Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Recognizable Gaiman: weird, inventive, creepy, creative fantasy. This is an entertaining sequel to American Gods, which I thoroughly disliked, but I did not realize it until I was well into the audio version, performed by British stand-up comedian Lenny Henry whose deep rich voice and character comedy is absolutely perfect for this novel. It's clever, it's funny, it draws on a lot of African/Caribbean mythology, specifically that of the trickster spider god Anansi (introduced in American Gods). Henry's voices are brilliant (especially the old Caribbean women) and he had me literally smiling nearly all the way through the story. Actually, if it weren't for the audio I'd have to say that I probably would only give this novel 1 star. Book is way too long imho. Gaiman is a fine story teller, but his tales are all the same. I'd like to see him apply his talents to a new repertoire /genre of stories.

View all my reviews