Anansi Boys

In the beginning, all stories belonged to Tiger, and they were full of blood and fear and the ferocity of the hunt. Then Anansi, Spider, talked Mawu, he who created all things, into giving the stories to Anansi, and the stories changed. They were full of mischief and cleverness and joy for living. The world was a different place.

Until, that is, the two sons of Anansi almost gave the stories back to Tiger.

This novel by Neil Gaiman is definitely a fun ride, full of magic and intriguing characters and the impossibility of getting along with your relations. It's not his best book by far, but still worth reading. I think he didn't do a very good job with the foreshadowing, it was a little heavy-handed, and I don't think he handled Britishness quite as well as actual Brits like Terry Pratchett (Gaiman is American, I believe).

The Americans, however, are all very authentic and amusing, and Spider's relationship with Fat Charlie (the two sons of Anansi) was terrific. Once he gets going, Gaiman is a poet in prose.