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.

Reviews

[Gaiman is] the folksy, witty, foolishly wise narrator to perfection. --Booklist (starred review)"

[Gaiman] gives his flair for comedy free rein without losing his appreciation for the darker aspects of world mythology. --San Francisco Chronicle"

A clever, quick-witted book. --Oklahoma City Oklahoman"

A droll comedy of manners with elements of mystery, thriller and romance thrown in . . . Charming. --Vancouver Sun"

A hybrid of folk tale and farce that freely partakes of the comic wealth in each. --Salon.com"

A madcap, screwball world that is partly absurd, occassionally humane and always entertaining. --Pittsburgh Tribune"

A remarkably funny book. --Toronto Star"

A thoughtful, atmospheric novel. --London Times"

A very accomplished comic novel. --Daily Telegraph (London)"

A welterweight boxer of a book -- light on its feet, but capable of delivering a punch. --Atlanta Journal-Constitution"

An off-kilter blend of reality and fantasy. --Atlanta Journal-Constitution"

Another great work from Neil Gaiman. --Toronto Star"

Another lovely story as only Gaiman can tell it; necessary and recommended. --Library Journal"

ANANSI BOYS makes an incredible read. --Times Leader"

Darkly funny and heartwarming to the end, this book is an addictive read not easily forgotten. --School Library Journal"

Deliciously compulsive . . . Grade: A. --Washington Post"

Delightful, funny and affecting . . . the literary equivalent of a hole in one. --Washington Post Book World"

Ebullient . . . ingenious . . . enormously entertaining throughout. --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"

Ebullient . . . The Gaiman faithful will devour it gratefully. --Sacramento Bee"

Funny and subversive . . . Gaiman s mastery of language carries the reader through to a satisfying conclusion. --USA Today"

Gaiman at his best. --Rocky Mountain News"

Gaiman hardwires his comedy of misrule with a crackpot energy that, when successfully channelled, lights up the imagination. --Sunday Times (London)"

Genre-busting . . . very creative and very funny. Grade: A- --Christian Science Monitor"

Readers who enjoyed American Gods . . . will fall madly in love with ANANSI BOYS. --St. Louis Post-Dispatch"

Somehow manages to be both really scary and really funny at the same time. --Newsweek"

The most accomplished of Gaiman s novels . . . Urbane and sophisticated. --Time Out London"

Witty and engaging. --Minneapolis Star Tribune"

"[Gaiman is] the folksy, witty, foolishly wise narrator to perfection."--Booklist (starred review)

"[Gaiman] gives his flair for comedy free rein without losing his appreciation for the darker aspects of world mythology."--San Francisco Chronicle

"A clever, quick-witted book."--Oklahoma City Oklahoman

"A droll comedy of manners with elements of mystery, thriller and romance thrown in . . . Charming."--Vancouver Sun

"A hybrid of folk tale and farce that freely partakes of the comic wealth in each."--Salon.com

"A madcap, screwball world that is partly absurd, occassionally humane and always entertaining."--Pittsburgh Tribune

"A remarkably funny book."--Toronto Star

"A thoughtful, atmospheric novel."--London Times

"A very accomplished comic novel."--Daily Telegraph (London)

"A welterweight boxer of a book -- light on its feet, but capable of delivering a punch."--Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"An off-kilter blend of reality and fantasy."--Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Another great work from Neil Gaiman."--Toronto Star

"Another lovely story as only Gaiman can tell it; necessary and recommended."--Library Journal

"ANANSI BOYS makes an incredible read."--Times Leader

"Darkly funny and heartwarming to the end, this book is an addictive read not easily forgotten."--School Library Journal

"Deliciously compulsive . . . Grade: A."--Washington Post

"Delightful, funny and affecting . . . the literary equivalent of a hole in one."--Washington Post Book World

"Ebullient . . . ingenious . . . enormously entertaining throughout."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Ebullient . . . The Gaiman faithful will devour it gratefully."--Sacramento Bee

"Funny and subversive . . . Gaiman's mastery of language carries the reader through to a satisfying conclusion."--USA Today

