Pena's realized that my top actually
sort of matches the cover so at long
last I have finally finished reading
American Gods by Neil Gaiman and I say
at long last and that makes us on a
catcher because it was it is very good
and that's what's upset me because I
didn't necessarily I don't want to say
enjoy reading it but it was a struggle I
did find myself getting to a point of
going oh I've got a read another chapter
I should probably get another chapter
read you know is only because it's not
really my style
that said though it's phenomenally
written the characters are so well
developed every single character in
there is totally 3d if you've got a walk
down a street you're gonna pass someone
to me I'm like well you'd pass someone
but I don't know who they are
there's enough detail in there where you
can look at these people they're walking
by us and you could totally guess where
they've been where they're going what
kind of person they are
you know the same sort of thing where if
I was to walk down a street and I try
and visually judge someone and like try
and read them just visually you could do
it if you wanted to if I'm sitting in a
coffee shop don't get me wrong I 107
people watcher come up with a little
stories of where people are out and
about where they're going what they're
doing here this sort of thing and that's
why I people watch and for some reason I
never do that in my writing I would
never ever include someone and then
people watch them to figure out why
they're there and this book does that
really well there's so many characters
there's just so many and I I don't have
I don't have a good enough memory for it
you know it you'll hear about a
character in chapter 2 and you'll get
like a full description of them let's
say it's a man in a brown top walking a
poodle then later on and I by later on I
mean like instead of is there being like
chapter 2 which is trend is one handedly
cuz you're my other hand so is everybody
Mike here is that like here and it was
suddenly mention like a man with a
poodle but won't say the brown top and
and it would be like Oh shadow
recognized the poodle instantly and I'm
like why why did you recognize the
shadow and then about four pages later
I'm like oh no there was someone earlier
that had that and I've totally forgotten
a night just cuz there's so many people
and I just can't keep up with it I think
I've said before most
that I write tend to have like a maximum
of four characters because all I can
keep the topic in my head my main issue
okay this this is this is the real the
realty on American Gods there isn't
really a plot okay it's like I haven't
seen the TV show of American Gods I
deliberately wanted to because I've had
this on my shelf for ages I don't if
you've seen my last video you'll know
that I'm a book hoarder rather than a
reader reading it I can a hundred
sensing why the TV show because what
most he leads shows are built on the
premise of is there's there's one plot
but the reason it's a TV show rather
than a film is because there's lots of
subplots so like the plot could be world
war two is gonna break out that's the
plot okay that's that's what happens
from the first chapter it sets out
there's gonna be a war and by chapter
fifty the war has begun okay now that's
the plot but to get there you may have
several subplots you might have like you
you might be one the you might be
following one the protagonist are trying
to stop the plot or and you know on the
way there might be a bomb plot that
means there's something else happens you
know in and it's that but the
overarching storyline if you if you
don't go into all the little tangents is
that there's concerns is going to be a
wall then then here's a war and that's
the plot and that's that's sort of what
American Gods is is a bit like in the
sense of in Chapter one it sets out that
this is no spoiler so that this is the
tree on the back in chapter one and the
protagonist shadow get released early
from prison because his wife dies and
mysterious car accident he then has to
board a plane to get home from prison
I never really understood why he's in a
prison so far away from his home is that
just America or is that prison in
general I barely know much about prison
yeah he's a bit confused about that part
because it was it was essentially like
he was literally like states away it was
like like if I was to put that in a UK
concept he got locked up in debt no he
he was he lives in Devon which is the
very bottom of the UK if anyone if this
is like the UK like
Devon's like down here in this corner
but for some reason they're like ah move
stick him in Scotland which is up the
top and so I don't understand what was
going on there anyway so shadow has
get a plane to go back another plane
long story short he ends up sitting next
to someone the introduce himself as mr.
Wednesday and mr. Wednesday like somehow
knows everything about shadows life and
offers him a job to work for him mr.
