8. American Gods

American Gods by Neil Gaiman gave me a very confusing crash course on folk tales and mythologies all around the world. That being said, it was a very entertaining read. The whole book was a huge commentary on American's uncaring attitude towards the magic of the world. It reminded me of Santa Claus movies where Santa loses power when people stop believing in him, because that's how this universe of folk tale characters exist. It was also slightly a story about manipulating of people and how easy it is to control what someone does by knowing what makes them tick. Another story this book reminded me of was Percy Jackson. American Gods felt more grounded though, because the main character seemed really hardened by our society.

The whole book felt like it was downward spiraling. People are slowly losing their beliefs in these titans/gods so they're turning towards drugs and sex to keep themselves happy. The book is ugly. Gaiman isn't scared to go into dark places with these characters. It makes sense since the characters all so torn. But since it was very depressing, it also had an air of nostalgia. There are several moments, specifically with the Leprechaun,  where the gods reminisce about the times in the past when they were respected and believed in by the people. Besides this, there were also several chapters that focused on stories completely separate from the main plot that mostly takes place in the past and tells of a hero/god from a foreign country.