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)

Best Performance in an Audiobook

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

Beautifully done

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.

Great story, great reader

This reader is truly inspired. He must a New Zealander, at least that's his narrator accent, but his Carribean, African, English, and American accents are completely convincing. Suitable for everyone.

Hurrah!

I read Anansi Boys after American Gods, and loved both of them. Anansi Boys is wise and funny, and the narrator does a great job.
I can't help thinking that "Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul" by Douglas Adams casts a shadow somewhere... I don't know where, but I kept remembering Clean White Sheets while I was listening and that has nothing to do with this story.
Anansi Boys lifted me up, made me think and entertained me.

One of the best books on Audible

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!

Loved it!

I'm not sure why it took me so long to check out this book! I love Neil Gaiman and have read or listened to almost everything he's written. This book was a great, fun, and funny book. I think even if you aren't a huge Gaiman fan you will be entertained by Anansi the trickster and his sons. I'd say this book is up there with Stardust and Coraline, not necessarily his best book, but very lovable. This book is also about 100x better than most of the other books you'll waste time reading this year.

It began with a song...

Contrary to what many people will tell you, I think Neil Gaiman is at his best in this fantastic spin-off of American Gods. This is possibly one of the few books I have enjoyed listening to even more than I've enjoyed reading it.

Fat Charlie didn't know that his late father was, in fact, the fabled trickster god, Anansi. Nor did he know that he had a brother who inherited all the "god stuff" leaving Charlie with what he doesn't realize is a marvelous singing voice.

It's only after reaching out to his new-found brother, Spider, that Fat Charlie realizes his mistake and that just about anything is thicker than water.

Anansi Boys is as much a story of two painfully different brothers who are forced together by curiosity and fate, as it is about the power of words and song over brute strength.

This is definitely a light-hearted read that nonetheless has something to teach us about family and, perhaps, about storytelling, itself. Like much of Gaiman's work, Anansi boys is an ode to the power of stories to connect, change, and ultimately heal people as much as they did when they were first told and sung about animal gods, back in the beginning of time, at the end of the world.

Such a story deserves an excellent narrator and Lenny Henry's performance is nothing short of perfection. This isn't surprising, considering that he was part of Neil Gaiman's inspiration for Spider. Lenny Henry's versatility and ability to capture even the smallest nuances of each character make him one of my favorite audiobook readers.

This audiobook has my highest recommendations!

Liked a little

After reading and listening to several Gaiman books I have decided he is a good writer but not my style. Characters are somewhat one dimensional and story line not developed well enough to draw you in.

I thought it was a cast recording

Where does Anansi Boys rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've listened to more than I can count and this was probably in my top five.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Anansi Boys?

Too numerous to count and too tempting to spoil something.

Any additional comments?

I really just wanted to share that Lenny Henry is by far the single greatest narrator I've come across. I had to log back on to Audible to see if it was a cast recording. It isn't. Mr. Henry's talents are singular and his ability to switch dialect, accent, gender, age and every other nuance one might imagine is amazing. I honestly loved the story, as I love all of Mr. Gaiman's work, but I am in love with the narrator!Please do more. What an incredible experience this was. I will be listening again to this audiobook, which is really more a piece of audio theatre than mere narration. Truly loved every little bit of this. What a joy.

Delicious listening

TECHNICAL: Music interludes do not add to an audio book, especially when they are much louder than the spoken words. [-1]

NARRATION: Excellent characterization, nice voice quality, great delivery of humor.

AUTHORCRAFT: Picked this book on a fluke, and was rewarded in a big way. I normally listen to books only while commuting, but this one made me keep my player with me and playing every minute I could. I loved the subtle, but profound development of the characters as they grew. Descriptions made me feel apart of this world that I’d never had contact with before. Without spoiling, the demise of one character was so irritating to me (because I was really cheering for that one) that I had to stop listening for a while. This isn’t a genre that I’d look for again, but I’m glad I happened across this one.