Neverwhere

Rating:
Summary: My First Neil Gaiman Book And, So Far, My Favorite
Review: Even though I read "Neverwhere" several years ago (this was my first Gaiman book), I decided to re-read it to refresh my memory, so I could write this review. Even after all this time, this is still my favorite book by Neil Gaiman. I even lent it to my sister beforehand, and she finished it off in one day, which was an amazing feat since it took me considerably longer to finish (and I'm usually a faster reader), and she's relatively picky about what she reads. (She gives this book high marks too.)

Now on to the plot. (Skip the next two paragraphs if you'd rather not know what this book is about. Don't worry; I've tried to keep all spoilers as to how it ends out.)

"Neverwhere," which is Gaiman's first solo novel (he's co-written a few others, like "Good Omens" with Terry Pratchett, a novel that has considerable similarities to this one), is about Richard Mayhew, a Londoner who saves a wounded young woman (Door) who has somehow stumbled into London Above (the world we live in). She is from London Below, an underground world that has barely changed for hundreds of years.

After their meeting, Richard's identity is unexplainably lost--or rather, he becomes somewhat of a ghost. Therefore he must enter London Below and find a way to get his life back, by joining up with Door and her traveling companions--her bodyguard: the infamous Hunter, and the shady marquis de Carabas--who are in an avenging quest to find out who murdered Door's family. Along the way, Richard encounters a colony of subterranean rat-speakers, visits a "moving" market, boards a subway train containing a medieval court, and even has the pleasure of meeting a real live angel ("Good Omens" all over again).

"Neverwhere" is a delightfully witty and humorous dark fantasy, though not dark or somber enough to be considered a horror novel, in my opinion. What makes this book so hard to put down--besides the wit and humor--is its fast pace (even though it is 370 pages) and the strikingly well-developed characters, like the protagonist (Richard), who is my favorite in here, though the two assassins are a high second. This is definitely a must-read if you're into fantasies. Like Stephen King's "It", this book will have you glancing down sewer drains while you're walking and wondering what's below your feet.

Rating:
Summary: Dislike your name? Be thankful it's not "Door."
Review: Such a dark fantasy, complete with killer angels, life-sucking velvets (don't ask), urban-legend "crocodiles in the sewers" monsters, and lycantropic assasins, wouldn't usually be my thing. In addition, Gaiman's often-graphic descriptions of the London Below and its grimy inhabitants are enough to turn one's stomach. Still, the book kept me absolutely hooked while I wolfed it down.

Basically, the premise of the story is that there is a London Above and London Below. And that ostensibly, there is Paris Above, Moscow Above, New York Above, and then, there are their "below" counterparts. And if you ever cross into the "below," you can say bye-bye to your normal life. You become... well, not exactly invisible, but so utterly insignificant in your world, so absolutely forgettable, that your family will soon forget you've ever existed... and then, you'll have no options but to go back to the London Below. And you don't want to do that. It's ugly. It's dirty. It's wet. There are horrid creatures of all sorts, including two assassins that are strange man-beasts, one a fox, one a wolf, and that have burned Troy, tortured a medieval convent-ful of nuns to painful death and killed two "accredited gods." And somewhere, there is the Beast, which reminded me of the horrid creature in Le Pacte de Loup, but was, basically, a slightly glorified urban legend. I mean, haven't you heard about them alligators in the sewers? The book actually states, at one point, the various monsters under different cities. The London Below, according to a woman-bravo (a bodyguard) named Hunter, has an overgrown (hey, it's been feeding on sewage since 17th century), mean, nasty... but you'll know when you get there.

This is the world into which a perfectly normal, rational, boring man by the name of Richard Mayhew is catapulted when he helps a girl bleeding on the sidewalk. The girl's name is Door (yes, like the one you open--don't ask). By the end of the book, the incongruity of that name will have long stopped bothering you...

The book is fascinating, not only for the story itself, which is old in some respects (after all, Gaiman is not the first to suggest the idea of a parallel world) and novel in other, but also, in the clever language, dark (sometimes midnight-dark) humor and excellent literary references. For instance, the big, black scoundrel of a guide that the main characters, Richard and Door, use for navigation around the London Below, is named Marquis de Carabas. Everything about him is oddly reminiscent of a cat, bringing to mind Mikhail Bulgakov's odd black talking cat Behemoth from the great Master & Margarita. Well! It took me a day or so to realize that Marquis de Carabas was actually the name the clever Puss-in-the-Boots from the old Pierrot fairy-tale picked for his poor master. There are subtle references to Milton (getting them will make you feel cool about yourself, and not getting them will not spoil your enjoyment of the book) and not-so-subtle ones to the Wizard of Oz (you'll definitely get those!).

The book will prove particularly interesting to anyone familiar with London and especially, the London uneground. Gaiman's wild imagination enlivens the names of the old Tube stations: there is an Earl in Earl's Court (an actual decrepit old man, who has his own court, complete with a court fool; his whole entourage is feeding on Cadbury bars and Coca-Cola out of the station vending machines), a Raven in Ravenscourt, the Knightsbridge is actually Night's Bridge--a Bridge covered with eternal, threatening, dangerous darkness. And Angel Islington is an angel named Islington. :) And the Floating Market is held at Harrod's. :)

I highly recommend this to anyone with the taste for an unusual adventure, dark humour, and spell-binding story.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: I wish there were more books like this one! The first book I've read in a while that I wanted to start again as soon as i was finished.