Wednesday claims to be a refugee from a
distant war and a former God and the
king of America okay that's that wasn't
a spoiler so mr. Wednesday says there's
been an issue with the gods of America
and he thinks there's gonna be new war
he thinks as a storm coming and he wants
shadows protection that's why he enlist
shadow right and that's the plot that's
it the plot is mr. Wednesday thinks
there's gonna be a war
what's shadow to protect him while mr.
Wednesday like goes around and gathers
his army now you could go why would you
pick shadow which is a very valid point
you do find out yeah you could say oh
isn't it interesting that you know
shadow left prison just so and mr.
Wednesday happened to be on the plane
you know like whoa like and again this
is all a dress you know but these are
all what I would consider subplots the
main plot is mr. Wednesday enlist shadow
to protect him while he prepares for war
and absolutely all that happens
disclaimer here continue watching the
video if you don't mind you're gonna get
- boilers I will not give major spoilers
so I won't ruin the experience but if
you haven't read American Gods and you
want to and you don't want any inkling
of anything that's gonna go on other
than what's on here stop watching the
video now and you can go watch my other
ones however you if you don't mind
getting a little bit of a hint as to
what goes on but I will not ruin the
ending continue watching all the bits
that sort of go on in between our very
mind is literally and I kind of think
this might been the point hence the name
but you are just shadowing shadow
mr. Wednesday go oh if a friend of mine
is in Kentucky and I need him for the
war so we're gonna go to Kentucky the
next two chapters is the car ride to
Kentucky then the second they get to
Kentucky mr. Benz is like anyway so I'm
gonna go chat with my friend Bill and
you oughta stay in the motel room and
then the next five chapters are shadow
in the motel room dealing with his his
struggle to sleep after his wife dies
and then you did that five chapters
later mr. Wednesday comes back and goes
man
so Billy Bob over there will come join
us next stops in
Milwaukie and then they go and like and
that's literally it like this it's it
gets to a point where you're like why am
i bothering to read because i know that
we're gonna get to the end of the book
and one or two things is gonna happen
it's gonna go and there was war and it
ends and you don't get the war oh and in
the last couple of chapters you're gonna
get the war and you know that either mr.
Schad mr. shadow war either mr.
wednesday or shadow are gonna die
because they're they're the protagonist
and if you're gonna have a plot at war
you know one of your protagonist is
gonna die like that
that's just given that's sort of it the
idea of like a page-turner
it is not there you get to the end of a
chapter and you go okay and you can read
the next chapter if you want but to be
honest i could have given up halfway
through and I'd still been mildly
successful because I could have given up
halfway through and gone yeah so
American Gods is about the the the
ancient gods of the world for some
reason they all moved to America and
there's old gods about like old stuff
and there's new gods about the new stuff
like technology and as they got this
like a god of media and it's got a cars
and an ounce of stuff and the new gods
think they're better than the old gods
and they want to start war that's thus
that's it I read I read American Gods
now granted anyone that had that you've
read it when you get to the end that's
not quite the plot there is a little
twist at the end but my god I wasn't
audibly gasping it wasn't like a like a
no way that totally changes my whole
concept of the book like no just like a
oh well that makes more sense and that
was really it was like then what there
was one bit I'll be honest I was more
annoyed at myself that I didn't realize
it earlier it was one of those plot
twist where like I said I feel like the
book was like oh but you didn't see that
coming
bad she already it went all that makes
sense actually why didn't ya
that's logical it was sort of about two
or three chapters where it felt a bit
like Neil Gaiman just a flick through
the early pages and when what did
Levi mansard and I should probably just
go tire up for example there's a
character that's not actually important
but is in it for a bit like it's
probably like this character probably
exists for like this chunk of the book
okay so in it for a decent chunk but in
terms of like plotline everything it's
not really an important character and so
that they exist and then it's sort of
like because like I said you you just
sort of following shadows tour of the
country shadow of shadow believes and
I've seen that character stays in their
own state and then like there's
absolutely nothing at the end at all
that means that this character needs to
suddenly exist again no reason at all
except after the entire events of this
book at the very end for some reason
shadow goes oh my god I didn't check in
on whoever I'm not giving you smaller
and I didn't check in on whoever I
should go see if they're okay and then
shadow goes back to this day sees them
sees that this person's got into a
relationship and shadow goes that's good
and then leaves again and I was like
come on Neal really like that wasn't
necessary I understand the concept of
you tying up all the loose ends at the
end of the book you know I get that but
come on Bridget it wasn't necessary you
know it it really felt like the last
chapter or two was just Neil Gaiman just
flicking through the old pages and just
going ah scope on him I'll just chuck
them in see see what I can come up with
so I'll be honest I really was actually
quite disappointed by that last little
bit not because of the the story but
just cuz it felt a bit it felt lazy
okay it I'm not lazy like the opposite
of lazy like it felt like Neil Gaiman
put too much effort when you just didn't
need to and it was it was annoying
almost and one boy is it something gods
plural you get like a brief description
of them so be like you know in walked
the Green Man and the blue lady and the
yellow scum and then at the end it's
sort of tries to tie that up again in
like an almost Alice in Wonderland II
way you know like at the end of Alice in
Wonderland right and when she's back out
of by the way I'm gonna talk about the
Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland because I
love Tim Burton and the original Disney
one is is good it is a classic I'm not
disputing it but I did prefer the Tim
Burton one summary well going that the
second one through the looking-glass bit
Pan's let's be real anyway so you know
like at the end of Alice in Wonderland
where she's back at I once sounds like a
cousin's wedding
and she starts up recognizing a few
similarities with her Wonderland friends
and real-life friends like the two twins
the sort of a bit dopey and they're like
oh my god Alice hi and she's like you
two remind me of the two funniest people
and she's not still my Tweedledee and
Tweedledum and for a moment you like as
a as a viewer sitting the gun was it is
one demanded dream and that those two
inspired those and then and then you
start seeing like like the evil one in
the corner and you're like okay and then
you see like the Dipsy one floating
around you're like hang on then you see
that and you sit then you can sort of
look through the wedding and match each
person to like their Wonderland inspired
character it felt a bit like that not in
the sense of I'm saying the it felt like
the whole thing was a dream but it felt
like at the end Neil Gaiman was like Oh
remember that one time I described that
one man that had a poodle and a brown
top well wouldn't it be very
coincidental if that one man with a
poodle brown top was actually the most
important God in the entire book but no
no it would not
that would be lazy that would be boring
and I 100% by the time I got to reading
is really important God that happens to
wear a brown shirt I have totally forgot
that at one point earlier he existed for
two seconds no I don't remember him Neil
I'm gonna leave the ramble there it's
well written I was disappointed with the
ending if you're a fan of like high
fantasy in the sense of now I haven't
seen the TV show because a good friend
of mine had said the
they were a massive fan of Game of
Thrones and apparently the last season
is that bad that they literally don't
ever want to talk about Game of Thrones
again is that it's not worth going
through all of Game of Thrones for it so
I haven't watched it however he did say
there is like one of those like you know
what the plot is and it is the phrase
that anyone can name that winter is
coming yes there's all these like sigh
things going on but the point is winter
is coming you know and I think winter
means war anyway if you're a fan about
high fantasy like that where there's one
overarching thing but you like the
little journey in the middle you will
like American Gods if you're one of
those people if you're something like me
and you are quite plot driven you like a
bit of crime you're like a thriller it's
laborious if you if you read it and you
want to read it for the writing for like
you know description and sentence
structure if you want to like study
almost then yes for an enjoyable read
maybe not but anyway there's my rant on
American Gods I'm quite tempted to
continue here clearly because I normally
like to write a review for everything
but I go onto Goodreads and write a
review for American Gods is not gonna
help Neil Gaiman
he's already massively famous like it
doesn't make a difference obviously it's
like indie work totally different I will
always write a review but for like big
things like this I don't think it's
necessary but I do enjoy the
conversation so if you guys want me to
give a little rant about what my
thoughts are on any other books um let
me know
especially if you saw the book in my
read list on my physical TBR video that
I did so you know I've already read it
that's handy you know that wants to know
I am now currently reading the lies of
Locke Lamora
I'm that far in I'll be sure to give you
a rant about it when I'm over other than
that please like comment and subscribe
