Neverwhere

Chances are many of you have heard of this one, or at least of its author.

Neverwhere is not Gaiman’s best-known or best-selling book. Not by a long shot on either score. But it is my personal favorite, in part because it is less flashy than his other books, while managing to be just as exciting and suspenseful.

Like all of Gaiman’s work, it is at once humorous and dark, fanciful and brutally believable. Our hero, Richard Mayhew, is hapless but ultimately lovable. Our villains, a pair of killers named Croup and Vandemar, are terrifying.

And the characters we discover… show more.

This is Gaiman at his best. I loved his truly original hidden world of 'London Below,’ as it is unlike anything I had ever seen before. We get such a meaningful story with characters that we care about, exploring a fascinating world that is far from safe, lurking right beneath our feet, just beyond our perception.

And I was in awe of all the great characters.

The Marquis de Carabas is just brilliant. Nothing more needs to be said.

I was truly impressed with the bantering between Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, so spot on for creepy hitmen of undetermined… show more.

Gaiman is a master of urban fantasy, but I picked this early novel of his because it’s set in London, a city I know better than any in the US. He makes excellent use of the names of London tube stations and other old landmarks to suggest a deeper, more magical history behind them, and uses it to create a working community just outside our visual range.

I am a sucker for an adventure especially if it involves night markets, monsters, and black magic and Neverwhere has it all.  An unwilling hero (the best kind) Richard Mayhew helps an injured woman on the street and as a result finds himself in the dark, terrifying, and ancient world of London Below. It’s Alice in Wonderland meets Wizard of Oz with a hint Dickensian crack. 

Gaiman has no boundaries, turning all literary archetypes on their heads. The first time I read this I was like ‘Wait, you can do that?!’ He does. This book not only altered the way… show more.

Ever wonder what it would be like if you stumble through a magic portal and end up among the fairy folk? Well, this book recounts it for you, but make sure to hold a scented handkerchief over your nose while you read. You’ll be meeting a host of unwashed fae characters living in the sewers of London. They are eccentric and disgusting and annoying, but the good ones are thoroughly lovable despite all their shortcomings. This book must be read with an adventurer’s heart, else most of what you read will make little sense. Be forewarned: Gaiman has a knack… show more.

How can one not like this book? It sucks you in without you realizing what life’s moral story it is based on. There is no preaching or in your face. Just excitement and entertainment. In the end when you realize the story is about homeless people who are totally ignored in everyday life you say “Wow” and realize the moral of the story. And it hits many of us one way or another and how we look at those less fortunate. What a master Neil is, to entertain and teach. 

This book allows readers to strongly visualize Neil’s fantasy world and get lost in it. The descriptions are enough to tantalize and run with, and the world that’s built through Neil’s classic prose comes alive on each page. Even if you’re not a fan of the fantasy genre, there’s enough grounded in aspects of reality that make it worth a look.