Anasasi Boys

Anasasi Boys, written by Neil Gaiman, is an epic fantasy novel that tastefully incorporates African myths into a contemporary setting. The story introduces us to the life of Charlie (and more menacingly named Fat Charlie by his father), a downtrodden Londoner who leads an exceptionally unenthusiastic life. One day, he hears of his father’s death in Florida, which halts him to make plans for his wedding with Rosie, which he has already had hesitations about. He travels to Florida and discovers that his father is actually an incarnation of the West African spider god, Anasasi - and his powers have been passed down to his kindlings. However, Charlie has not inherited any of his father’s power; this leads to the discovery of his other brother, a confident and incredibly charming man named Spider who is the complete opposite of Charlie.

Spider proceeds to make quite the mess of Charlie’s life - from impersonating Charlie at work, and having an affair with his life, Charlie’s problems only exacerbate when his boss, Grahame Coates, frames Charlie for embezzlement. Charlie, enraged and bitter towards Spider and the turn of events, seeks help from ancient gods who are similar to his father. However, none agree to help except for Bird Woman, who concedes to helping him expel Spider in exchange for Anasasi’s bloodline. The plot escalates into Charlie and Spider fighting, the emergence of Grahame Coates and his murder of Maeve Livingstone, and Tiger, Anasasi’s longtime enemy, who seeks to kill both Spider and Charlie. Ultimately, Spider and Charlie pair up to defeat Tiger, and Charlie discovers his powers in the form of storytelling to alter reality. The story ends with Charlie becoming confident in his own abilities and himself, and both Spider and Charlie lead their lives with mutual harmony.

Anasasi Boys was an incredibly enjoyable read; the myths that Gaiman incorporated in the story are tastefully reinvented, and although Gaiman has used the myths for his own purposes, he the true nature of the myths are not undermined by his own fictional writing. The myth was made relevant to the contemporary world by incorporating African deities into the story - for example, Anasasi is the actual African god of tricks, and Anasis’s son in Anasis Boys reflect that trait.