from Jordan:

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman is not an actual sequel to American Gods, but it is a story that takes place after American Gods' events and in the same fictional universe, so to speak.

Anansi, a trickster spider god of stories, comes from a god in West African folklore. In American Gods, he was a scene-stealing minor character. Perhaps surprisingly given that the book’s title contains his namesake, he doesn’t appear in many of the scenes. Instead, the story is about his sons coming to terms with his death and bonding as brothers, one of them, Fat Charlie, is a nervous, self-conscious man working as an accountant at a talent management firm in London. The other, Spider, is capricious and impulsive who gets by on his wits and indulgences.

For those that have read American Gods, be prepared for the fact that this book is tonally very different. There’s significantly more humor here, but also more emotional resonance. Its humor is in the vein of some British sitcoms, heavy on awkward situations, wordplay, and the like.

This is the second time I’ve read the book, though the first was many years ago when it was first released. I had the same problem as I did the first time: the initial build-up of the book is slow. It is, however, a short book so you don’t have to wait too long. If you can muster through that first little bit, it becomes a very rewarding journey. ( )

I can see the appeal for the book, it has the makings of a lot of popular contemporary books. The witty punchlines, the popular culture references, the relatable characters. The story is about Anansi reincarnated and his sons. The book is not spectacular but also not horrid. ( )

Neil Gaiman truly creates pure chaos when it comes to his novels. I loved going back into the American Gods universe. Now while I enjoyed this book, American Gods is still by far my personal favorite. The antics of Spider and Fat Charlie were so hilarious. This just made me crave to go back to Shadow and the antics of the old and new gods. I highly recommend. ( )

Brilliant! ( )

O clássico de Neil Gaiman relançado agora com conteúdo extra Charlie Nancy tem uma vida pacata e um emprego entediante em Londres. A pedido da noiva, ele concorda em convidar o pai para seu casamento e fazer uma tentativa de reaproximação, já que há vinte anos os dois não se falam. Enquanto isso, no palco de um karaokê na Flórida, o pai de Charlie tem um ataque cardíaco fulminante. A viagem de Charlie até os Estados Unidos para o funeral acaba se tornando a jornada de uma nova vida. Charlie não tinha ideia de que o pai era um deus. Menos ainda de que ele próprio tinha um irmão. Agora sua vida vai ficar mais interessante... e bem mais perigosa. Embrenhando-se no território de lendas e deuses pagãos, a poderosa narrativa de Neil Gaiman leva o leitor a mergulhar nessa história fantástica e bem-humorada sobre relações familiares, profecias terríveis, divindades vingativas e aves muito malignas. Os filhos de Anansi inaugura os relançamentos dos romances clássicos de Neil Gaiman pela Intrínseca.

Disclaimer: the pleasure of reading this story comes from knowing the Anansi stories as a child. Gaiman attempts to weave a contemporary tale of myth-cum-adventure which includes a journey to the land of the original animals and a confrontation with a vile boss who takes on the spirit of a Tiger. The character of Spider was energetic, yet exhausting. Gaiman brings everyone together in a fun finale. In sum, a fun read. ( )

Was für ein wunder-wunderbares Buch! Grandios gelesen von Stefan Kaminski. Ich würde am liebsten direkt wieder von vorne anfangen... ( )

This was a fantastic book. A lot of it reminded me of Douglas Adams, which is always a good thing, but it also had an interesting plot and pulled off a fantastic style. Perhaps the most impressive thing about this book is that it seamlessly shifts between viewpoints all the time, but all of the characters are interesting enough that I wasn't left disappointed when the focus shifted. Also, it was fast paced and every character's section was relatively short and closely integrated with the others so they all held my attention very well. I pretty much read it in one sitting. ( )

I love the unflappability of British protagonists! No matter what you throw at them, they just "keep calm and carry on" - which is how our protagonist Charlie Nancy mostly reacts upon discovering, well into his young adulthood, that (1) his father was a god (Anansi, the notorious trickster spider god), (2) the old ladies next door are witches, and (3) he has a godlike twin brother that he never knew about ... until, that is, said brother starts taking certain inexcusable liberties with Charlie's home, his job, and his fiancé.

