Anansi Boys

First edition cover
Author	Neil Gaiman
Cover artist	Richard Aquan (1st printing hardcover edition); general design, Shubhani Sarkar; image collage credited to Getty Images
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Fantasy novel
Publisher	HarperCollins; William Morris imprint
Publication date	September 2005
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	336 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0-06-051518-X
Preceded by	American Gods

Anansi Boys is a novel by Neil Gaiman. It is a companion to Gaiman's earlier novel American Gods. In Anansi Boys we discover that 'Mr. Nancy' (Anansi) from American Gods has two sons, and the two sons in turn discover each other. The novel follows their adventures as they explore their common heritage. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Neil Richard Gaiman (IPA: ) (born November 10, 1960[2]) is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films. ... Getty Images, Inc. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Look up Fantasy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary For other definitions of fantasy, see fantasy (psychology). ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... ISBN redirects here. ... American Gods is a novel by Neil Gaiman. ... This article is about the literary concept. ... Neil Richard Gaiman (IPA: ) (born November 10, 1960[2]) is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films. ... American Gods is a novel by Neil Gaiman. ... Anansi is one of the most important characters of West African lore. ... American Gods is a novel by Neil Gaiman. ...

Anansi Boys was published on September 20, 2005 and was released in paperback on October 1, 2006. The book reached the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list.^[1] is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

Plot summary

Anansi Boys is the story of Charles "Fat Charlie" Nancy, a timid Londoner devoid of ambition, whose unenthusiastic wedding preparations are disrupted when he learns of his father's death in Florida. The flamboyant Mr. Nancy, in whose shadow Fat Charlie has always lived, died in a typically embarrassing manner by suffering a fatal heart attack while flirting with women in a karaoke bar. Ambition could refer to one of the following: Motivation, especially to improve a situation. ... For other uses, see Death (disambiguation), Dead (disambiguation), or Death (band). ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ... For other uses see Karaoke (disambiguation) A karaoke machine Karaoke from Japanese kara, empty or void, and ōkesutora, orchestra) (pronounced IPA: or ; in Japanese IPA: ;  ) is a form of entertainment in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and a PA system. ...

Fat Charlie is forced to take time off from the accounting agency where he works and travel to Florida for the funeral. There, he learns that the late Mr. Nancy was actually an incarnation of the West African spider god, Anansi, hence his name. For other uses, see Spider (disambiguation). ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... Anansi is one of the most important characters of West African lore. ... For other uses, see Name (disambiguation). ...

After the funeral, while discussing the disposal of Anansi's estate, Mrs. Callyanne Higgler (a very old family friend) reveals to Fat Charlie that the reason his father had led a lazy existence was because he was a god and so could easily acquire whatever money he needed to enjoy himself. The reason Charlie had not apparently inherited any divine powers was because they had been passed down to his hitherto unknown brother, of whom she mentions that he can be contacted by simply asking a spider to invite him. Charlie is skeptical, and on his return to England, largely forgets what Mrs. Higgler had told him, until one night when he drunkenly whispers to a spider that it would be nice if his brother stopped by for a visit. For other uses, see Money (disambiguation). ... This article is about the time of day. ...

The next morning, the suave and well-dressed brother, going under the name of "Spider", visits Charlie. Spider is shocked to learn that their father had died. Immediately Spider steps through a picture to their childhood home. Charlie goes off to work, rather puzzled by Spider and his sudden disappearance. For other uses, see Name (disambiguation). ...

Spider returns that night, stricken with grief that Anansi had died and that he had been thoughtless enough not to notice. The two, to drown their sorrows, get uproariously drunk (at Spider's recommendation) on the proverbial trio of wine, women, and song. Whilst Charlie had not done much of the wenching or singing, he had gotten drunk enough to leave him asleep almost until noon the next day. Spider covers for Charlie's absence from his office at the Grahame Coats Agency by magically disguising himself as Charlie. In the process, Spider discovers Grahame Coats's long-standing, secret practice of embezzlement from his clients. Spider also steals the affection and virginity of Charlie's fiancée, Rosie Noah. It has been suggested that Anticipatory Grief be merged into this article or section. ... For other uses, see Wine (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Song (disambiguation). ... Noon is the time exactly halfway through the day, written 12:00 in the 24-hour clock and 12:00 noon in the 12-hour clock. ... For the change in vowel and consonant quality in Celtic languages, see Affection (linguistics). ...