"Gaiman at his best."--Rocky Mountain News

"Gaiman hardwires his comedy of misrule with a crackpot energy that, when successfully channelled, lights up the imagination."--Sunday Times (London)

"Genre-busting . . . very creative and very funny. Grade: A-"--Christian Science Monitor

"Readers who enjoyed American Gods . . . will fall madly in love with ANANSI BOYS."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Somehow manages to be both really scary and really funny at the same time."--Newsweek

"The most accomplished of Gaiman's novels . . . Urbane and sophisticated."--Time Out London

"Witty and engaging."--Minneapolis Star Tribune

A remarkably funny book. --Toronto Star

A thoughtful, atmospheric novel. --London Times

Gaiman at his best. --Rocky Mountain News

Witty and engaging. --Minneapolis Star Tribune

"A clever, quick-witted book." -- Oklahoma City Oklahoman

"A remarkably funny book." -- Toronto Star

"A thoughtful, atmospheric novel." -- London Times

"A very accomplished comic novel." -- Daily Telegraph (London)

"An off-kilter blend of reality and fantasy." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Another great work from Neil Gaiman." -- Toronto Star

"ANANSI BOYS makes an incredible read." -- Times Leader

"Deliciously compulsive . . . Grade: A." -- Washington Post

"Gaiman at his best." -- Rocky Mountain News

"Witty and engaging." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune

Learning Activity: Select a folktale and write a short story based on it, creating new characters. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

If readers found the Sandman series creator's last novel, American Gods, hard to classify, they will be equally nonplussed-and equally entertained-by this brilliant mingling of the mundane and the fantastic. "Fat Charlie" Nancy leads a life of comfortable workaholism in London, with a stressful agenting job he doesn't much like, and a pleasant fiancee, Rosie. When Charlie learns of the death of his estranged father in Florida, he attends the funeral and learns two facts that turn his well-ordered existence upside-down: that his father was a human form of Anansi, the African trickster god, and that he has a brother, Spider, who has inherited some of their father's godlike abilities. Spider comes to visit Charlie and gets him fired from his job, steals his fiancee, and is instrumental in having him arrested for embezzlement and suspected of murder. When Charlie resorts to magic to get rid of Spider, who's selfish and unthinking rather than evil, things begin to go very badly for just about everyone. Other characters-including Charlie's malevolent boss, Grahame Coats ("an albino ferret in an expensive suit"), witches, police and some of the folk from American Gods-are expertly woven into Gaiman's rich myth, which plays off the African folk tales in which Anansi stars. But it's Gaiman's focus on Charlie and Charlie's attempts to return to normalcy that make the story so winning-along with gleeful, hurtling prose. Agent, Merrilee Heifetz of Writers House. 16-city author tour. (On sale Sept. 20) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

