# Neil Gaiman's "Anansi Boys" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 29, 2005, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-anansi-boys/328407 "2005-10-29T02:19:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-anansi-boys/328407/1 "2005-10-29T02:19:21Z")
Yikes – am I really the first to start a thread on this? Just finished it this evening – right before heading over to a Doper Dinner, appropriately enough. It’s about the two sons of Anansi, the twickster, er, trickster god – and written with Gaiman’s trademark wit and charm. A lot of fun – I really enjoyed it. Has anyone else read it? ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-anansi-boys/328407/2 "2005-10-29T02:32:20Z")
It’s on my beside table, but I haven’t started it yet! I really liked American Gods. I was not expecting to be so totally sucked into the story. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-anansi-boys/328407/3 "2005-10-29T03:45:46Z")
It was a fun read. I still get a chuckle thinking about the Barrel of Monkeys. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-anansi-boys/328407/4 "2005-10-29T06:39:46Z")
I read it recently and LOVED it. Of course I love everything Neil Gaiman has ever written. But, overall, I thought it was much more cohesive / better than American Gods. YMMV. - Peter Wiggen ---
**Author:** ![Idlewild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8491ac/32.png) [@Idlewild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idlewild)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-anansi-boys/328407/5 "2005-10-29T12:37:16Z")
Read it, loved it, will no doubt read it again. I think he hit the tone he was aiming for. It’s lovely fun and suitably spooky/scary in parts. I finished most of it while waiting for someone to arrive at an airport which seemed like a great place to be reading it. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-anansi-boys/328407/6 "2005-10-29T13:27:59Z")
> [@PeterWiggen](#): > > I read it recently and LOVED it. Of course I love everything Neil Gaiman has ever written. But, overall, I thought it was much more cohesive / better than American Gods. YMMV. > > - Peter Wiggen I agree. I liked _American Gods_, but I **loved** this. Especially the ghost. And the happy ending. **sniff** The humor was great – I really did LOL a few times – but it never got in the way of the story. The best single line in the book: > [@](#): > > Ain’t no gentleness in Tiger stories, no tricksiness, and no peace. That goes on the inside of my medicine cabinet, where I keep words of wisdom. ---
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-anansi-boys/328407/7 "2005-10-29T14:11:02Z")
I want to read this. I’m new to Neil Gaiman…just finished reading Coraline to my fifth graders…(They loved it!) I’m hoping I can pick it up at Costco next time I go. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-anansi-boys/328407/8 "2005-10-29T17:26:05Z")
I enjoyed this book. Weird Question: Shouldn’t the Anansi boys be Native American or black? Anansi was certainly not a mythic figure in WASP lit. (I’m short on time so I can’t explain my thoughts in detail - sorry) ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-anansi-boys/328407/9 "2005-10-29T17:28:12Z")
> [@well he's back](#): > > I enjoyed this book. Weird Question: Shouldn’t the Anansi boys be Native American or black? Anansi was certainly not a mythic figure in WASP lit. (I’m short on time so I can’t explain my thoughts in detail - sorry) How were they described (not in your head, but by the author)? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-anansi-boys/328407/10 "2005-10-29T17:39:25Z")
I certainly got the impression they were gentlemen of color. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-anansi-boys/328407/11 "2005-10-29T18:48:30Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > I certainly got the impression they were gentlemen of color. It never quite said. I thought it was implied they were black, possibly West Indian in flavor. Anybody who assumed they were white is just playing out their expectations - I noticed it specifically went without comment. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-anansi-boys/328407/12 "2005-10-29T21:47:18Z")
Without _direct_ comment – I remember there was something about skin color at some point – something about Charlie and Rosie, perhaps? it’s vague in my mind – and I thought “oh, right, you {meaning, of course, me} do tend to assume protagonists are white, don’t you – but apparently not in this case.” I actually liked that Gaiman didn’t make a big deal about it one way or the other.