Friday, February 26, 2016

Book Review : Anansi Boys (American Gods #2) by Neil Gaiman

First off I want to say I really enjoyed American Gods.  I  know that some people found it's pacing to be too slow and drawn out, but I really think the author did a good job of world building and introducing the reader to this world.  So I have to admit that I assumed that this book would pick right up where the last one left off.  I was so excited to get back into this world where gods, legends and stuff of folklore became reality.

Anansi Boys is not a direct sequel as it is more of a re-visiting of the American Gods world. The story is about the folklore character from Africa, named Anansi. Which I have to add had a very minor role in American Gods.  In this seemingly sequel(but could be read as a stand alone) we are introduced to Mr. Nancy's son, "Fat Charlie" who is not really fat(more chubby) but whose nickname kinda stuck. Anansi has died, and "Fat Charlie" is just now discovering the truth about his father, and some other forgotten memories are revisited. He discovers that his father was a god, and that he has a brother. These discoveries set him on a journey that will turn his life upside down and turn him onto another path of life.

I really felt that this story could have been summed up in a novella or even a short story. I really felt that this story seemed to be drawn out, and honestly not as enjoyable as the prior book.  While the character building of this book was enjoyable, and helped to keep me reading I found it to be filled with fluff, such as the little side stories about Anansi and the other spirit animals.  Also the fact that this wasn't a direct sequel to the previous book was also a let down for me. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed this book, but in all honesty I didn't find it to be as good or even of equal value to American Gods. I do hope that Gaiman will once again revisit this world and finish the story or tell us other stories similar to this one.  I rated this book only 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. I just found this to be an average read and not one of this authors better works.


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