Scan barcode
A review by bickleyhouse
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is actually the fifth time I have read this book, which must mean it is my favorite book.
I can't say enough good things about Neverwhere. For me, it is the ultimate fantasy/horror novel. We meet our protagonist, Richard Mayhew, going about his normal, boring life, going out with work "friends," being engaged to a pretty girl, and about to have dinner with her boss, a rich man who owns part of pretty much everything in London.
On their way to dinner, they stumble across a girl, who is mostly unconscious, and appears to have been beaten. She is dirty, and dressed in layers of clothing, such as a homeless person might be. Richard, risking the ire of Jessica, his fiancé, decides that he cannot simply leave this girl alone, so he picks her up and carries her back to his apartment. This girl turns out to be named Door, is from London Underground, and is being hunted by a couple of nefarious dudes named Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, a couple of villains who would rival the infamously creepy Uriah Heep.
After saving Door, and helping her regain some of her health, Richard is sent on a mission to find someone who can escort Door back to the Underground. Eventually, Richard finds himself on an adventure that is beyond his own ability to believe.
Mr. Gaiman's writing is fabulous. There is humor, there is violence, there is danger, and some of the most insanely weird beings and people that I have ever encountered. At every turn, it seems as though we meet something or someone even stranger than before, from Serpentine to the Velvets, to the Angel Islington. I absolutely love this book, and will probably read it again.
I can't say enough good things about Neverwhere. For me, it is the ultimate fantasy/horror novel. We meet our protagonist, Richard Mayhew, going about his normal, boring life, going out with work "friends," being engaged to a pretty girl, and about to have dinner with her boss, a rich man who owns part of pretty much everything in London.
On their way to dinner, they stumble across a girl, who is mostly unconscious, and appears to have been beaten. She is dirty, and dressed in layers of clothing, such as a homeless person might be. Richard, risking the ire of Jessica, his fiancé, decides that he cannot simply leave this girl alone, so he picks her up and carries her back to his apartment. This girl turns out to be named Door, is from London Underground, and is being hunted by a couple of nefarious dudes named Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, a couple of villains who would rival the infamously creepy Uriah Heep.
After saving Door, and helping her regain some of her health, Richard is sent on a mission to find someone who can escort Door back to the Underground. Eventually, Richard finds himself on an adventure that is beyond his own ability to believe.
Mr. Gaiman's writing is fabulous. There is humor, there is violence, there is danger, and some of the most insanely weird beings and people that I have ever encountered. At every turn, it seems as though we meet something or someone even stranger than before, from Serpentine to the Velvets, to the Angel Islington. I absolutely love this book, and will probably read it again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Torture