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Summary: The Hitchhikers Guide to the sewers and rooftops of London!
Review: Not since Douglas Adams' everyman protagonist Arthur Dent began his intergalactic adventures in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has such a clever mix of humor, adventure and strange new worlds been seen on the literary front. The story moves at breakneck pace from street to sewer to rooftop, and you'll never look at your city quite the same again. I loved Neverwhere so much I went out and bought Neil's new book "Stardust" today!
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Summary: Alice meets the Wizard of Oz
Review: This was one of the best books I have read in ages. I could not put it down and began to re-read it the moment I finished! Neil Gaiman not only has a fantastic imagination, he has a great sense of humor and we are just so lucky that he has decided to share both that and his amazing talent with us. I can't wait to read Stardust!If you read one book this year - read this one. A magical, mysterious romp in a world you can only hope really exists. My next vacation is going to be to London Underground.
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Summary: Have you ever wished it was just a dream?
Review: Neil Gaiman is a writer for writers. "Neverwhere" will force even a synical story teller to suspend his/her disbelief. You can't help but be sucked into his world, and by the end, you may not mind at all.
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Summary: Subterranean Paradise
Review: I first saw this book in a local library. Then for the next year, I struggled to find an available copy. Finally, I bought it from a bookstore. The wait was so worth it. This book took me new places as far as the concept of alternate universes. Instead of relying on the old and worn-our cliche of seperate dimensions, Gaiman has created an enchanting world that is intertwined with our own mundane existence. His imagination and writing flair made this other world a real place full of the types of characters that would be abhorred in any other context. Instead, people the like de Carabas become heroes. In our world, he would have been a conniving scoundrel. In his world, he represents the one thing that really matters, self-preservation. How long could an up-worlder last in this place? Richard Mayhew is the oddest type of hero. Rather than brave, he is a normal person who is way over his head, as he points out numerous times. Yet, his heroism lies in the fact that he survived long enough to earn his own right of existence within the new world. Then, the ultimate irony that pops up throughout the whole book is brilliant. First, the angel is the villain. Secondly, the protector of the heroine betrays her. Finally, and most wonderfully, Richard's quest to return home is realized. But, then, London proper is simply to normal for him. He thinks of the places he has been and the people he has met. How could he ever be happy in the context of his own world? The ultimate moment in the book is the point at which Richard realizes that he himself has fallen through the cracks and he wouldn't want it any other way. Finally, Croup and Vandemar are the two most lovable, bloodthirsty, villains that I have ever read about. Their comedic interludes were a wonderful symbol of the underworld, where nothing is as it seems. Thank You
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Summary: Welcome to the underground, Mind the Gap
Review: Neverwhere fallows a basic fantasy archetype and it is not Gaimen's deepest or most original work but I haven't felt this type of fantastic magick course through my veins since reading the Hobbit. One you finish the book the characters remain with you for a long time. A great feat of fantasy. Every word seems to hold a little piece of magick for you to unlock. Neverwhere is a cross between Tolkein, Carroll and Lovecraft with a dash of Ellison thrown in for good measure. Rollicking fantastic adventure that makes you think, wonder, and imagine. Neverwhere drags you in to its story and won't let you go until you finish that last page. The characters are memorable and real. It is not Neil Gaimen's best or deepest work, but I haven't had this much fun reading a book since Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle.
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Summary: I lived in Gaimans "London Below" for 3 days.
Review: This is quite possibly the best book that I have read this week. I entered Gaimans fictitious world three days ago. I do not regret losing the real world for those three days, as I felt as though I really experienced that world. Yes, It's that vivid! Yes, It;s that wonderfuk. I urge you to lose yourself in this world with me.
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Summary: The best book I've read in a while
Review: When I first bought the book, I was a bit skeptical, but I'm glad I bought it! I couldn't put it down. The book went everywhere with me. I'm a high school student and the books we read are nowhere near this one. It's a great read and I'd recommend it to anyone.
