Anansi Boys

The second outing with Anansi the Spider (he was featured in a smaller role in American Gods) is just as entertaining as the first. The novel tells the story of Fat Charlie Nancy, the son of the god Anansi. When his father dies, Fat Charlie learns that there's more to his heritage--and his family--than he realized.

Neil Gaiman is one of my biggest influences as I've been working on a novel this summer, but when I read more of his stuff I just think, "Why do I bother?" His characters are so entertaining, his worlds so believable without trying too hard. He taps that side of magic that teaches about reality, and he makes it look much much easier than it actually is.

American Gods is still my favorite of his novels, but if you've already read that, this deserves a read. It's a nice follow-up. I only hope he keeps turning out works for adults. They continually inspire me to be a better writer.

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