Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

I was insanely excited to read Anansi Boys - so much so that I overcame my natural cheapness and purchased a hardcover copy. Sadly, there's not a whole lot I can say about this book, other than that it is very Neil Gaiman-y, and that it was a bit of a disappointment.

Anansi Boys is a sequel to American Gods, which I read quite a while ago and don't really remember... (something about gods being brought to America and losing their power as the people who believed in them died off or lost interest, and the gods are pissed, and there's a big battle or some such - I remember enjoying it enough to buy it for my little brother for xmas a few years ago, but, alas, the details are gone - it can perhaps go in the re-read pile).

Anyway, Anansi Boys follows the drama of Fat Charlie (who, by the way, isn't fat, and is a typical Gaiman protagonist - very much like the guy in Neverwhere - kind of dull and boring until something supernaturally weird happens and he discovers his hidden depths and realizes he's shockingly handsome, has a crazy adventure, and then ends up with a cool special lady friend) through his discovery of a missing brother named Spider, some future mother-in-law drama, some drinking and hijinks, a murder, a big fight, and an eventual jolly ending.

I'm not quite sure what was missing - I mean, I enjoyed the book and I usually love Neil Gaiman - an old coworker of mine pretty much summed it up for me: "oooh, he's dreamy AND he can write..." indeed. It just didn't quite do it for me this time. Dammit, Neil, don't make me stop loving you.