Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

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Title: Anansi Boys

Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre: Fantasy

Length: 336 pages

Published: 2006

Publisher: HarperTouch

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads)

Fat Charlie Nancy's normal life ended the moment his father dropped dead on a Florida karaoke stage. Charlie didn't know his dad was a god. And he never knew he had a brother.

Now brother Spider's on his doorstep -- about to make Fat Charlie's life more interesting... and a lot more dangerous.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

My love for Neil Gaiman seriously grows with every book of his that I read. I read American Gods years ago, which is the first book featuring Anansi. Anansi Boys features the sons of Anansi and how they find each other. Spider mucks up Charlie's life, and the story just takes off from there.

As is usual in a Gaiman novel, the plot is anything but simple. You have a crooked boss, a mysterious brother, meddling old women, an awful soon-to-be mother-in-law, a fiance, a ghost, and a female detective. Oh, and did I mention? Charlie and his brother are the sons of the god Anansi. Except Charlie didn't inherit any of the god abilities. 

I really enjoyed this "sequel" to American Gods. I put sequel in quotes, because it is not a true sequel, merely one in the same world as American Gods, featuring one of the gods, Anansi, or more specifically his two sons. Definitely recommend it!

You can purchase Anansi Boys through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Anansi Boys? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

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Title: The Graveyard Book

Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre: Fantasy

Length: 312 pages

Published: 2008

Publisher: Harper Collins

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family . . .

Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his New York Times bestselling modern classic Coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

With every Gaiman book I pick up and read, my love for him grows. His characters and worlds are unique and fascinating. And he finds a way to wrap up every bit of the plot in a more than satisfactory manner. 

While Bod was, of course, my favorite character as he was the protagonist, the ghosts in the graveyard were also high on that list. Each ghost was from a different time period, had different ways of speaking, etc. Probably my favorite ghost was the witch Liza.

Silas was an enigma. You get small glimpses of who and what he is throughout the story, but Gaiman never lets you know the entirety, leaving him just as mysterious as in the beginning. 

Most of the story is filled with various adventures of Bod's as he grows up in the graveyard, and it's not until closer to the end when the danger of the Jacks truly becomes present in Bod's world. With the help of his ghost friends and the young lady, Scarlett, he finds himself having to try to save himself (and Scarlett) from certain death. Will he be successful? 

You can purchase The Graveyard Book through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Graveyard Book? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

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Title: Neverwhere

Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre: Fantasy

Length: 336 pages

Published: 1997

Publisher: Avon Books

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Richard Mayhew is a young man with a good heart and an ordinary life, which is changed forever when he stops to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk. His small act of kindness propels him into a world he never dreamed existed. There are people who fall through the cracks, and Richard has become one of them. And he must learn to survive in this city of shadows and darkness, monsters and saints, murderers and angels, if he is ever to return to the London that he knew.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

Richard is the unlikely hero who is able to see Door and ends up saving her life, in spite of his controlling fiance. After protecting her from some terrifying men who seem to want to kill her, Door leaves with an odd man named the Marquis de Carabas. Richard stays in for the remainder of the weekend and then everything changes. Suddenly it's as though he doesn't exist.

This sets him off on a whirlwind of adventure as he tries to track down Door and the Marquis de Carabas to find out how to fix it. He tags along on their adventure in spite of the Marquis' hesitations and they set off with a mysterious bodyguard named Hunter to find out who is trying to kill Door and who killed her family. 

This really is a great novel. Richard learns who he is, as well as about London Below (where the people who fall through the cracks end up) while having a terrifying adventure. I recommend it for every fantasy lover.

You can purchase Neverwhere through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Neverwhere? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

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Title: Stardust

Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre: Fantasy

Length: 238 pages

Published: 1999

Publisher: William Morrow & Company

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) In the sleepy English countryside at the dawn of the Victorian Era, life moves at a leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall--a secluded hamlet so named for an imposing stone barrier that surrounds a fertile grassland. Armed sentries guard the sole gap in the bulwark to keep the inquisitive from wandering through, relaxing their vigil only once every nine years, when a market fair unlike any other in the world of men comes to the meadow. Here in Wall, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to beautiful Victoria Forester. But Victoria is cold and distant--as distant, in fact, as the star she and Tristran see fall from the sky on a crisp October evening. For the coveted prize of Victoria's hand, Tristran vows to retrieve the fallen star and deliver it to his beloved. It is an oath that sends the lovelorn swain over the ancient wall, and propels him into a world that is strange beyond imagining.

But Tristran is not the only one seeking the heavenly jewel. There are those for whom it promises youth and beauty, the key to a kingdom, and the rejuvenation of dark, dormant magics. And a lad compelled by love will have to keep his wits about him to succeed and survive in this secret place where fallen stars come in many guises--and where quests have a way of branching off in unexpected directions, even turning back upon themselves in space and in time.

Neil Gaiman works his unique literary magic in new and dazzling ways in "Stardust, a novel that will shine in the heart and memory far beyond the turning of its final page.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

Tristran is half-human, half-faerie. Raised in the human world, he doesn't know that his mother is really only his step-mother and that his true mother is a faerie trapped by a witch. One night, he begs of the one girl he loves to kiss him and she will not. Nor will she marry him. However, when they see a star fall to the east, she promises she will give him anything he desires if he brings her the star. With barely a thought, he promises to do just that.

Thus begins his journey to find the star and bring it to the girl he loves. He gets some unlikely help, finds the star, and finds a lot of danger. For more than just Tristran are searching for the star. An evil witch seeks to take her heart to extend the lives of her and her sisters. Two princes seek the star, for she holds the key to one of them gaining the throne.

This was an excellent fantasy story. A coming of age story which holds danger, love, and friendship. I really enjoy reading Neil Gaiman's books, and Stardust definitely did not disappoint. Tristran and Yvaine are both lovable characters. I'm definitely going to have to check out the movie which was based off this book and see if it does the story any justice.

You can purchase Stardust through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Stardust? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

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Title: Coraline

Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Fantasy

Length: 195 pages

Published: 2006 (original publication date: 2002)

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Brief Synopsis: Coraline discovers a door in her house that is bricked up. The next time she opens the door, it's no longer bricked up. She follows the path and finds...her home, only better. However her other mother and other father have buttons for eyes and they want her to stay with them. She escapes, only to find that her real parents have been taken from her. She sets out to save them and herself from her other mother.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

This was a really fast read, which is great. I love to intermingle super fast reads and ones that take longer, as it makes the plodding through the slower/longer reads much easier to tolerate. 

This was the harrowing tale of plucky, young Coraline who loves to explore. Her explorations nearly cost her the lives of her parents, her freedom, and her own life. Through her own brand of cunning, she manages to save everyone, including herself from the horror on the other side of the door. 

If you enjoy a really good middle-grade to young adult scary story, then pick up Coraline.

Neil Gaiman is truly a master, and I really enjoyed this delightful tale. You'll be seeing quite a few more reviews on his books in the upcoming weeks, as I have a stack of them waiting for me.

You can purchase Coraline through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Coraline? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.