Book Review: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Richard Mayhew is a normal guy with a normal life, until one day he finds a young girl bleeding in the street. He lifts her up and takes her home, this Good Samaritan act quickly catapulting himself out of his safe, everyday life in London Above into another world called London Below. London Below is located down in the sewers of London and is a dangerous, magical place inhabited by people who have fallen through the cracks. He soon embarks on a mission with the injured girl, called Door, in an attempt to seek vengeance for her parent's deaths. Along the way, they meet an eclectic, diverse range of people (and animals) that live below the streets of London...

"I mean, maybe I am crazy. I mean, maybe. But if this is all there is, then I don't want to be sane."

This was my first Neil Gaiman experience, and it's pretty safe to say that I'm now hooked. The wit and humour in his writing is a joy to read. Already I can tell he is a deft hand when it comes to creating fantastical worlds that will suck you in and entrap you until you reach the final page. I devoured this book within a very small number of sittings, reading up to 100 pages in one go, which is very unlike me. I usually read in small chunks but more often.

What I loved most about this book was the creation of a world that is actually very similar to ours in a lot of ways, but has had a touch of magic added. London Below is basically a parallel of London Above, but with a few enhancements and mystical beings. The story is consistently full of suspense and moves at a quick pace, there was never a lull in the story in which boredom would set in for a few pages. As for the ending... wow. During the book I kept wondering how he would wrap it all up and end it, and what Gaiman executes is perfection. Loved it. Understated, yet poignant.

My only teeny tiny nit-pick for Neverwhere is the main protagonist, Richard. I wasn't a fan, he was just too whiney and annoying and not someone you'd really root for? His relationship with his fiance Jess (sorry, Jessica *rolls eyes*) alone was enough to make me dislike him. Dude, you're so under the thumb it makes me feel kinda nauseous. Ain't no woman that great! However, this minor annoyance attests to the fact that this story and world that Gaiman created was wonderful enough that I could overlook this character and still give this book a stellar rating.

I will now consider myself a Gaiman fan and look forward to reading more of his books. I can definitely see the attraction and why so many bookstagrammers rate him so highly. A truly magical writer. 5 stars out of 5 from me!

Johann

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