For the discovery of his misdeeds, attributed to Charlie, Grahame Coats frames him for the embezzlement. Embittered by the loss of his job and of his fiancée, Charlie requests Callyanne Higgler and three of her equally old, eccentric friends to expel Spider. They are themselves powerless in this matter; therefore they send him to "the beginning of the world", an abode of ancient animal-gods. There, he finds no one willing to trade anything with him, except Bird Woman. Bird Woman trades Charlie one of her feathers in exchange for "Anansi's bloodline for my own". Two feathers Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. ...

While Charlie is treating with ancient, archetypal, occult powers, Spider is enjoying life under Charlie's name, and is falling in love with Rosie. Preoccupied with her, he neglects his brother's duties at the accounting agency. This causes a swindled client, Maeve Livingstone, to confront Grahame Coats directly, having learned of the damage wrought to her. He agrees to make full restitution and more, pointing out accurately that taking him to court could fail to achieve her purpose. While she is distracted by his offer, he kills her with a hammer and conceals the body in a hidden vault. This article is about life in general. ... For other uses, see Hammer (disambiguation). ...

Charlie has returned to England, whereupon spontaneous events begin happening in quick succession: Charlie quarrels with and engages in fisticuffs with Spider; Charlie is arrested by the police for financial fraud; Spider reveals the truth to Rosie, who is angered by his seeming betrayal of her; birds repeatedly attack Spider; Coats leaves England for his estate and bank accounts in the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Andrews; and Maeve Livingstone's ghost begins hunting her murderer. For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Time Saving Truth from Falsehood and Envy, François Lemoyne, 1737 For other uses, see Truth (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Ghost (disambiguation). ...

Maeve Livingstone is approached by her late husband Morris, who offers her the completion of her death. She refuses in favor of her vengeance. Later, she meets the ghost of Anansi himself, who recounts a story of his past to her. In this story, told in the third person, the animal god Tiger once owned all stories. As a result, all stories were dark and violent. Anansi the Spider had tricked Tiger into surrendering the ownership of all stories to Anansi, so that stories now involved cleverness and skill rather than strength alone. Revenge is retaliation against a person or group in response to wrongdoing. ... For other uses, see Tiger (disambiguation). ... A skill is an ability, usually learned and acquired through training, to perform actions which achieve a desired outcome. ... Look up strength in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

After an attack by flamingoes, Spider realizes that something Charlie did was causing these attacks, and that he is in mortal peril. He breaks Charlie out of prison. They discuss matters, revealing that giving Anansi's bloodline implicates Charlie as well as Spider. Charlie returns to prison. He is eventually freed when he mentions the hidden room in Coats's office; the police find Maeve Livingstone's body, which makes clear that Charlie is innocent. Species See text For other uses, see Flamingo (disambiguation). ...

Spider is swept away in a storm of birds. Bird Woman delivers Spider to Tiger, Anansi's longtime enemy. He is staked down and his tongue is torn out to neutralize his story-telling power. Spider manages to form a little spider out of clay, non-verbally instructing it to go find help in the spider kingdom Anansi and his descendants command. Though not as effective a hunter as Tiger, Spider can still beat him off for a little while, whereas Tiger is pleased to draw out the hunt; he is savoring his long hoped-for revenge on Anansi and his brood. For other uses, see Tongue (disambiguation). ...

Rosie and her mother have taken a cruise to the Caribbean, where against all odds they run into Grahame Coats. They have not then heard of the events in England, and so unsuspectingly walk into his trap and are locked in his basement. West Indies redirects here. ...

Charlie has gone back to the beginning of the world and forced Bird Woman to give Anansi's bloodline to him by return of the feather. Spider is doing well, Tiger having grown overconfident. When the predator attempts a killing strike, the reinforcements summoned by Spider overwhelm him. At that point, in full possession of power to alter reality by singing a tale, Charlie rescues Spider and gives him back his tongue.

Charlie has, simultaneous to the capture of Spider, been searching for Callyanne Higgler in the Caribbean island, so that she might help him answer his problems. He finds her after a long and unsuccessful search, which seems to have a binary center consisting of himself and (absurdly) a lime. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ...

Tiger possesses Grahame Coats and uses his bloodlust to turn him into a quasi-ghost tiger, intending to get revenge on Spider indirectly through killing Rosie and her mother. As a partial ghost, Grahame Coats is now vulnerable to another vengeful ghost: Maeve Livingston had been waiting for this moment, having found Grahame Coats with the aid of the ghost form of Anansi. Livingstone eliminates Coats in the real world, and goes to her afterlife.

