Anansi Boys. Illustrated Edition

by Neil Gaiman

Hardcover

English language

Published Nov. 3, 2016 by HEADLINE, imusti, Headline Publishing Group.

ISBN:: 978-1-4722-3542-8
OCLC Number:: 954224651

(17 reviews)

Anansi Boys is a fantasy novel by English writer Neil Gaiman. In the novel, "Mr. Nancy" — an incarnation of the West African trickster god Anansi — dies, leaving twin sons, who in turn discover one another's existence after being separated as young children. The novel follows their adventures as they explore their common heritage. Although it is not a sequel to Gaiman's previous novel American Gods, the character of Mr. Nancy appears in both books. Gaiman mentioned author Thorne Smith as a strong influence when writing the book; "In the back of my head, when I was writing it, I had a writer named Thorne Smith", and "...the Thorne Smith approach to books with eruptions of magic into normal lives seemed like a territory that would be worthwhile to explore." In the dedication to the novel, he also "tips his hat" to P. G. Wodehouse, Tex Avery and Zora …

9 editions

Stephanie Jane reviewed Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

A fabulous story

5 stars

Anansi Boys was chosen as the second of three group reads for January by the Proud Readers Of Great Stories group on Goodreads to which I belong. I had already loved hearing the audiobook edition, superbly narrated by Lenny Henry, a few years ago so decided to borrow my OH's ebook edition this time around. I couldn't actually remember much of the story at all which I was glad about because I couldn't spoil any surprises for myself!

Gaiman's tale, at heart, is a coming of age story of sibling rivalry where our inept hero must overcome not only his brother's suave sophistication, but also his own crises of confidence. I could empathise with Fat Charlie on so many occasions! However, this being Gaiman, he also encounters no end of fantastical and supernatural beings which are vividly described so I could easily imagine them all. These beings are inspired by ancient folk tales, 'told before people were even sung into existence'. I recognised several as Brer Rabbit tales and others from Caribbean and African literature I have read and thought this gave Gaiman's imagined world extra power. He has obviously thoroughly researched the mythology and I love how ancient stories and beliefs are woven into Fat Charlie's search. I devoured the whole book in only a couple of sittings because I was so keen to remain within its magic and to know what happens next. A fabulous story!

Rudi reviewed Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Review of 'Anansi Boys' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

"Fat Charlie" is like an Arthur Dent-character a bit more grounded in reality, while the supernatural gags in the book often reminded me of Discworld. While I really enjoyed how the book plays with folklore (like American Gods), I never really got the feeling for the characters.

Strakul reviewed Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Review of 'Anansi Boys' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This book was way better than I expected. My initial impression suffered from an unlikeable character and simplistic plot, but Gaiman is able to go with this and make you care and like it. By the end you love the characters and realize the plot was more intricate than you expected. There's also a lot of good humor throughout the book, so much so that I actually chuckled or laughed out loud several times.
I don't remember too much from [b:American Gods|4407|American Gods|Neil Gaiman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1258417001s/4407.jpg|1970226], which is set in the same universe, but I got a far better impression with this book.

For a full review: strakul.blogspot.com/2012/08/book-review-anansi-boys-by-neil-gaiman.html