*Have You Heard? * Audiobooks for Your Listening Pleasure* Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Posted June 28, 2017 by RobbieLea in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

*Have You Heard? * Audiobooks for Your Listening Pleasure* Anansi Boys by Neil GaimanAnansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Also by this author: The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Published by Harper Audio, Headline on September 20th, 2005
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 464
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 1472235428
ASIN: B000BHHREO
Goodreads
five-stars

If you need him, just tell a spider. He'll come running.

Fat Charlie Nancy used to have a normal life. But that all changes the moment his estranged father drops dead in a karaoke bar, leaving a trail of chaos in his wake.

Fat Charlie didn't know his dad was a god. He certainly didn't know he was Anansi the trickster spider-god, lord of rebellion and disorder. He didn't know he had a brother, either.

Now his brother, Spider, is on his doorstep trying to take over his life, flat and fiancée. And Fat Charlie's going to have to resort to something drastic - and dangerous - to get back on track.

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 bestseller 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."

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#AnansiBoys #SpiderGod #FatCharlie #Karaoke @neilhimself @LennyHenry @HarperAudio

I hardly know where to begin! To Neil Gaiman, the highest compliment I can pay an author is I would like to spend some time in your mind. Do I need a reservation? The world you’ve created in Anansi Boys is amazing! To my readers, if you are a fan of Neil Gaiman’s and you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend the audio version. If you have read the book and enjoyed it, you should enjoy it a second time by getting the audiobook. The story will be the same, but hearing the characters speak lends a new perspective.  Anansi Boys is one of those books I’ve alluded to in the past which is taken to a whole new level by the narrator’s performance. The story is pure fantasy, of course, but the world Neil Gaiman has created is not quite what you would expect from characters who are gods and have magical powers. These gods are a bit flawed and their magical powers don’t always work exactly as intended with hilarious results. I’ve listened to audiobooks before which were supposed to be pure comedy, but I don’t think I’ve ever laughed and smiled more than I did while listening to this one. I never dreamed I would fall in love with a couple of guys named Fat Charlie and Spider who are actually the same guy . . . sort of. You’ll meet their father, Anansi the spider god, even though he’s dead and learn about the family dynamic which will become clear (LOL) as the story unfolds, or should I say unravels.

Sir Lenny Henry, your performance is pure genius! I hear your voices for these characters in my sleep. Even though they are a product of the author’s mind, your interpretation of each one brings them to life.

I’m not sure if Anansi Boys will meet your standards as a beach read. The story is a bit convoluted, but since it is humorous, it is convoluted in a way that is fun. I love the characters! The little old ladies from Fat Charlie’s childhood are a cross between witches and guardian angels and Henry’s voices for them are perfect. Even the characters who are evil are funny and fun to hate. There is murder most foul, pink flamingo mayhem, and a different sort of magic all playing out to your favorite Karaoke tunes. Please buy this audiobook and treat yourself to a story and a performance that will have you smiling long after the last words are spoken.

five-stars

About Neil Gaiman

I make things up and write them down. Which takes us from comics (like SANDMAN) to novels (like ANANSI BOYS and AMERICAN GODS) to short stories (some are collected in SMOKE AND MIRRORS) and to occasionally movies (like Dave McKean’s MIRRORMASK or the NEVERWHERE TV series, or my own short film A SHORT FILM ABOUT JOHN BOLTON).

In my spare time I read and sleep and eat and try to keep the blog at www.neilgaiman.com more or less up to date.

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