Anansi Boys

I'm fairly new to audiobooks, and every purchase still feels like a bit of a gamble. I prefer to listen to books I haven't already read in print, and finding a good book that's also a good audibook seems to be a matter of chance. Anansi Boys was a gamble that paid off handsomely.

The novel itself is as clever and original as I expected from Neil Gaiman. It's peopled by amazingly colorful, likable characters who give rise to a wonderful plot. I'm sure I'd have enjoyed the story very much in the written form.

But the narration! Wow! The reader has a beautiful voice and a nuanced set of accents and speech styles that make the listening a continuous pleasure. Some of the story's witticisms are laugh-out-loud funny, largely, I suspect, because of the reader's own droll delivery.

If you like fantasy-oriented fiction and prefer your audiobooks beautifully narrated with simple production values, add Anansi Boys to your list.

Anansi Boys is a wonderful book by a versatile and entertaining author, Neil Gaiman. But this review is about the book's reader--Lenny Henry, who is an absolutely amazing performer. I've listened to a lot of audiobooks and some very good readers, but Lenny Henry is head and shoulders above all the rest--including Jim Dale. His characterizations--of both males and females--are so good that you forget the reader and only hear the character. In this book, he does Caribbean, American, and several British accents, all utterly convincing. He also differentiates the characters beautifully. I rarely listen to an audiobook twice. This one is an exception.

I buy very very few audiobooks. I almost never listen to them more than once and why pay several times the paperback price for something you won't enjoy again and again?. It's much cheaper to simply borrow them from the library, listen to them, then return them. Win-win situation: I enjoy the book, and save anywhere from 15-40 dollars by not purchasing the audio.

HOWEVER: The terrific combination of Neil Gaiman's writing - alternately funny and terrifying but always riveting - and Lenny Henry's spot-on delivery, make this an audiobook well worth owning. Neil Gaiman is one of the finest writers out there and we have never been disappointed. Lenny Henry has been a favorite of ours since we became addicted to his TV series Chef!, and he *is* Charlie Nancy to me now. I have listened to it at least twice now and fully expect my whole family to enjoy it for years to come.

Buy this audiobook! The pairing of Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry is a gift to lovers of audiobooks. You will not be disappointed.

this is such a rich and finely woven story. Neil Gaiman's ability to entertain with the written word is nearly overwhelming at times. the characters are all multi-diminsional and fascinating and i personally had several laugh-out-loud moments. i was enjoying it so much i was a bit startled when it was over so quickly. in addition to the story being so wonderful of it's own accord, Lenny Henry narrated it perfectly. he breathed life into the characters and gave a warm ambiance to the background. i hope to find more books narrated by him in the future as he's terrific at it. i could type all day and still not be able to say enough good things about this production...so, i'll just say it was a spectacular audio experience and i would highly recommend it.

This is a fantastic story that is very different, riveting, and excellent to hear. I used to read the sandman graphic novels in college but my wife never really understood why I ranted and raved about Gaiman until she listened to this book. Not only is this an excellent tale but this book and Neverwhere also by Gaiman were done with multiple voices and an experienced audio technician. It really adds quite a bit to the book to hear these voices flesh out the characters. You start to really get into this story. I started taking my ipod everywhere and working longer and longer on my fine art to listen to every detail. Gaiman and Audible is a match made in heaven!

I bought this audio book on a whim and could not be happier that I did. What a great story and amazing audio production. The book itself is just about perfect.... so creative and fun to read. The characters are developed just perfectly enough to keep the reader involved, but not 'weighted down'. And the characters intertwine so well. Neil Gaimen has simply created an amazing story.
But what really makes this audiobook one of the best I've ever listened to is the narration. Lenny Henry does a near perfect job here. He adds so much to an already great story. I just wish he'd narrate more!
I cannot recommend this book enough for a fun, funny, completely captivating and utterly entertaining audiobook.

This follow-up (NOT sequel) to Gaiman's "American Gods" follows the adventure of Fat Charlie Anansi, the son of an African spider god, and his journey to discover himself while dealing with his mischevious twin brother. This is a fun, funny, touching book, different from the novel that inspired it, yet just as magical and fun as any of Gainman's works. British actor and comedian Lenny Henry does a great job narrating this tale with the right amount of humourous befudlement and sincere honesty.
If you enjoy modern fantasy, or are just looking for a good story read well then I strongly encourage you to give this wonderful tale a try. Neil Gaiman is one of the best authors alive today and you deserve to experience a glimpse into his head! Don't forget to download Gaiman's introduction to this book as well, also available through Audible.

Gaimon has successfully produced another genre-defying novel that mixes detective and fantastic and humor all together. Although I enjoyed American Gods much more, I thought this was a very good follow-up to American Gods. I wish we could give half-stars, because I think I would give it a 3-1/2. I liked the characters, and the story, though, while American Gods was epic, this was jsut a good story. I was thoroughly entertained, and the narration was good, though, I was really hoping for something on as big a scale as American Gods. Still, this is a solid book, and I am glad I listened to it.

Neil Gaimen produces yet another excellent book. The blend of old tales and old gods into modern life was just as enjoyable as in American Gods. There is a rhythm to this story that is only improved on with Lenny Henry as the narrator. I am disappointed to not find any other books done by him because he is an excellent narrator--his general speaking voice is enjoyable to listen to and his characters really come to life. Beautiful written and beautifully done.