Top ten folk tales in fiction

Dan Coxon is the editor of the anthology, This Dreaming Isle. One of his top ten folk tales in fiction, a shared at the Guardian:

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

There’s an argument to be made for Gaiman’s American Gods, but this novel has always been a personal favourite and its focus on west African folklore still feels both refreshing and rich. Brothers Fat Charlie and Spider set about exploring and exploiting their shared heritage as the offspring of the trickster god Anansi. Fuelled by Gaiman’s vigorously inventive imagination, it shows how a story can be simultaneously rooted in tradition and shockingly new.

Read about another entry on the list.

Anansi Boys is among Nicole Hill's five top fantasies rooted in folklore.

--Marshal Zeringue