Spider Boy

Author: Neil Gaiman (Author), Ma Xiao (Translator)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-02-01
Features: The source of all inspiration is the myth of the gods of Africa. The spider goddess Anansi from Ghana came to America with the enslaved people—Anansi doesn’t quite count as a god. He is a god, a god who lives next door. He is greedy, lustful, and cunning, and full of lies. But he is also kind, lucky, and even occasionally honest. Sometimes he is a good person, sometimes a bad one, but he is never truly evil. Neil Gaiman describes this book as "a fantasy horror thriller ghost romance family epic," and not only that, he cleverly blends the essence of comedy, fast-paced horror, and the plot of a crime novel, making this story about good and evil appear superficially without profound meaning, yet fundamentally strikes the hearts of ordinary people and the cruelty of their romantic legends. At the same time, it is also a powerful portrayal of family, shattering the fear of bringing loved ones together and offering endless comfort and courage like a bedtime story. It even hints at the key elements of continuing the human species, which are the driving force behind this extraordinary entertainment novel. This is a lie that exposes all the hype, the most cunning of all cunning gods—the spider god Anansi, a method of thinking and solving problems, and the beginning of people using their minds, and an interesting beginning to transform the world. The novel was immediately ranked No. 1 on the bestseller lists of The New York Times and Publishers Weekly, receiving widespread praise from various media. It tells the story of Charlie B. living a normal life in London. When he calls his long-lost father in America to attend his wedding, he discovers his father has just died. Charlie B. goes to Florida for his father’s funeral, and then a thrilling story unfolds because he discovers two things: , his father is the spider god Anansi, a trickster god from Africa, and second, he has a brother named "Spider" who has inherited some of his father’s divine powers. Spider possesses all the virtues Charlie B. lacks: luck, cheerfulness, confidence, and his father’s smooth-tongued charm and talent for pursuing women. His appearance disrupts Charlie B.’s orderly life, stealing his job, his fiancée, and even his best room. Worse still, he frames Charlie B. for embezzlement and murder, leaving him imprisoned. Charlie B. has no choice but to return to Florida, trying to escape his brother’s interference. With the help of magic, he enters the soul world where the totem animal gods reside, but the story becomes even more complex and eerie from then on. The gods take the two brothers on a series of terrifying adventures. As the other son of the spider god Anansi, can Charlie B. redeem the harm he has caused his brother? Can he save Spider and the world from the supernatural powers he has unintentionally unleashed? Can life return to normal?