Anansi Boys

By: Neil Gaiman

Narrated by: Lenny Henry

Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

God is dead. Meet the kids.

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 best seller 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."

©2005 Neil Gaiman (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

• Locus Award, 2006
  
• Alex Award, 2006

" "Excellent." (Stephen King)
"It's Gaiman's focus on Charlie and Charlie's attempts to return to normalcy that make the story so winning...along with gleeful, hurtling prose." (Publishers Weekly)

I wholeheartedly recomend this book.

This is one of my favorite books. I read it a long time ago and loved it and now I had such a good time hearing it. The audio is wonderful.
I wholeheartedly recomend reading or listening to this book hope you have as much fun as I did...

Amazing!

This is now my second audible by this author and I am officially now a fan! Everything about this was phenomenal. The writing and the story, the narration was top-notch, and this was extremely engrossing. An audible page turner!

Great except the music

It would have been full stars but audible feels it important in several new texts to intersperse music oddly throughout the books. It takes me out of the space. Stahhppp!

Best narrator ever!

Neil Gaiman is my favorite storyteller so of course I loved this amazing story but I was overjoyed with the voice telling the story! Thank you Lenny Henry!

What a pleasant surprise

I did not know what to expect as I have not read any of Neil Gaiman’s previous works. The story is so colorful and the way Gaiman balances fantasy and real life is truly a masterful treat. I enjoyed the story and the narration equally and I am looking forward to reading and/or listening to more Neil Gaiman in the future.

Incredible!!

A masterful narrative written by a treasured storyteller! Enjoyed the twists and turns that the story took, as well as the allusions of o American Gods that would make this another well-written sequel.

Transported

Neil Gaiman paints a dreamscape so imaginative as to transport reader to another dimension.
And the performance! Hard to understand how one person can do so many voices & accents, so convincingly that I never forgot who was speaking… I think that would have been difficult w the written version.
I loved the ending that wrapped up so many details & left me content.

Fantastic story telling.

I am sorry to say thst I only recently stumbled upon the works of Neil Gaiman though the HBO series American Gods and a NYT article. I am now racing though his books. Anansi Boys is a gem!

Great story

I enjoyed this book. The performance was wonderful and the story was great. It’s an easy listen.

One of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to

Would you consider the audio edition of Anansi Boys to be better than the print version?
Yes, though it's hard to make a true comparison. I read the book in print when it first came out, and it didn't grab me the way that Neverwhere and American Gods did. Unfortunately, it was long enough ago that I don't have a clear memory of what it was that I didn't like. I think I found it confusing and not as interesting as Gaiman's other books. Listening to it now, 12 years later, I had no trouble following the story and really enjoying all of the characters and the plot. It may be partly time & experience lending a hand, but Lenny Henry's narration certainly played a part.

What did you like best about this story?
The characters are so interesting. Dealing with gods, especially a trickster, leads to a lot of humor and relatable frustration and confusion on the part of the main character.

Which character – as performed by Lenny Henry – was your favorite?
So difficult to choose. Lenny Henry did an amazing job distinguishing the characters by the voices and/or accents used. It's probably a tie between Mrs. Higgler & Grahame Coats.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Definitely. I started listening to it on a long drive (about 4 hours), and I didn't want to stop when I arrived at my destination.

Any additional comments?
There was only 1 thing I disliked in the story, and that was how Spider tricked Rosie into thinking he was Charlie & the ramifications of that. I don't want to include spoilers in this review, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm surprised that a writer as thoughtful and intelligent as Mr. Gaiman wouldn't see the implications of Spider's actions and not address them more strongly. But then I don't remember feeling this way 12 years ago when I first read the book. Who knows? We live & learn.

In conclusion, I am a fan of Neil Gaiman's books, but I didn't really love Anansi Boys until I heard Lenny Henry's narration. I had wanted to reread it because I hadn't read it since it came out. The main reason I bought the audiobook for my reread was the narrator. He is such a great actor & comedian (Chef was hilarious). I listened to the sample & was hooked.


Overall, I highly recommend this audiobook.