Anansi Boys

[yendi]

Finished Anansi Boys on Friday, but forgot to post about it.

At first, I was not a fan of the novel. It's no American Gods (which wasn't really the best genre book of its year to begin with, but was much more engrossing from the get-go), but it's fun enough during the first half. Just not that special. Felt rather like Christopher Moore Lite, which would be fine for some authors, but I do expect a little more out of Neil. It's not helped by the fact that Charlie Nancy is, for all intents and purposes, Newton Pulsifer, something it took me nearly half the book to get past.

That said, once the second half kicked in, it grew tremendously as a novel (and given it's trickster themes, I suspect that it's deliberate -- hide the powerful themes under the fluff). I also appreciated some of the wordplay and explorations of what a trickster spirit is, and the ending was quite nicely executed. It's probably his most polished book to date, and it's also got the most distinct narrative voice that Neil's found as a novelist. He's still got work to do to make that final leap as a novelist (at this stage, he's still a better writer of short stories), but I've still got hope.

Comments

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

For some reason I just can't get interested in Anansi Boys.

[zarhooie.livejournal.com]

I haven't finished it yet. I still have the last 3 chapters to go and I just can't make the push. I know how you feel. I started it three times. I'm more proud of the fact that my copy is signed than of the fact that I have a copy. *frowns*

[jeff-morris.livejournal.com]

It reads like a proposed movie or series. At least that's the way I felt while going through it.

That being said, there's a neat moment near the end where I stopped, said "Wait a minute," and flipped back a few pages to check something out. When I found it and realized what Neil had done (and why), I nodded and said, "You clever bastard."

JSM

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

I agree completely. The first half was kinda "meh" but decent enough. Charlie as a character just was... well he's a wimpy wuss really. Not nearly so bad as say the guy in Vonnegut's Bluebeard but still and all...

The second half just about made up for it all. I do wish he had spent more of the book on the whole trickster god thing because I'm a big fan of that particular archetype

gaiman short stories?

[fmi-agent.livejournal.com]

I was interested to read this entry. Gaiman is doing a booksigning here in MN next month. I don't own anything by him (although I've been reading the Sandman books, from the library). Is there a particular short story collection I should start with? I've heard of "Smoke and Mirrors" - are there others?

Re: gaiman short stories?

[yendi]

Smoke and Mirrors and Angels and Visitations are the two to look for (there's overlap between them, though, so be warned). Both contain "Chivalry" and "Troll Bridge." Only A&V contains "Murder Mysteries," but it's also dreadfully out of print.

Re: gaiman short stories?

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

There is a new (I think 2005) addition of Angels & Visitations that i've seen around, released because Gaiman was a little uncomfortable with how inflated the prices for that book had become. People might be able to find that. (It includes one of my favorites, the alcohol story "Being an Experiment Upon Strictly Scientific Lines.") I don't remember if it's hardback or trade paperback.

And Smoke and Mirrors is out in a new mass market paperback.

Re: gaiman short stories?

[yendi]

I had no idea that they'd reprinted A&V. That's excellent news!

[maneaterlad.livejournal.com]

I still haven't managed to get into Anansi Boys. I've tried but it just doesn't click for me. The same thing happened when I read American Gods. That book never worked for me either and I finished it on the second try.
Personally, I'd much rather go back and reread Neverwhere or Stardust.

[yendi]

*nod* Stardust still strikes me as his best work to date.