Friday, February 29, 2008

Anansi Boys

by Neil Gaiman, 2005

I only just now realized that this is "Anansi Boys" and not "Anasazi Boys", which is what I had been saying in my head when I read it. That's kind of a mind bender.

Anyway, the story starts with the death of Fat Charlie's father, who was quite a lively character. Always singing, dancing, goofing off, and womanizing, Fat Charlie's father never ceased to embarrass him. So, needless to say, they'd had a strained relationship and now his father's dead. Fat Charlie ends up learned a lot more about his father from old family friends at the funeral, and also learns that he has a brother! In the course of the book, Fat Charlie learns that his family is a lot more strange than he ever suspected. At this point, the book veers into a strange, otherworldly aspect that intersects nicely with Fat Charlie's regular life.

I've read other of Gaiman's books, and I generally like him. His style is humorous, and a little dark. I might describe him as a bit of a darker Terry Pratchett. In fact, the book they wrote together was pretty much the perfect blend.

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