Neil Gaiman did a reading at the Union Square B&N and I got meeself a lovely little signed first edition. He held about 400 people in the palm of his hand for an hour. He obviously has a lot of practice as he was very good. No-one flashed him that I know of - I was a bit disappointed.
Anansi Boys is a humorous fantasy story about the son of Mr. Nancy (a god) and what happens when his dad dies and his long-lost brother shows up. Alert readers will remember Mr. Nancy from Gaiman's huge hit American Gods. This is not a sequel, Mr. Gaiman informs us, rather Mr. Nancy was making a special guest appearance.
Mr. Nancy, based on the tricksy spider Anansi, is black, and it's amazing how much more successful Gaiman was at this whole 'modern urban fantasy written about characters of a different race' than Orson Scott Card was in Magic Street. Card's story has a self-conscious air of self-congratulation and study about it. Gaiman just went ahead and did it. Moreover, Gaiman bases the fantasy elements on indigenous African mythology rather than shoe-horning Shakespeare into downtown LA.
But enough about that. Anansi Boys is a lot of fun and a complete success. Buy it.
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1 comment:
i finished it last night. you should call me so we can talk all spoilery about it.
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