Fiction Book Review for 'Anansi Boys' by Neil Gaiman

Title: Anansi Boys
Author: Neil Gaiman
Release Date: October 25, 2016
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Format: Ebook/Paperback/Hardcover
 
In this #1 New York Times bestseller, Neil Gaiman returns to the territory of his masterpiece, American Gods, to once again probe the dark recesses of the soul.
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God is dead. Meet the kids.

Fat Charlie Nancy’s normal life ended the moment his father dropped dead on a Florida karaoke stage. Charlie didn’t know his dad was a god. And he never knew he had a brother. Now brother Spider is on his doorstep—about to make Fat Charlie’s life more interesting . . . and a lot more dangerous.

“Thrilling, spooky, and wondrous.”
--Denver Post
“Awesomely inventive.… When you take the free-fall plunge into a Neil Gaiman book, anything can happen and anything invariably does.”
--Entertainment Weekly
“Delightful, funny and affecting…. A tall tale to end all tall tales.”
--Washington Post Book World
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Neil Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, Anansi Boys, The Graveyard Book, Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett), The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains; the Sandman series of graphic novels; and the story collections Smoke and Mirrors, Fragile Things, and Trigger Warning. He is the winner of numerous literary honors, including the Hugo, Bram Stoker, and World Fantasy awards, and the Newbery and Carnegie Medals. Originally from England, he now lives in the United States. He is Professor in the Arts at Bard College.
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Visit his website at http://www.neilgaiman.com


MY REVIEW:
4 stars

I have never had the pleasure of reading a Neil Gaiman book before, although my husband is a huge fan and has talked him up quite a bit. This was my first venture into Neil Gaiman's writing. I have mixed thoughts about it.

I understand this is a reprint with new cover art. I love the cover art. Great job!  In fact, the cover is what helped me peice together that the characters were black, because there wasn't really anything concerning dialogue or anything else that pointed to the ethnicity of the characters. It doesn't really play a part in the story, so guess it doesn't really matter.

There's no doubt that Neil Gaiman is a master storyteller. His writing style is not a style that I usually enjoy, and if this was written by anyone else I would've put it aside without finishing it. However, in the hands of a master, this style works. I think it would be better as an audiobook because the overuse of commas and the flowing, descriptive language sounds better out loud. When I read it, I get bogged down in the excess. Again, the style is just not one I favor but he does it masterfully. A less skilled writer doesn't need to attempt to write in this style!

The dialogue isn't indicative of the characters to me. The characters go from Florida to London, and in Florida they speak with a broken English that comes across more like someone speaking English as a second language rather than eubonics dialogue. In London, they all speak with proper grammar. No slang. In fact, they speak in a way I've never heard anyone actually speak before, and use big words when more common words would seem more likely and appropriate, such as using "superfluous" rather than "extra."

All in all, it seems like a "finding yourself" novel in which Charles Nancy finds his place in the world in regards to job, confidence, and love life.