Helpful Score: 5
Modern fantasy book about Fat Charlie Nancy--who is not fat, but was so named by his now-deceased father. After his father's funeral, Charlie finds out that his father was actually a god, the trickster spider god Anansi. Not only that, Charlie learns he has a brother who is a demi-god. Spider comes into his life a few days later and Charlie begins to kick himself for ever being curious about him. In a few short days, Spider has gotten him in trouble at work, hauled in by the police, and has stolen his fiancee. I loved this book! Gaiman has such a creative spirit and a wicked, wacky sense of humor that comes through all throughout the book. A funny story that disguises real life lessons and deep things to think about in the humor and ridiculous imagery. A-plus!
Helpful Score: 5
Another short and simple fairy tale along the mode of Stardust. I consider Gaiman's best novel to be American Gods and this semi-sequel (really more like a spin-off) shows his ingenuity. But his "fantasy world living along side the real world" is starting to wear a bit. His true talent is in short fiction and of course, his masterpiece, The Sandman. But he does need to expand on his plots. But, if your a fan, you could do a lot worse.
Helpful Score: 3
it was good, but like a spin-off of American Gods somehow. I don't think that it was as "deep," thought provoking, or simply as good as some of his other stuff and it was a quick read. Still worth reading though.
Helpful Score: 3
I love Neil Gaiman's sense of humor. He has a special way of pulling a reader into his stories. This story was well written, perhaps a bit more far fetched than a typical fantasy/paranormal story, but full of humor, off humor, irony and emotional perspective.
This book isn't for everyone, but I recommend it.
This book isn't for everyone, but I recommend it.
Helpful Score: 2
I don't think I liked this one as much as American Gods... there seemed to be so much more going on under the surface in that one. Still, it was an interesting story nonetheless, even though it couldn't live up to it's predecessor. I found I didn't really endear myself to any of the characters: Spider was annoying and stuck on himself, Fat Charlie was a pathetic loser (until the end when he found his true self). I know I've felt the same way about characters in some of Gaiman's other books though, so that doesn't necessarily make them not a good book, just perhaps not as touching if it doesn't speak to a certain part of me....
Helpful Score: 2
Funny, touching, and a little bit of a thriller. Well written and a rewarding read.
Helpful Score: 2
Unique, well written, suspenseful - definitely enjoyed it!
Helpful Score: 2
I absolutley loved this book. It was an interesting story, great plot and characters. It's also loosely related to American Gods, which I also highly recommend!
Helpful Score: 2
This was so different! I love mythology and this author was very imaginative.
Helpful Score: 2
A wonderful story about Charlie Nancy, who finds out he is the son of a god, Anansi, and meets his brother Spider. Extremely enjoyable, lots of humorous touches.
Helpful Score: 1
The dynamic duo, Fat Charley and Spider, take on the ancient gods and that evil-doer Grahame Coats with a little help from their deceased father.
Helpful Score: 1
Very creative and very funny with likable characters!
When I first picked up this book I was expecting a beach read kind-of-thing. I immediatly got into it after a couple chapters and could not set it down. The book was so much more then I had expected. It is funny and entertaining. I would definatly reccomend it to a person of any age.
Helpful Score: 1
First rate fantasy about a guy whose Dad was a God
Helpful Score: 1
When my daughter in law put this book on the CD player in the car, I thought oh my gosh. Do I have to listen to this for the next 5 hours? However, within 5 minutes I was caught up in the story of Fat Charlie and his cronies. From that moment on I was hooked. This book is funny, sad, laugh out loud hilarious and at times touching. I enjoyed it so much I have ordered another Neil Gaiman book, "Good Omens", which I have been told is a hoot all the way through. Good author, funny books.
Helpful Score: 1
Great read! Humor, a little fantasy, and a coupla scary parts!! This may look like a youth's novel, but as an adult I throughly enjoyed it!!
Helpful Score: 1
An interesting exploration of family relations and how we identify ourselves. Through Neil Gaiman's unique perspectives, we see the world as it might be, with the magic and mundane, ordinary and extraordinary meshed together in a perfectly believable fiction.
Helpful Score: 1
This quirky story swept me up. I love the nods to mythology, and the characters intrigued me and kept me wanting to know more. Very well done, and enjoyable read.
Helpful Score: 1
Fantastic book in the Gaiman tradition follows an everyday man who finds out unexpectedly that he is in the lineage of a line of supernatural dieties; unfortunately his before-unmet brother got all the powers, and abuses them to his advantage.
Helpful Score: 1
The usual wit and style you'd expect from this author. A wonderful retelling of many old tales wrapped up in a brand new adventure!
Helpful Score: 1
Delightful Gaiman romp through a re-imagining of the Anansi tale. Good first foray into the brilliance that is Neil Gaiman.
Helpful Score: 1
Fantastic! Once again, Neil Gaiman did not disappoint me.
Helpful Score: 1
Great book - unusual story. Once I started this book I couldn't put it down. Well worth the read!
Helpful Score: 1
not really a page turner like "American Gods" but definitely worth a look for a light summer read.
