiction and fantasy novels and stories that are uniquely American.
--Marshal Zeringue