n Iceland, Shadow meets another incarnation of Odin, created by the belief of the original settlers of Iceland who is much closer than Wednesday to the Odin of mythology. Shadow accuses Odin of Wednesday's actions, whereupon Odin replies that "He was me, yes. But I am not him." Shadow gives Wednesday's glass eye to Odin, which Odin places in a leather bag as a keepsake. Shadow performs a simple sleight-of-hand coin trick, which delights Odin, who asks for a repeat performance. Shadow then performs a small piece of real magic, pulling a golden coin from nowhere, before walking away from the god and out into the world.
Shadow arrives at Rock City and confronts Loki, now gravely wounded, and the ghost of Odin, who reveal their plans. Shadow travels to the site of the battle and explains that both sides have nothing to gain and everything to lose, with Odin and Loki as the only true winners. Shadow tells them the United States is a bad place for Gods, and he recommends they return home. The Gods depart, Loki dies and Odin's ghost fades. Laura asks Shadow to take the coin from her, which he does, and she finally dies.
Laura chooses to hitchhike to Rock City and meets Mr. Town, who does not realise who she is, and they agree to travel together. During their travels, Laura learns who Mr. Town is and, once they arrive at their destination, kills him and takes the branch he took from the World Tree. She then meets with Loki and manages to stab him with the World Tree branch, which turns into a spear as she stabs.
Horus finds Easter and convinces her to bring Shadow back to life. Shadow realizes Mr. World is actually Low Key (Loki) Lyesmith and that Odin and Loki have been working a "two-man con". They orchestrated Shadow's birth, his meeting of Loki in disguise in prison and even Laura's death. Loki had arranged for Odin's murder, thus making the battle between the New and Old Gods a sacrifice to Odin, restoring Odin's power while also allowing Loki to feed on the chaos of the battle.
While retrieving Wednesday's body, Shadow is surprised to discover his old prison cellmate and mentor, Low Key Lyesmith, is working as a driver for the New Gods. Shadow is bound by his contract with Wednesday to hold his vigil by re-enacting Odin's time hanging from a "World Tree" while pierced by a spear for nine days. During these nine days, he is visited by Horus, who has become mad from living too long as a hawk. Shadow dies and visits the land of the dead, where he is judged by Anubis. Shadow learns that he is Wednesday's (Odin's) son, conceived as part of the deity's plans. During this time, Mr. Town arrives at the World Tree, ordered by Mr. World to cut a branch from it.
The New Gods seek to parley with Wednesday, but murder him at the meeting. This act galvanizes the Old Gods, and they rally to face their enemies in battle at Rock City.
The New Gods abduct Shadow (utilizing a group of shadowy Men in Black, led by the mysterious Mr. World), but Laura rescues him, killing several Men in Black in the process. Wednesday hides Shadow, first with Mr. Ibis (Thoth) and Mr. Jacquel (Anubis), who run a funeral parlor in Illinois, and then in the Great Lakes community of Lakeside. They are pursued all the while by the Men in Black, particularly Mr. Town, who blames Shadow for the death of his friends.
Shadow meets a leprechaun named Mad Sweeney, who gives Shadow a magical gold coin after Shadow beats him in a fight. Shadow later tosses the coin into his wife's grave at her funeral, inadvertently bringing her back from the dead as a semi-living revenant.
He takes a job as a bodyguard for a mysterious con man, Mr. Wednesday, and travels with him across America, visiting Wednesday's acquaintances. Shadow learns that Wednesday is an incarnation of Odin the All-Father and that he is recruiting American manifestations of the Old Gods, whose powers have waned as their believers have decreased in number, to participate in a battle against the New American Gods
Shadow is an ex-convict who is released from prison three days early when his wife Laura is killed in a car accident. Shadow is devastated by her death, and is distraught to learn that she died alongside his best friend Robbie, with whom she had been having an affair
- 1 more item...
