spider songs

[maribou]

Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman
This is my most favorite Neil Gaiman book ever, including any of his comics. Which is saying rather a lot. Also, you know who it reminds me of? Roald Dahl. Like, Matilda-type Roald Dahl. For grown-ups. Which is probably another one of my weird noone-else-sees-it slantwise associations, since everyone is all 'blah blah Douglas Adams blah blah Wodehouse" (okay, where everyone = Susanna Clarke, but whatever). Still, I couldn't get the likeness out of my head.
SO SO SO GOOD. And refreshing to be able to say that after what feels like rather a slew of enh in the fantasy department of late.
(208/200)

Comments

An inarticulate statement of agreement with no real spoilers.

[gement.livejournal.com]

There's a lot of Dahl going on, particularly in the dynamics with the villain and the dead person and Rose's horrible old mum... I hadn't thought of it that way, but yeah, wow, yeah.

I had to think about it real real hard to figure out where the hell they were getting Wodehouse after I read it... but that's because all the Wodehouse is in the first half. The Results of The Ill-Considered Night Out, and all that. All Wodehouse flavor is lost when Charlie has to stagger on and sort out his own problems.

As far as Adams, comparing any of the Holy Three Modern BritGeeks to each other is just gratuitous at this point, however accurate it is. They have some very similar stylistic elements or we wouldn't lump them together, so why belabor it? The afterlife bits do seem very Adams in retrospect, as does the attack in Spider's bedroom (you know the one), but it didn't even occur to me to compare at the time.

I will have to let it age and think more about how I liked it. My first impression was "too fluffy," but damn it, that's the POINT of a comedy. So I just need to get my brain to shift gears from Sandman and American Gods, in which death is a large and depressing thing, rather than something irritating that messes with your cell reception.

My only objection was that there were points that foreshadowing was dropped in like a brick, and I wish he wouldn't because it's distracting. I'd rather catch the bit with him enjoying watching the bird singing on the second read and go, "Oh Gaiman, you BASTARD."

Re: An inarticulate statement of agreement with no real spoilers.

[maribou]

Very interesting points...
I am afraid I can't really get into discussing them because I will not be able to resist the urge to spoil like mad.

I kind of liked the foreshadowing though. I know it's clunky but I like the ominous shadows of doom coming through on the first read.