Fat Charlie Nancy learns quite a bit about his family after his father's embarrassing death in a karaoke bar. First, his father was a god. Second, Fat Charlie has a brother he never knew about.Sibling rivalry, love triangles, embezzlement, and a few miracles make this an entertaining enough read. ( )

The most satisfying book i have read recently. Mr. Gaiman fills this story with events and people that just can't be, and yet he weaves a believable story out of these supernatural elements. Bravo. ( )

This was a fun book but probably not Gaiman's strongest work. Anansi is a trickster God, and he is dead. His two sons, powerful Spider and diminuitive Fat Charlie reunite and venture into the land of the gods. Funny and entertaining. ( )

Though it's set more or less in the same universe as American Gods, I don't think you need to read that one first to enjoy this one. It's the story of Charles Nancy, who discovers his recently deceased father is actually the spider god Anansi, and he has a brother he never knew. The story is fairly light as these things go, with some very funny bits and the general tomfoolery you can expect from any Gaiman book. I enjoyed it, but I would only recommend it to someone who already enjoys Gaiman. Not the best book to get introduced to his work with, but a decent read all the same. ( )

I enjoyed this book a lot--not quite as much as American Gods, but the plot runs in much the same way--twists and turns, and a satisfying ending. ( )

So, I keep hearing Neil Gaiman's name lately. Everywhere I go it's Sandman this or Coraline that and I wanted to see what the hub-bub was about. This was the only used Gaiman book at the store (always a good sign, means people want to keep his books instead of selling them) so I got it, read it and I really wasn't impressed. It was an okay book and I was moderately entertained but it's not the magical super-awesome writing I was expecting. In this book Gaiman doesn't live up to his hype. I'll try American Gods and see if I like that better. From what I understand that's his best. ( )

Typically, I am one to wait a few years between readings of the same book. Not so with this: as soon as I finished it, I dived back into the beginning and re-read the whole first half, eager to increase my understanding and appreciation of the work. It withstood the test: masterfully constructed, "Anansy Boys" is littered with apparently innocuous images, clues, snippets that, re-read in the light of the ending, make you go "aaaaaaaaaah yes I get it now". For exactly the same reason, some people have called it "predictable"; and maybe it is, plot-line wise, but no matter: it's beautifully written, filled with characters you really feel for (in both good and bad ways), contains quite a few funny moments, not to mention that - for once - it is good to see people get what they deserve. ( )

I think I should have given this time to simmer. I don't mean the whole book; I mean the pieces. I picked up the 384 page book at 7pm Sunday night - the start of the Bears game, which I am really not interested in but the hubby likes it - because I was feeling guilty after my Sunday Salon post where I realized I had not read a book in 11 days. Instead of reading for an hour or so, I finished the entire book, closing up around 10:45. Now, my thoughts on this book are a jumbled mess, but hopefully writing this review will help!

Anansi Boys shares a character with American Gods: Mr. Nancy. First off, I loved American Gods. As I said in my review, "American Gods is an oddly non-philosophical story regarding a paradigm shift. What I mean is that the plot is a plot, not a theoretical monologue about the significance or the importance of the action, but a story that readers can philosophize about or not as they see fit. There is deep meaning and an almost but not quite subtle reflection on contemporary theology, but at its foundation, American Gods is a good story." I did not get this from Anansi Boys; it was almost the opposite. I liked, but was not overly fascinated with, the plotline (two unsimilar brothers and a complex father-son(s) relationship) or the characters (original and interesting but lacking depth). What I was fascinated with was the philosophy. Anansi Boys, more than anything else to me, is a discussion of the importance of stories to humans.

One of the primary threads throughout the novel is the conflict between Tiger and Anansi. Originally the stories told by humans were Tiger's, and "back then the tales were dark and evil, and filled with pain, and none of them ended happily". Then Anansi comes along and he steals the stories from Tiger through tricks and wit. When Tiger's stories were being told, humans lived just to survive, but with Anansi's humans began to think, to be more than instinct. I find the idea of stories directing human thought and behavior fascinating. I teach literature and film, which are primarily aimed at understanding how ideologies are communicated through print and visual media - in other words, how stories shape humanity.

Along with the philosophy of the book, I also loved the language, which to me was very Douglas Adams-esque. ( )

A disappointment compared to American Gods (unfinished) ( )

this was a good book. the pacing of the book was a little wierd, it alternated from being really fast to really slow. the charachters were hit and miss. but it is entertaining, and some of the stuff in the book was very funny. ( )

Neil Gaiman book 2 stars, but I am. I finished the book not really satisfied. I tried reading the last chapter again to see if I liked it better the second time around and nope. I think it was because there weren't any real likable characters and the brother's attitude was terrible. It draws from the Anansi the Spider stories I remember from being a kid which did keep me reading, but I still felt like nothing was learned by the characters, which may have been the point. ( )

I guess this is pretty obscure.... Spoilers appear. It isn't very good. It is sweet and the main character is sweet, and the growth of both guys into better more well-rounded & definitely happy people is sweet. This is definitely a feel-good book. The trick of having people default to being non-white is amusing. Oh yes, and it has one of my least favorite features, where the book refers to "later, when things got bad" but, for Fat Charlie, they really never did get so bad.

I hate spiders. Ugh.

This book is probably WAY better if you just finished American Gods. I found it took a while to get ramped up, but enjoyed it once it did. ( )

Hooray, Neil Gaiman has redeemed himself! After I had a fairly lukewarm reaction to the first book of his I read, American Gods, this one was fantastic!When Fat Charlie Nancy's father dies, he discovers that he was actually Anansi the Spider God, and that he has a long lost brother. This novel is the story of the various ups and mainly downs that result from these discoveries.This book was brilliant - funny, witty, clever, and the plot raced along and pulled me quite happily with it. The sometimes unpredictable twists and turns that Fat Charlie has to face kept me intrigued and excited, and I gobbled this book up very quickly. I guess for some people it might be too light-hearted and fun, particularly coming after the rather darker American Gods, but I was just in the right frame of mind and mood for this book, so it came at the right time. ( )

Ah Neil you did it again..I just love anything this man writes!!And this one was no exception!I won't go into the whole story you can read that above,but the characters in this book had me laughing.There wasn't any flat characters at all they were all so fleshed out so you cared what happened to each and everyone of them including the bad guy!Loved it! ( )

Charlie Nancy has found out his father has died, and has to sort out the funeral arrangements. After the funeral, Charlie has to sort out his father’s affects, and finds out that his father was a God – Anansi the trickster god, no less – and that he has a brother whom has inherited his father’s abilities. After Charlie’s brother arrives for a visit, Charlie’s life is dramatically turned upside down, and Charlie needs to sort out the problems that his brother has wrought on him.

The first thing that I will say is that I enjoyed reading “Anansi Boys”. It’s got an original central idea – what if the traditional gods were alive today? How would they act? How would they influence the world in which we live? The writing is decent, and I enjoyed the occasional attempt at humour, too – it’s not a comedy by any means, but does raise a smile or two.

My enjoyment of the book expressed, there are more than a few problems with this book, which do spoil my enjoyment greatly. While the first book in the series, “American Gods” utilised a plethora of gods from a variety of mythologies, and looked at the effects they had on society as a whole, this book mainly concentrates on one god, his two sons, and a few individuals whom are acquainted with the god in question. Occasionally, another god might pop up to help progress the story, but there is quite a lack of gods at work. In fact, the story feels somewhat, well, pedestrian. With all of the things that a god might get up to in today’s society, Gaiman has his going on a nightclub crawl, charming women, and doing other similar mundane acts. Surely a god or demi-god would come up with some better ideas, especially a trickster god?

Another problem is that the book is riddled with coincidences, all of which are required to progress the book forward. In particular, the convergence of all of the main characters on a small island through a variety of different reasons needs a great deal more explanation than what was given, and strains credulity, but there are many other coincidences that were introduced. Yes, you could probably resolve one or two coincidences with some hand-waving, saying “Gods are at work, you know, don’t question it at all.” However, the coincidences are never explained, nor examined, not even an attempt to distract the reader with a theological question regarding the coincidences, which would have been somewhat appropriate given the storyline. They just happen, and we are meant to believe this. Or perhaps gloss over it.

“Anansi boys” is an enjoyable book, but it’s a disappointment in quite a few ways, and doesn’t bear a close examination afterwards. It’s an interesting and entertaining idea, certainly, and the writing enjoyable enough, but huge coincidences and a failure to realise the potential of the central concept does detract from the story greatly. ( )

As a spin-off of the highly acclaimed 'American Gods' this book had plenty to live up to. And that has been its downfall. A fun tale that is hampered by the long shadow cast by its predecessor. ( )

Fat Charlie is the son of Anansi - the spider god. Anansi is quick witted, well liked by some, hated by the other gods, and a jokester. Fat Charlie is confused and doesn't live up to who he is supposed to be. Upon the death of Anansi, Fat Charlie summons his brother Spider, and finds out who he really is.

I have not fully made up my mind if I enjoyed this book or not. It was a quick read, and interesting plot. The mythology part was good. I didn't become invested in the characters and I think that is why I didn't throughly enjoy the book. 3 STARS ( )

This novel by Neil Gaiman was so enjoyable that I recommended it to my son. (He thoroughly enjoyed it as well.) Neil Gaiman weaves a totally believable world in which I was smitten by Fat Charlie.

Old and unfamiliar gods play an important part in the story and as an arachnophobe I even came to like the spiders (of all sizes). ( )

fun and fast ( )

One can catch snips of wit in any of Gaiman's books. Any good book must include some humor: an author might as futilely try to excise pain or desire from life as humor. Gaiman has never placed any such artificial limits on his work; indeed, the only limits on his books are those he, himself cannot overcome.

Previously, his humor was only an occasional element, but there was apparently something in the writing of this particular book which finally allowed him to unleash his sense of the comic as a whole entity. The text swims and bobs with the ridiculous, the unfortunate, and the clever.

After reading the book 'Good Omens', written by Gaiman and Prachett, I was told that without Prachett, it would have retained none of the humor. I now begin to wonder whether Prachett's only addition to that book was the predictable and banal snatches which so fill his discworld books. Indeed, this work of Gaiman's overshadows that earlier work in both degrees and shades of the insightful and entertaining.

The book also works as an amusing analysis of storytelling itself, so that anyone who studies the nature and classification of tales will find certain asides and references particularly amusing. It is rare these days that an author will write a piece of fiction which explores on a subtextual level a concept or idea fundamental to the work itself. I have come to wish that more authors could gain the audacity that Gaiman found here.

There is a degree to which this story matches Gaiman's usual monomythic progression from naive outsider to coy insider, which at the outset was my greatest difficulty with the work. The inevitability and redundancy of this trope makes me wish for Gaiman's more eccentric and perverse moments. However, I found in the clever and skilled text a story worth experiencing, and one which matches or exceeds Gaiman's other attempts in the modern fantasy genre.

The story is not as epic or dire as Gaiman's tend to be, and without that there is a loss of urgency in the story. This is not really a deficiency, however, as the playful humor could not cohabitate comfortably with an ever-steepening plot curve.

The work fits into Gaiman's usual mode, exploring the myths and psychologies that most interest him. It may lose some of his fans in that it is less dark and brooding, less hopeless, but this could hardly be counted a loss. Any reader who wants more of the same can re-read his old works. the rest of us may appreciate seeing a master storyteller exploring his form in a new and engaging way. ( )

Anansi, one of the gods featured in Gaiman's American Gods, is a spider god who owns all the world's stories. This is probably the most important thing to understand about him. His son, Fat Charlie, though, is a man who doesn't even live his own story. When Anansi dies and Charlie meets his brother, he is forced to face the two parts of himself: the part that is Fat Charlie and the part that is Spider, who lives a life Fat Charlie could only dream of.

This story is many things all at once. In a way, it's a coming of age story (even though Fat Charlie is an adult). It's also a story about families, love, and the nature of life and death. It's a thriller, with its own maniacal killer, and it's a story about the history of the world and how we came to understand it, mainly through Anansi's stories. It's fast-paced, moving, hilarious, and scary. I would recommend this book not only to fans of modern fantasy, but also to anyone who simply wants to read a great story. ( )

This is a witty, light follow-up to American Gods. I loved this piece, but not as whole-heartedly as I love American Gods. It is a wonderful read.

This book was not up to par with the rest of Gaiman's work. Following _American Gods_, I expected something with more weight and heft. I found myself wondering where he was going with the plot throughout most of it and unable to find any interest in either the characters or the action. It felt dry and forced, not nearly so layered or interesting as most of his writing. ( )

Anansi Boys is very entertaining. Unlike Gaiman’s very popular American Gods, you don’t wish you knew more about the gods in the story. The folklore of the spider god, Anansi, is explained as we learn more about his sons, “Fat Charlie” Nancy and Spider. Anansi Boys is a fun mix of mythology, magic, and life lessons reminding us to both take risks and consider consequences. It’s a very good book. ( )