Review: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Amazon Summary

Neverwhere's protagonist, Richard Mayhew, learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished. He ceases to exist in the ordinary world of London Above, and joins a quest through the dark and dangerous London Below, a shadow city of lost and forgotten people, places, and times. His companions are Door, who is trying to find out who hired the assassins who murdered her family and why; the Marquis of Carabas, a trickster who trades services for very big favors; and Hunter, a mysterious lady who guards bodies and hunts only the biggest game. London Below is a wonderfully realized shadow world, and the story plunges through it like an express passing local stations, with plenty of action and a satisfying conclusion. The story is reminiscent of Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but Neil Gaiman's humor is much darker and his images sometimes truly horrific. Puns and allusions to everything from Paradise Lost to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz abound, but you can enjoy the book without getting all of them. Gaiman is definitely not just for graphic-novel fans anymore.

First Impressions

Neverwhere reads as a sardonic and mildly twisted cautionary tale about what happens when a citizen slips beneath the cracks of society and falls into irrelevance.

Gaiman is impressive in his ability to construct a fantastical world that is vibrant, evocative and, most importantly, believable. He does not fall victim to the curse of lesser fantasy authors, in which the fantastical is trotted out on display like some sort of carnival attraction. What makes Gaiman's fantasy so successful is that it effortlessly blends believability into the prose, even when describing the most fantastical of images, such as: floating markets that appear inside of art museums, an underground shadow world known as London Below, characters that more closely resemble cats, rats, and birds than people, and so forth.

The reader is treated to exceptional prose, coupled with a fluid pace that never leaves the reader dragging reluctantly behind. Also striking, is his ability to showcase the inner workings of his characters through their actions. Description is fleeting and sparse, but when used manages to convey so much thought, albeit in so few words.

But ultimately, Gaiman's true strength lies in his ability to blend folklore, mythology, biblical narrative, history, horror, fantasy, humor and great works of fiction in a way that resonates as perfectly natural.

Final Thoughts

Gaiman is a master of fantasy. Neverwhere comes highly recomended to anyone looking for a great story. Pick up this book. You won't regret it.