At the beginning of the world, Charlie recounts the long tale of all that had gone before, humiliating Tiger to the point of retreat. Spider quietly collapses the cave entrance, sealing Tiger and Coats into the cave; Charlie wove this event into his song, reinforcing it with his powers, such that Tiger is now well and truly trapped. Coats, now known as Stoat, remains with Tiger as company. Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Range map The stoat (Mustela erminea) is a small mammal of the family Mustelidae. ...

In the end, Spider opens a restaurant and marries Rosie. Charlie begins a successful career as a singer, marries Daisy (a forensic accounting officer pursuing him), and has a son. The nickname "Fat Charlie" vanishes from him forever.

Award and nominations

It won the Mythopoeic Awards for Best Novel 2006, the 2006 YALSA ALEX Award^[2] and the British Fantasy Society's August Derleth Award 2006.^[3] Despite garnering enough votes for a Hugo nomination, Gaiman declined it.^[4][5] The Mythopoeic Awards for literature and literary studies are given by the Mythopoeic Society to authors of outstanding works in the fields of myth, fantasy, and the scholarly study of these areas. ... The British Fantasy Society (BFS) began in 1971 as the British Weird Fantasy Society, an off-shoot of the British Science Fiction Association. ... The August Derleth Award is an annual award given out (since 1972) by members of the British Fantasy Society for best novel of the year. ...

BBC World Service Radio Adaptation

Mike Walker has adapted Anansi Boys into a radio play for the BBC World Service. It stars Lenny Henry as Spider and Fat Charlie, Matt Lucas as Graham Coats and Tiger, Rudolph Walker (best known as Patrick Trueman on British soap opera Eastenders) as Anansi, Dona Croll as Mrs Noah and the Bird Woman, Tameka Empson as Mrs Higgler, Petra Letang as Rosie, Jocelyn Jee Esien as Daisy, and Ben Crowe as Cabbies and other voices. It was broadcast on the 17th of November 2007. It was directed by Anne Edyvean (who also worked on the radio 3 adaptation of Signal to Noise in 1996).[1] The BBC World Service is one of the most widely recognised international broadcasters, transmitting in 33 languages to many parts of the world through multiple technologies. ... Lenworth George Henry CBE, BA (Hons) English Literature (born 29 August 1958), better known as that black guy on the telly whos married to the fat one, is an English writer, comedian and actor. ... Matthew Richard Lucas (born March 5, 1974) is an English comedy actor. ... Rudolph Walker OBE (born 28 September 1939) is a British character actor. ... EastEnders is a popular BBC television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC1 on 19 February 1985[4] and continuing to date. ... Doña Croll (born 1959) is a Jamaican actress. ... Tameka Empson (born April 16 1977 in London England)[1]) is a British actress (stage[2] and screen) and comedienne who is perhaps best known for being one of the three main protagonists in the hidden-camera comedy sketch show 3 Non Blondes. ... Petra Letang is a British actress, probably best known for her role as Naomi Julien in EastEnders. ... Jocelyn Jee Esien (born March 2, 1979 in London, UK) is a British comedienne, who is famous for appearing in the BBC hidden camera show, 3 Non Blondes. ... Signal to Noise (ISBN 1569711445)is a graphic novel by written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean (Illustrator). ...

Translations

• Anansiho chlapci (Czech), ISBN 80-7332-079-7
• I ragazzi di Anansi (Italian), ISBN 88-04-55701-X
• בני אנאנסי (Hebrew)
• Os Filhos de Anansi (Portuguese), ISBN 972-23-3592-8
• Дети Ананси (Russian), ISBN 5-17-037493-3
• Chłopaki Anansiego (Polish), ISBN 83-7480-020-8
• Băieţii lui Anansi (Romanian), ISBN 973-733-103-6
• De bende van Anansi (Dutch), ISBN 902-455-385-7
• Los hijos de Anansi (Spanish), ISBN 978-84-96544-66-6

Hebrew redirects here. ...

Notes

External links

• Excerpt
• Review of Anansi Boys at SFFWorld.com
• Neil Gaiman - Anansi Boys interview - Three Monkeys Online Magazine
• Review of Anansi Boys at StarlightFading.net