Life

Don't miss: American Gods on Amazon Prime Video

Mr Wednesday (Ian McShane) and Shadow (Ricky Whittle) toast the beginning of a highly unconventional relationship in American Gods
Mr Wednesday (Ian McShane) and Shadow (Ricky Whittle) toast the beginning of a highly unconventional relationship in American Gods Mr Wednesday (Ian McShane) and Shadow (Ricky Whittle) toast the beginning of a highly unconventional relationship in American Gods

NEIL Gaiman's cult 2001 fantasy novel about rival deities arrives on the small screen next week in Amazon Prime Video's adaptation from former Hannibal show-runner Bryan Fuller and Logan co-writer Michael Green.

The TV version features an all-star cast and Ricky Whittle out of Hollyoaks. Actually, the newly be-muscled Whittle is just right as stoic ex-con Shadow Moon, who falls in with the mysterious Mr Wednesday (Ian McShane) after being released from the slammer.

Wednesday is actually the Norse god Odin, on a cross-country mission to round up his fellow 'old world' idols, brought to America in the hearts and minds of immigrants from around the world.

However, there's a war coming – a last stand against the new wave of deities gradually sucking up the nation's god-sustaining worship. These include celebrity-fuelled idol Media (Gillian Anderson) and the internet-spawned Technical Boy (Bruce Langley), who seem to answer to the shadowy Mr World (Crispin Glover).

Shadow soon gets an third-eye opening peak behind the curtain at the inner workings of the godly realm and gradually discovers his true role in the imminent conflict, with a little help from his recently deceased and progressively decomposing wife, Laura (Emily Browning).

Will fans of the book have their prayers answered? Find out in weekly instalments from Monday on Amazon Prime Video.

:: Amazon.co.uk/primevideo