Anansi Boys

By: Neil Gaiman

Narrated by: Lenny Henry

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

A darkly comic family fable and companion novel to American Gods.

THE NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER AND COMPANION NOVEL TO AMERICAN GODS.

Everything changes for Fat Charlie Nancy, the South London boy so called by his father, the day his dad drops dead while doing karaoke.

Charlie didn't know his estranged father was a god - Anansi the trickster, master of mischief and social disorder. He never knew he had a brother either.

Now brother Spider is on his doorstep, about to make life more interesting...and a lot more dangerous. It's a meeting that will take Fat Charlie from his London home to Florida, the Caribbean, and the very beginning of the world itself. Or the end of the world, depending on which way you're looking.

NEIL GAIMAN.

WITH STORIES COME POSSIBILITIES.

©2005 Neil Gaiman (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

Critic reviews

"A warm, funny, immensely entertaining story...Anansi Boys combines the anarchy of Douglas Adams with a Wodehousian generosity of spirit." (Susanna Clarke)
"Lenny Henry...is absolutely the perfect choice to read Anansi Boys....An absolutely top-notch performance, one that makes a terrific book even better." (Publishers Weekly)
"Mixing farce and fantasy, epic mythology and domestic drama, Gaiman's novel is a clever piece of storytelling and a celebration of the magic of make-believe." (Independent on Sunday)

Neil Gaiman is awesome as usual

What about Lenny Henry’s performance did you like?

Lenny Henry is an inspired choice to narrate this novel. His vocal expressiveness is simply the best I have heard so far in an audiobook, the characters are clearly differentiated and he always gets the emphasis right. The only (very minor) criticism I have is that some silent gaps between segments are a little longer than they need to be - but that's better than no gaps at all which I have encountered in some other books.

Any additional comments?

I love the way Neil Gaiman mixes mythology with reality. To say any more would be to risk spoilers. I haven't quite finished listening but I'm really looking forward to hearing how it ends. I believe I can predict some of the outcome, but not how it will be achieved.

Fabulous fantasy for a fastidious clientele<br />

excellent narration and an intrlguing ploy that kept me wanting to hear all that remained in

starts slow but eventually good

performer was excellent with an impressive array of accents. story is a bit off the beaten track , but being West Indian I loved the reference to the anansi universe

Faith Restored

This story ain't going to win any prizes but I have to confess it really made me chuckle and once or twice explode with laughter! I loved 'American Gods' but was put off Gaiman when I abandoned 'Neverwhere' halfway through. I felt is just too superficial and fantastical. My faith in the author was restored with this story where the fantasy is revealed with considered and clever pacing. Praise must also go to Lenny Henry, the narrator, who does an excellent job of making each character unique... and funny

Simply Good

It started off a bit like one of those Cringe Books. Awkward moments experienced by our unlikely hero and somehow it turns out OK. Yes, but no. Very difficult to describe but very enjoyable to listen to and it get's better as it goes along.

The story, for me at least, was a bit unusual, taken from the mythology (i assume) of Africa (not Voodoo) and introdyced me to a different type of wolrd of Semi gods and ...the like but again, much different that what we expect from most mythologies.

If you've read it all, it's worth a read and if you want something just a little bit different also great. I will be looking for further books from this Author a bit late.

Also, the Narrator was brillinat!