[Gaiman is] the folksy, witty, foolishly wise narrator to perfection. --Booklist (starred review)"
[Gaiman] gives his flair for comedy free rein without losing his appreciation for the darker aspects of world mythology. --San Francisco Chronicle"
A clever, quick-witted book. --Oklahoma City Oklahoman"
A droll comedy of manners with elements of mystery, thriller and romance thrown in . . . Charming. --Vancouver Sun"
A hybrid of folk tale and farce that freely partakes of the comic wealth in each. --Salon.com"
A madcap, screwball world that is partly absurd, occassionally humane and always entertaining. --Pittsburgh Tribune"
A remarkably funny book. --Toronto Star"
A thoughtful, atmospheric novel. --London Times"
A very accomplished comic novel. --Daily Telegraph (London)"
A welterweight boxer of a book -- light on its feet, but capable of delivering a punch. --Atlanta Journal-Constitution"
An off-kilter blend of reality and fantasy. --Atlanta Journal-Constitution"
Another great work from Neil Gaiman. --Toronto Star"
Another lovely story as only Gaiman can tell it; necessary and recommended. --Library Journal"
ANANSI BOYS makes an incredible read. --Times Leader"
Darkly funny and heartwarming to the end, this book is an addictive read not easily forgotten. --School Library Journal"
Deliciously compulsive . . . Grade: A. --Washington Post"
Delightful, funny and affecting . . . the literary equivalent of a hole in one. --Washington Post Book World"
Ebullient . . . ingenious . . . enormously entertaining throughout. --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"
Ebullient . . . The Gaiman faithful will devour it gratefully. --Sacramento Bee"
Funny and subversive . . . Gaiman s mastery of language carries the reader through to a satisfying conclusion. --USA Today"
Gaiman at his best. --Rocky Mountain News"
Gaiman hardwires his comedy of misrule with a crackpot energy that, when successfully channelled, lights up the imagination. --Sunday Times (London)"
Genre-busting . . . very creative and very funny. Grade: A- --Christian Science Monitor"
Readers who enjoyed American Gods . . . will fall madly in love with ANANSI BOYS. --St. Louis Post-Dispatch"
Somehow manages to be both really scary and really funny at the same time. --Newsweek"
The most accomplished of Gaiman s novels . . . Urbane and sophisticated. --Time Out London"
Witty and engaging. --Minneapolis Star Tribune"
"[Gaiman is] the folksy, witty, foolishly wise narrator to perfection."--Booklist (starred review)
"[Gaiman] gives his flair for comedy free rein without losing his appreciation for the darker aspects of world mythology."--San Francisco Chronicle
"A clever, quick-witted book."--Oklahoma City Oklahoman
"A droll comedy of manners with elements of mystery, thriller and romance thrown in . . . Charming."--Vancouver Sun
"A hybrid of folk tale and farce that freely partakes of the comic wealth in each."--Salon.com
"A madcap, screwball world that is partly absurd, occassionally humane and always entertaining."--Pittsburgh Tribune
"A remarkably funny book."--Toronto Star
"A thoughtful, atmospheric novel."--London Times
"A very accomplished comic novel."--Daily Telegraph (London)
"A welterweight boxer of a book -- light on its feet, but capable of delivering a punch."--Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"An off-kilter blend of reality and fantasy."--Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Another great work from Neil Gaiman."--Toronto Star
"Another lovely story as only Gaiman can tell it; necessary and recommended."--Library Journal
"ANANSI BOYS makes an incredible read."--Times Leader
"Darkly funny and heartwarming to the end, this book is an addictive read not easily forgotten."--School Library Journal
"Deliciously compulsive . . . Grade: A."--Washington Post
"Delightful, funny and affecting . . . the literary equivalent of a hole in one."--Washington Post Book World
"Ebullient . . . ingenious . . . enormously entertaining throughout."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Ebullient . . . The Gaiman faithful will devour it gratefully."--Sacramento Bee
"Funny and subversive . . . Gaiman's mastery of language carries the reader through to a satisfying conclusion."--USA Today
"Gaiman at his best."--Rocky Mountain News
"Gaiman hardwires his comedy of misrule with a crackpot energy that, when successfully channelled, lights up the imagination."--Sunday Times (London)
"Genre-busting . . . very creative and very funny. Grade: A-"--Christian Science Monitor
"Readers who enjoyed American Gods . . . will fall madly in love with ANANSI BOYS."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Somehow manages to be both really scary and really funny at the same time."--Newsweek
"The most accomplished of Gaiman's novels . . . Urbane and sophisticated."--Time Out London
"Witty and engaging."--Minneapolis Star Tribune
A remarkably funny book. --Toronto Star
A thoughtful, atmospheric novel. --London Times
Gaiman at his best. --Rocky Mountain News
Witty and engaging. --Minneapolis Star Tribune
"A clever, quick-witted book." -- Oklahoma City Oklahoman
"A remarkably funny book." -- Toronto Star
"A thoughtful, atmospheric novel." -- London Times
"A very accomplished comic novel." -- Daily Telegraph (London)
"An off-kilter blend of reality and fantasy." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Another great work from Neil Gaiman." -- Toronto Star
"ANANSI BOYS makes an incredible read." -- Times Leader
"Deliciously compulsive . . . Grade: A." -- Washington Post
"Gaiman at his best." -- Rocky Mountain News
"Witty and engaging." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune