World Famous Comics: Anansi Boys: A Novel (Alex Awards (Awards))
Anansi Boys: A Novel (Alex Awards (Awards))
By: Neil Gaiman Publisher: Morrow Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Format: Bargain Price Label: Morrow Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 352 Publication Date: September 20, 2005
When Fat Charlie's dad named something, it stuck. Like calling Fat Charlie "Fat Charlie." Even now, twenty years later, Charlie Nancy can't shake that name, one of the many embarrassing "gifts" his father bestowed -- before he dropped dead on a karaoke stage and ruined Fat Charlie's life.
Mr. Nancy left Fat Charlie things. Things like the tall, good-looking stranger who appears on Charlie's doorstep, who appears to be the brother he never knew. A brother as different from Charlie as night is from day, a brother who's going to show Charlie how to lighten up and have a little fun ... just like Dear Old Dad. And all of a sudden, life starts getting very interesting for Fat Charlie.
Because, you see, Charlie's dad wasn't just any dad. He was Anansi, a trickster god, the spider-god. Anansi is the spirit of rebellion, able to overturn the social order, create wealth out of thin air, and baffle the devil. Some said he could cheat even Death himself.
Returning to the territory he so brilliantly explored in his masterful New York Times bestseller, American Gods, the incomparable Neil Gaiman offers up a work of dazzling ingenuity, a kaleidoscopic journey deep into myth that is at once startling, terrifying, exhilarating, and fiercely funny -- a true wonder of a novel that confirms Stephen King's glowing assessment of the author as "a treasure-house of story, and we are lucky to have him."
A good read, but not quite as great as Neverwhere I read Neverwhere before digging into Anansi Brothers. The two books have different settings, but reside firmly within the realm of fantasy. The story is beguiling, especially in the beginning, but flags toward the end of the novel. I think the pacing is a tad slow toward the middle of the book, and some descriptions of characters feel repetative. However, Gaiman does masterfully tie together all the tails woven throughout the story in the end. Neverwhere is a better story, but Anansi Brothers isn't bad.
Good - but not great Having been recently introduced to Neil Gaiman through _American Gods_, I just HAD to read _Anansi Boys_. Perhaps it was because I was so impressed with _American Gods_ and the high bar Gaiman has set for himself as a result, that I was less impressed by _Anansi Boys_.
The first quarter of the book was difficult to get into - I missed the wit and humour of Gaiman, and the plot was slow to develop. However, once the "boys" (from the title - I don't want to spoil the story) get together and the mischief for which Anansi is so well known begins to happen, the magic of Gaiman's storytelling shows through. Were it not for the slow start, the book would certainly warrant five stars; as another reviewer remarked, if the book were written by another author, perhaps I would be more forgiving and award it five. As it is, Gaiman is a victim of his own brilliance in this case, hence the four.
I do recommend the book - the anecdotes and wit that Gaiman is so well-known for is here, as is his unique ability to weave mythology with reality. Still, _Anansi Boys) isn't Gaiman's best work by far.
Great, as always Want good reading? Neil Gaiman's your man. Unfortunately, now that I've read Anansi Boys, I've read all of his books. I guess I'll have to work on my Sandman collection -- "Collection" being my way of saying "I have two of the books and maybe I can buy more someday!" I like "collection" better.
Gaiman has become one of my very favorite authors over the last year or two. I loved Good Omens and American Gods, which were the first two books of his I read; when I found The Sandman I was even more impressed. Now that I've read Neverwhere, Stardust, Smoke and Mirrors and now, Anansi Boys, I think I can safely say that he's become one of my heroes. He has this amazing ability to inspire me, since I enjoy everything about his books: his humor, the characters, the themes and the concepts.
Anansi Boys was as good as the rest. It's the story of the son of Anansi the Spider living in modern day England. Anansi dies, and his son, Fat Charlie Nancy, discovers that he has a brother that he didn't know about; wackiness ensues, along with some rather spooky bits and some really interesting thoughts about the power of storytelling. One of the big themes of the book is how much our stories influence our lives; Anansi owns all the stories, they say, because he stole, bought, and earned them from Tiger, who had them before the Spider came. When the Tiger had all the stories, they were all about savagery and bloodshed and being the strongest and fiercest, because that is what Tiger is; it was Anansi that made the stories focus on cleverness and fun, on getting the greatest reward for the least effort by using your brain. Because the stories focused on cleverness, that became the favored attribute in the world that told those stories; Anansi's stories were what made people grow and evolve, and use their minds to become more than animals.
So stories are what make us human, and what make us what we are. I like that. I wonder just how much of me comes from the first stories I learned, the books I read that stuck with me -- like Tolkien and Sherlock Holmes and Poe and Dr. Seuss and King Arthur. And Harriet the Spy and Alvin's Secret Code. I think the answer to that is: quite a lot. I think how different I might be if my first important stories had been about athletes, or rock stars, or war heroes.
Anyway, I loved the book, very funny and thoughtful.
A good read The might be the most tightly plotted of all Gaiman's work. It was a pleasure to read, with the right blend of humor and gothic horror. He also did a fine job of making each character strong and unique.
Gaiman's best work is always so flawed; he can create a dream world but has trouble controlling it. He can be sloppy. Anansi Boys is less dream-like, and more grounded in reality (or rather, Gaiman's magic alternate reality) than Sandman and Neverwhere - and it's a stronger work for it.
Funtastic!! An abso-tively must read book. ;) I can't express how much I found this story refreshing. I love the writing style and the characters are just absolutely hilarious but in a way that makes you empathize with them all the more. I'm looking forward to picking up everything by this author. An incredible writer with a very fluid style I would love to see more of.
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