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Summary: This book erased New York City while I was reading it
Review: I was so entranced by this book that New York became somewhere else. The subways I always travel on became subsitutes for those in London. The phrase "Mind the gap" still bothers me while I'm waiting for the 1 train at 59th street. I lent Neverwhere to a friend of mine and she wanted the book cover, but I refused to give it to her, fearing that she would harm it. I know that doesn't really have anything to do with a book review, but it speaks volumes about the book itself.
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Summary: dark and elegant
Review: I discovered Neil Gaiman as the text author of the 4 part graphic novel "Stardust"(now available as a novel.) The illustrator, Charles Vess, is a master of his craft, and Gaiman is equally so. "Neverwhere" is a dark, creepy, wholly satisfying book, full of familiar, but not old characters. I scarfed this book in one evening, licking my chops all the while. The villians are horrifying, the heroes are amusing and sympathetic, and the storyline crackles. I do recommend this book to fantasy/horror lovers, and check out the illustrated "Stardust" too...if you can find it!
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Summary: Never Say Never Here...
Review: Move over Lewis Carroll. The same for you, J.R.R. Tolkein. Oh, yeah... and you, too, Douglas Adams. See, there's a new kid in town, and his name is Neil Gaiman. Responsible for the successful graphic series, Sandman, Gaiman first wrote the story of Neverwhere for a BBC mini-series which aired in the early 90s. Despite enjoying equal success, Gaiman wasn't satisfied with the final results; he took his idea and enhanced it in a novel. Neverwhere tells the story of Richard Mayhew, a fairly bland, Everyman who works in London. He's engaged to a gorgeous, but demanding and money-obsessed, woman named Jessica and has a fairly normal life, apartment, and job. Until Door shows up. En route to an important dinner with his fiancée, Richard finds Door, a young, frail, almost-woman on the street, bleeding and unconscious. For some reason he cannot explain, he picks her up and takes her back to his apartment, leaving an angry fiancée behind. This is when his world is turn literally upside down. The moment he scoops Door into his arms is the moment his life changes. Reality as he knows it no longer exists, and soon Richard learns that everything he knows must be quickly forgotten if he is to survive in London Below. Pursued by the dangerous Mssrs. Croup and Vandemar, who revel in the mere thought of torture and murder, Richard and Door disappear behind doors and through tunnels, moving above and below in mystical moments of magic. Joined by the pompous Marquis as their guide and the stony bodyguard, Hunter, Richard and Door seek to discover who murdered Door's family. We know it's Croup and Vandemar. But who gave the order? I admit that the person I initially thought was the Head Honcho was not, in fact, that, and when it was revealed who the Bad Guy was, surprise crossed my face. At this point, you DO realize I'm not going to tell you who that person is. :) Gaiman has a gift for magically transporting his readers into other worlds. Deftly merging images of people and animals, Gaiman seamlessly moves through various sections of London Above to present the parallel, darker world of London Below. As Richard struggles to understand what is happening and how to get home, we delight in the whimsical exploration of areas, streets, tubes, and shops, well known in reality, yet in this world, the twist is simply wicked. Size doesn't matter here; inside a subway car can exist a richly court. Doors can be opened wherever and whenever; through pictures, brick, and in mid-air. And who would ever expect a floating market to take place in Harrods, one of the richest department stores in the world? I found myself devouring Gaiman's words as quickly as possible in an effort to reach the ending before it had a chance to escape and run away from me. I wasn't sorry when it ended; it's open enough for a sequel, although Gaiman has expressed no interest in further exploring other cities Below. His latest effort, Stardust, is, I understand, very similar in tone to this text, and I look forward to exploring that world next. Gaiman is also working with Jim Henson's Studios on a movie version of Neverwhere, and hopefully that will satisfy him. Fans already praise the BBC series. Now if I could get my hands on a copy.... Do yourself a favor and read Neverwhere for the sheer magical enjoyment of London Below. Like Alice in Wonderland, The Hobbit, and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Neverwhere is a wonderfully expressive, FUN book to read any time, any where. And who knows... maybe someone will appear in your life and take you on a mystical journey down Below.
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