Rating:
Summary: I Love The Way This Author Thinks!
Review: Neverwhere was my first Gaiman read. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Richard Mayhew transform from somewhat of a slug in the early chapters, into a hero. Gaiman's imagination is boundless. The manner in which he described 'below London' was unique and written with abandon. There were surprises around every corner. His villains were truly vile, and his heroes were truly heroic. Although some of the characters kept you guessing as to whose side they were on, ultimately this is a good-versus-evil story. Previous reviewers have given you the gist of the story. I'd just like to say I feel I've discovered a diamond in Gaiman. He's now one of my favorite writers. I'm reading STARDUST next.

Rating:
Summary: Neverwhere wish i was there
Review: Neil Gaiman takes a to a world of incredible imagination with his book Neverwhere. I am blown away by his concepts and character ideas. I completely fell in love with characters such as the marquis de carbas and hunter. The evil characters are so well put together that you find yourself gripping the pages when you read their names. I was completely taken away by this book and its concept and story. I think neil gaiman must be a real genius to think of the things and write the story he did. Amazing.

Rating:
Summary: Great fun.
Review: A really fun book to read, exactly as it should be and completely compelling and spellbinding, with none of the credibility gaps this kind of story is prey to. Just great fun!

Rating:
Summary: "Neverwhere": an anticlimactic novel
Review: "Neverwhere" is the first book I've read by Neil Gaiman. Now that I've finished it, I hope that his other books are a bit more captivating. I'd be interested to see.

While I *really* loved the opening of this book, I found that as it went on, I continually waited for a turning point -- that particular chapter where the reader stops picking it up just to turn pages, and instead picks it up because the plot has become interesting. I found Nail Gaiman's description very unique, and for that reason I enjoyed "Neverwhere", but I had trouble identifying with Richard Mayhew and Door, the two main characters. While well constructed, both seemed to fall flat, especially as the book went on.

The book was flooded with scenes (which, I might add, are usually jumped to and from, so that there are sometimes up to three scenes "occuring" at the same time. Few scenes last for more than five pages before jumping to another), but each followed a typical surreal-fantasy structure, making them contrived and at times, vapid. "Neverwhere" seemed more a novel of Gaiman's ideas -- perhaps dream sequences and scenes -- but even Gaiman seems hardly invested in his own characters.

In the end, I found "Neverwhere" to be anticlimactic and disappointing. Instead, I recommend "Sabriel", "Lirael", and "Abhorsen," by Garth Nix.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but definitely pre-"American Gods"
Review: I like Neil Gaiman. His writing is deft yet fluid, always flowing through descriptions like the water in the sewer tunnels he creates in "Neverwhere." The concept is very interesting -- homeless people all over the world aren't really as homeless as they may seem... they craft societies and have fiefdoms and lordships, and these little societies mysterious hold people who are as young as infants, and as old as the Roman legions. The ones that conquered Britain.

"Neverwhere" is a throughly enjoyable read. Mystery, adventure, and suspense all rolled into one, from the benevolent angel Islington to the almost comical Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar... who are also scary and extremely creepy. But "Neverwhere" doesn't flow quite as well as Gaiman's later novels, there are a few plotline hitches, occasionally the author seems to disbelieve himself what he's writing, and takes a bit before he goes back on track. But this is indeed an excellent book, and I highly recommend it. It's hard to put down, but not glued to your hand like "American Gods."

In summary, I recommend this book, like I recommend any Gaiman novel. Although it still goes into my library ranked below "American Gods."

Rating:
Summary: Nice premise, but a bit... boring?
Review: I'm having a great deal of trouble getting into this book. I've read massive novels such as Imajica which is perhaps similar to Neverwhere, and have thoroughly enjoyed them, but with Neverwhere... well, I'm just bored by the book. If you're looking for a fun read, then look elsewhere :)

Rating:
Summary: The Neil Gaiman Experience
Review: I'll try not to gush. I can babble on and on forever on how wonderfully AWESOME Neil Gaiman is, but I'll just let you read this book.

The plot, in a nutshell: Richard, a Londoner, is going out to eat with his high maintenence fiancee, Jessica, when he sees a wounded young girl on the sidewalk. Feeling pity, he skips dinner and takes her home. When he awakes, he is faced with strange predicaments involving hired assasins, a charismatic con man, angels, and, most importantly, an alternate world in the London underground. The adventure that follows is one of fantasy and beauty.

I loved this book. I never wanted it to end. For those of you who are Douglas Adams readers, Richard is a character who is actually quite comparable to that of Arthur Dent. As for the hired asassins, they bear more than just a little resemblance to the New Firm in Terry Pratchett's "The Truth". Door-the wounded girl-, the Marquis De Carabas (the con), and Islington (the angel) are so richly characterized that they are simply their own characters. The whole story is absolutely rife with imagination. You are drawn into the story so that you care very much about the characters, almost as if you were in the story yourself. When the characters are scared, you are scared. When they are happy, you are happy. When there was a shock, I gasped audibly. The only flaw in Gaiman's amazing story, is that the book itself is so wonderful that you are unsatisfied once you've finished it. To sum my review up: READ THIS BOOK! It is wonderful, and is really an experience unto itself.