We are marking the ten-year anniversary of our American Gods collaboration with Neil Gaiman by introducing the next installment of scents inspired by his beautiful, harrowing, heart-shredding novel. It is one of my favorite books and Neil is one of my favorite humans, so this project is extremely dear to my heart.
The paradigms were shifting. He could feel it. The old world, a world of infinite vastness and illimitable resources and future, was being confronted by something else-a web of energy, of opinions, of gulfs.
People believe, thought Shadow. It’s what people do. They believe. And then they will not take responsibility for their beliefs; they conjure things, and do not trust the conjurations. People populate the darkness; with ghosts, with gods, with electrons, with tales. People imagine, and people believe: and it is that belief, that rock-solid belief, that makes things happen.
The mountaintop was an arena; he saw that immediately. And on each side of the arena he could see them arrayed.
They were too big. Everything was too big in that place.
There were old gods in that place: gods with skins the brown of old mushrooms, the pink of chicken flesh, the yellow of autumn leaves. Some were crazy and some were sane. Shadow recognized the old gods. He’d met them already, or he’d met others like them. There were ifrits and piskies, giants and dwarfs. He saw the woman he had met in the darkened bedroom in Rhode Island, saw the writhing green snake-coils of her hair. He saw Mama-ji, from the carousel, and there was blood on her hands and a smile on her face. He knew them all.
He recognized the new ones, too.
Neil Gaiman is the winner of numerous literary honors and is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, American Gods, Neverwhere, Stardust and Anansi Boys; the Sandman series of graphic novels; three short story collections and one book of essays, The View From the Cheap Seats.
Neil is the first author to win both the Carnegie Medal and the Newbery Medal for one work, The Graveyard Book. He also writes books for readers of all ages including the novels Fortunately, the Milk and Odd and the Frost Giants and picture books including The Sleeper and the Spindle and the Chu’s Day series. Neil’s most recent publication, Norse Mythology has topped bestseller lists worldwide.
Originally from England, he now lives in the USA. He is listed in the Dictionary of Literary Biography as one of the top ten living post-modern writers, and he says he owes it all to reading the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook as a young man.
This series based on Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, winner of the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, SFX Magazine and Bram Stoker Awards for Best Novel, and now a Starz television series.
Visit Neil’s official site, American Gods at Starz, and NeverWear.
Your purchase from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab will help our friends at the National Coalition Against Censorship promote and defend First Amendment rights.
Original American Gods art by Hugo-winner Julie Dillon.
PERFUME OIL BLENDS
Presented in an amber apothecary glass vial.
Because of the nature of this project, imps are not available for any American Gods scents.
ashevo –
In the bottle, chocolate chocolate chocolate, in the best way possible. On my skin, the holy grail of scents I’ve been looking for. Coffee, coriander, subtle ripe fruit, and a little tobacco. It’s *smooth*, too. Will definitely order two more bottles.
catrionaforgey1 –
In the bottle, the spice note is almost overwhelming. On my skin, though, the spice is a subtle note. Coffee and cream are the most prevalent on me, with hints of fruit and tobacco-smoke and spice. It’s a warm smell and not too sweet–cozy and a little earthy, in a way. The cream mellows out the coffee, but doesn’t make it as sweet (which was my problem with Miskatonic University: the Irish coffee scent was overpoweringly sweet, to the point I smelled nothing else in that perfume).
AEShindler –
For me this is a fantastic perfume. Wet, it smells like a confectionary shop that also sells ice cream and next door is a cafe. Then as it begins to dry African spices, fruits, and a little bit of tobacco comes out. It is definitely something you can where everyday and for me brings back fond childhood memories.
Gloame –
Okay so right away, this smells so yummy! Almost orangey, but not that overwhelming orange that always happens to me with citrus. The chocolate comes out almost immediately and it’s also super yum. The coffee’s kind of an afterthought on my skin, and I was hoping for a bit more of it. It does seem to fade within the first hour and then I can hardly find it on my skin. If you’re worried about the goat curry, don’t be! This smells delicious! Just wish it would last a bit longer on me.
Jenjin –
Expansive and bizarre, i’m getting a great big coffee note along with swisher sweets and creamy sundae notes. This smells like sitting in an ice cream parlor, eating a melty sundae while drinking coffee and someone is smoking sweet tobacco outside. It is very exotic and mysterious, all the strange notes meld together and become a magnificent incense blend that is really quite wearable like the darkest, gothic purple smoke cloak. Reminds me of a darker, dirty Dusky Shroud and the only thing the goat note adds is “delicious”
Margo –
I smell hot fudge, light fruits and toasted spice in the bottle and immediate application. The spices seem North African like cinnamon, allspice, cloves, coriander. The fruits are apricot and champagne grape, quite light. The tobacco leaf comes out on dry down. The smokiness is very light. Medium throw. This was the surprise must buy for me of the AG scents.