In this tale, Anansi is one of a pantheon of ancient animalistic gods who can appear in either animal or human form. While anthropologists would argue that we humans create gods in our image, Gaiman posits a world in which human culture is shaped by the gods whose stories we humans choose to tell. Thus a culture infused with Tiger stories becomes violent and predatory; a culture infused with Anansi stories becomes brash and playful.

The dramatic tension in the story comes from whether Tiger or Anansi will prevail in each of the storylines that artfully intersect along the way: will Charlie overcome his natural timidity and embrace his inner Anansi? Will Charlie's humorously villainous boss receive his comeuppance? Will love be enough to reign in the amoral excesses of Charlie's bro Spider? Will Charlie's fiancé Rosie find balance her relationship with her ferocious mother? Will Charlie be able to forgive Anansi for his many excesses and eccentricities as a father? Will Charlie and Spider reconcile?

Gaiman's infused all of this with lovely island overtones by casting the main characters (including Anansi) as Barbadian Brits, even arranging for the denouement to take place on the Barbadian island of St. Andrews. Not only does this add color to the narrative (his old lady neighbors are constantly referencing Barbadian foods, traditions, and beliefs) but it reinforces the magical realism of the text by infusing the story with a culture known for its fanciful mythology and rich storytelling tradition.

Add to this auspicious combination a cast of wonderfully eccentric characters (including a quartet of crotchety old ladies, a creepy birdwoman, a cliche-spouting baddie, and a duppy/ghost), some deliciously theatrical imagery (especially Charlie's trips into "god world") and Gaiman's characteristic wit, blend well, and enjoy this confection of a tale in which good triumphs over evil, Charlie finds his groove, and karaoke saves the world. What fun! ( )

This has been around the house for years, I just picked it up and started reading a couple of days ago-- now finished. I really liked it-- the slow realization of what happened in their youth, the growth of both, the just desserts for their oppressors. ( )

Most enjoyable continuation of the "American Gods" premise.
[Audiobook note: This is read by Lenny Henry, who was the star of the BBC show "Chef". He does a wonderful job.] ( )

I was a bit disappointed with this one. It was charming, like all the Gaiman books I've read, but it felt like it was missing a sort of narrative drive. Even American Gods, whose main character is nightmarishly passive, manages to make the story feel like it's evolving and substantial, but I felt like we were lollygagging here. ( )

I was expecting this book to be a lot like American Gods. I wanted to read more about Mr. Nancy's (character from American Gods) antics in the book but, it had absolutely nothing to do with that book. It was so much fun to check out the tv show after reading that book, I can only imagine how much fun it will be to watch Anansi Boys when it drops on Amazon prime in the coming few years.

It is about Mr.Nancy's offspring and whatever craziness and zaniness they get up to after their meeting. Extremely funny at times and engaging once you get into it, which will most likely be the first 10 pages, it was for me. The two main characters are Fat "Charlie" Nancy and Spider, oh boy , does it go haywire right after their "chance" (haha) encounter. They get into all sorts of situations, as you can imagine, which helps the book move along at lightening speed and keeps you intrigued right till the very end.

Anansi boys was completely different to American Gods. The two cannot be compared. I enjoyed both equally. It is a much much easier read than American Gods, thats for sure. ( )

It takes a little while to get into the book, but once you get into the meat of it, you just have to find out what happens to the main character "Fat Charlie." Charlie's life just changed for boringly normal and quiet to a whirlwind ride. Not only does his father, whom he wasn't all that close to, die, but he finds out that he also has a long lost brother! Enter all of the other main characters off on their own tangents and the story soon spins into a web that mirrors the character that the book is really about. Good reading, if a little slow to start. ( )