I got this book shortly after it came out, but I think I waited so long to get around to reading it because I had heard it described as a "companion piece" to 'American Gods' - and that book was, unfortunately, probably my least favorite of Gaiman's works.
Happily (for me), I didn't find the tone of this book to be similar at all. It's a very clever, funny book - with serious ideas thrown into the mix. Stylistically, as well as in its sense of humor, it reminded me more of Terry Pratchett than anything else Gaiman has done [with, of course, the exception of Good Omens ;-) ].
Happily (for me), I didn't find the tone of this book to be similar at all. It's a very clever, funny book - with serious ideas thrown into the mix. Stylistically, as well as in its sense of humor, it reminded me more of Terry Pratchett than anything else Gaiman has done [with, of course, the exception of Good Omens ;-) ].
A perfect example of an "enjoyable read", this book keeps you entertained throughout. A bit of magic, a bit of fantasy, and a bit of humor all come together in this clever take on life...and an ornery boy.
Very creative, well weaved story. This would make a fun movie.
If you love Neil Gaiman, you will love this story. He has a distinct writing style that makes you feel like you're talking to your friend who is hilarious and strange but you love them anyway. Gaiman has the power to write fantasy stories that take place in our modern world but seem plausible. I loved it!
Not as amazing as Gaiman's other works. But Neil Gaiman at his worst is still far more amazing than %99.9 percent of other authors out there.
A very different tale, told in Gaiman fashion. That really is the only downside to this book. Gaiman is very verbose and while it is cute to an extent but after a while, it can get on your nerves. (It got on mine around pg 430 or so.) That being said, if you are a Gaiman fan, I would say that it is one of his best stories, creative, and comical. :-)
awesome awesome book, love Anasi the spider stories!
Good Book. If you like American Gods, you will like this one as well.
From Amazon:
Fat Charlie Nancy leads a normal, boring existence in London. However, when he calls the U.S. to invite his estranged father to his wedding, he learns that the man just died. After jetting off to Florida for the funeral, Charlie not only discovers a brother he didn't know he had, but also learns that his father was the West African trickster god, Anansi. Charlie's brother, who possesses his own magical powers, later visits him at home and spins Charlie's life out of control, getting him fired, sleeping with his fiancée, and even getting him arrested for a white-collar crime. Charlie fights back with assistance from other gods, and that's when the real trouble begins. They lead the brothers into adventures that are at times scary or downright hysterical. At first Charlie is overwhelmed by this new world, but he is Anansi's son and shows just as much flair for trickery as his brother. With its quirky, inventive fantasy, this is a real treat for Gaiman's fans. Here, he writes with a fuller sense of character. Focusing on a smaller cast gives him the room to breathe life into these figures. Anansi is also a story about fathers, sons, and brothers and how difficult it can be to get along even when they are so similar. Darkly funny and heartwarming to the end, this book is an addictive read not easily forgotten.
Fat Charlie Nancy leads a normal, boring existence in London. However, when he calls the U.S. to invite his estranged father to his wedding, he learns that the man just died. After jetting off to Florida for the funeral, Charlie not only discovers a brother he didn't know he had, but also learns that his father was the West African trickster god, Anansi. Charlie's brother, who possesses his own magical powers, later visits him at home and spins Charlie's life out of control, getting him fired, sleeping with his fiancée, and even getting him arrested for a white-collar crime. Charlie fights back with assistance from other gods, and that's when the real trouble begins. They lead the brothers into adventures that are at times scary or downright hysterical. At first Charlie is overwhelmed by this new world, but he is Anansi's son and shows just as much flair for trickery as his brother. With its quirky, inventive fantasy, this is a real treat for Gaiman's fans. Here, he writes with a fuller sense of character. Focusing on a smaller cast gives him the room to breathe life into these figures. Anansi is also a story about fathers, sons, and brothers and how difficult it can be to get along even when they are so similar. Darkly funny and heartwarming to the end, this book is an addictive read not easily forgotten.
I enjoyed it because I love mythology, and even my 13 year old son read it and liked it. He was allowed to do a book report on it.
This book is slow to get started, but once it does, watch out! This was my first foray into Gaiman's fiction and it was so satisfying that I've read several others since.
This book is much better if you've read American Gods first! If you've read a lot of fantasy, the plot is rather thin and easily guessed. Definitely middle-of-the-road.
I adore Gaiman, but this is not one of my favorites.
really a good, fun read. a great companion piece to "american gods." also a really fun thing to read a book where the default race is black and only white people are noted.
the sequel to American Gods. I love Neil Gaiman, and this book was awesome, but not QUITE as awesome as its predecessor. Still a fun read for fans of the author/genre.
Ok. This book made me a Neil Gaiman fan! It is spectacular. It was crafty and hilarious. If you get a chance to listen to the audio version by Lenny Henry, I highly recommend it.
"Anansi Boys" is a brilliantly hilarious story of what happens when your father happens to be the trickster god Anansi, and he dies suddenly, leaving you even more embarrassed than ever, just in time for the brother you never met to come crashing into your life and make it even worse.
"Anansi Boys" is related to Gaiman's earlier novel "American Gods" ... and if you thought Odin was a treat, Anansi is light years funnier.)
In "Anansi Boys," the characters are so engaging and real that I was cracking up at the misfortune and bad luck Fat Charlie had to be the son of Anansi.
"Anansi Boys" is related to Gaiman's earlier novel "American Gods" ... and if you thought Odin was a treat, Anansi is light years funnier.)
In "Anansi Boys," the characters are so engaging and real that I was cracking up at the misfortune and bad luck Fat Charlie had to be the son of Anansi.
Fat Charlie was dubbed so by his dad when just a chubby child. Unfortunately, even though he shed the pounds the name stuck. Many years later Fat Charlie is living an unremarkable life, with a crappy job and a girlfriend who insists on making him "wait until marriage". When Charlie's dad dies he learns some amazingly unbelieveable things and his boring life is forever changed.
This one has a lot of wit and was just offbeat enough to hold my attention. Charlie is an every-guy sort of character who is easy to like as he bumbles his way through some very odd changes in his life. The book is populated with interesting people and takes a lot of twists and turns that aren't expected. Gaiman wrote it and it reads like a twisted fairy-tale so how can you go wrong with that?
This one has a lot of wit and was just offbeat enough to hold my attention. Charlie is an every-guy sort of character who is easy to like as he bumbles his way through some very odd changes in his life. The book is populated with interesting people and takes a lot of twists and turns that aren't expected. Gaiman wrote it and it reads like a twisted fairy-tale so how can you go wrong with that?
I was interested in reading one of Neil Gaiman's books after having read "Good Omens," which he co-authored with Terry Pratchett. I like Gaiman's writing style and the story was interesting. I enjoyed the book, but not really enough to read it again.
Amazingly funny story about family, life and a little magic!
A thoroughly entertaining book. I look forward to seeing how it translates to film.
Neil Gaiman writes an imaginative book sparked by the Anansi tales. Fat Charlie learns that his father -- who dropped dead on a karaoke stage surrounded by blonde tourists -- was actually a God. He finds out he has a brother he never knew about who inherited all the God gifts. Charlie tells a spider to send a message to his brother to drop by sometime. What will happen when Charlie's fiancee Rosie meets Spider? Why is Rosie's mom suddenly in favor of the marriage? And where does Daisy fit into all this? Why (and who) sent his brother away in the first place?
A tall tale by his author with a VERY vivid imagination. Lots of interesting characters and a story to keep you guessing to the end.
Easy read, fun story.
It was cute. It's no American Gods...but it didn't actually annoy me, so I enjoyed it. He seems in this one to have fallen pray to the British predilection to cute, sappy endings. Like that Prachet guy. Don't they realize that life can only end in disaster? Still, it as a magic book, and those are good.
From Publishers Weekly: "Starred Review. If readers found the Sandman series creator's last novel, American Gods, hard to classify, they will be equally nonplussedand equally entertainedby this brilliant mingling of the mundane and the fantastic. "Fat Charlie" Nancy leads a life of comfortable workaholism in London, with a stressful agenting job he doesn't much like, and a pleasant fiancée, Rosie. When Charlie learns of the death of his estranged father in Florida, he attends the funeral and learns two facts that turn his well-ordered existence upside-down: that his father was a human form of Anansi, the African trickster god, and that he has a brother, Spider, who has inherited some of their father's godlike abilities. Spider comes to visit Charlie and gets him fired from his job, steals his fiancée, and is instrumental in having him arrested for embezzlement and suspected of murder. When Charlie resorts to magic to get rid of Spider, who's selfish and unthinking rather than evil, things begin to go very badly for just about everyone. Other charactersincluding Charlie's malevolent boss, Grahame Coats ("an albino ferret in an expensive suit"), witches, police and some of the folk from American Godsare expertly woven into Gaiman's rich myth, which plays off the African folk tales in which Anansi stars. But it's Gaiman's focus on Charlie and Charlie's attempts to return to normalcy that make the story so winningalong with gleeful, hurtling prose." Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
I have read and liked Gaiman's books before, but reading both this and his more recent 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' made me wonder if I would like them if I read them again. In this book, there is not a single character with depth. Everyone is either a collection of a few memorable and quirky traits or a caricature. As for the story, it is about believing in yourself. No, seriously. Add in a few magical hijinks, one or two attempts at dramatic scenes, some extraordinary coincidences essential to the plot, and there you have the book. I could see what Gaiman was going for, but for me this book fell flat.
Side note: Really, a fedora is the symbol of being cool and carefree?
Side note: Really, a fedora is the symbol of being cool and carefree?
Horrible. I hated it so much that I stopped reading it like halfway through.
When average Joe meets his brother, who is a God, there's bound to be a little sibling rivelry and some love triangles.
Neil Gaiman is so much fun to read. This book is a great way to spend a few hours in the company of a master story-teller. I certainly wish I had his imagination and talent.
Please see my review here
Remainder book. Black mark on bottom pages.