Let no one say that Neil Gaiman is not the king of urban fantasy. Certainly, Anansi Boys does nothing to bring his title under dispute; however, as a fan of American Gods, I found myself missing the darker, grittier tone of the latter. Anansi Boys is excellent, but will not meet the expectations of readers looking for American Gods redux. ( )

I love this audiobook. Lenny Henry, the story, the characters, all of it. My third listen and still discovered some things I had previously missed. ( )

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Neil Gaiman, and have greatly enjoyed his short stories and graphic novel work. I've had a harder time getting into his novels, though. His writing has what in my mind is a very British quality to it, in that the characters often come across as more whimsical caricatures than real people. I find them amusing for a short while, but have a hard time investing enough emotionally to be carried through a longer tale.

All this is just to qualify why I didn't like this book more than I did ... but I did like it quite a bit. While Anansi Boys does, at some points, fail to grip me the way I would hope, in just as many cases it was very successful. More than simply having things work out by the end, I feel like the primary characters have learned something valuable, that they have truly evolved in the course of the narrative, and done so in a believable way. For me, this is a fundamental quality of good fiction, and the fact that Anansi Boys succeeds here is why, by a large margin, it is my favorite Gaiman novel so far. ( )

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Neil Gaiman, and have greatly enjoyed his short stories and graphic novel work. I've had a harder time getting into his novels, though. His writing has what in my mind is a very British quality to it, in that the characters often come across as more whimsical caricatures than real people. I find them amusing for a short while, but have a hard time investing enough emotionally to be carried through a longer tale.

All this is just to qualify why I didn't like this book more than I did ... but I did like it quite a bit. While Anansi Boys does, at some points, fail to grip me the way I would hope, in just as many cases it was very successful. More than simply having things work out by the end, I feel like the primary characters have learned something valuable, that they have truly evolved in the course of the narrative, and done so in a believable way. For me, this is a fundamental quality of good fiction, and the fact that Anansi Boys succeeds here is why, by a large margin, it is my favorite Gaiman novel so far. ( )

Anansi Boys was a fun read, as expected. I liked it a lot and would definitely recommend it. It's lighter in tone compared to American Gods, and I would define the plot as being Fat Charlie's journey from being a nobody to becoming a somebody without really becoming anybody, but being content with it. That probably doesn't make a lot of sense, but that's what I'm sticking with.

Characters are delightfully quirky, but a little bit lacking in depth. Even so, there is enough there to empathize with the main character. His brother Spider is a dangerous kind of charmer, but he learns things, and offsetting him against Charlie is a dynamic that works.

Okay, I'm done. Read it if you're looking for something light and fun... Well, there are some terrible things that happen in it, but overall light and fun. ( )

Upon his father's death Fat Charlie Nancy learns he has a brother and following the seemingly nonsensical advice of an old friend of his parents asks a spider to tell his brother to get in touch. And the brother, Spider does. And Fat Charlie's life gets very much more interesting than he likes. ( )

Liked it even more than American Gods ( )

An enjoyable read, a smaller story than American Gods, with a mix of British and American culture. ( )

I had never previously read anything by Neil Gaiman but had heard his books were distinctive. After reading Anansi Boys, I wholeheartedly agree. Based on Caribbean folklore, this book is a fantasy fable about two sons of the god, Anansi, one of which is unsure of himself and easily embarrassed while the other is self-confident, mischievous, and irresponsible. The two were previously unaware of each other, and as they get acquainted their lives become an adventure. It’s a fantasy set partially in the real-world and partially in another realm. There appear to be no boundaries as to what may happen. Humor is sprinkled throughout and offsets some of the darker segments. Themes include good vs. evil, the power of storytelling, and development of hidden talents. I found myself reading it as if it were a stage play. Recommended to anyone interested in imaginative stories, fantasies, fables, or myths. I found it unusual, extremely creative, and very entertaining. ( )

This is not as good as American Gods; it's a sort of prequel to that book. Still, Gaiman delivers another entertaining read. ( )

I liked this better than American Gods. ( )