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A review by erikachung182
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
5.0
Strong and exciting in the beginning, a bit slow and drawn out near the middle, but the ending was amazing.
Neverwhere is like a darker version of Alice in Wonderland (but then again, Alice in Wonderland certainly had its own twits and turns too). Richard, like Alice, falls through the cracks to find another world similar, but at the same time, very different from his own. Richard starts off as a naive young man, but his perception of his own world and life changes when he tumbles down the rabbit hole (or rat hole I should say). The character of Richard bored me at the beginning, because he is meant to represent the idea of the "average" middle class young man. He's meant to go to school, figure out his life, get a good job, date a proper young lady, get married, have kids and so on. Richard is reluctant to acknowledge the change that's happening in his life and world until much later, but when he does, his perception of London and his life are fundamentally challenged. Richard grows up.
London Below may mirror London Above, but it brings to light the places where those ignored in conventional society disappear to. It's the themes of Neverwhere that I really like and appreciate, but at the same time, they're really well incorporated and integrated into an exciting narrative. There is a core murder-mystery storyline that keeps the narrative going forward, and its the variety cast of characters that Richard meet that kept me as the reader interested in knowing more. The world of London Below is big, and Neverwhere shows us how complicated it is.
If you like Neil Gaiman's work and Alice in Wonderland, I highly recommend you checking Neverwhere out!
Neverwhere is like a darker version of Alice in Wonderland (but then again, Alice in Wonderland certainly had its own twits and turns too). Richard, like Alice, falls through the cracks to find another world similar, but at the same time, very different from his own. Richard starts off as a naive young man, but his perception of his own world and life changes when he tumbles down the rabbit hole (or rat hole I should say). The character of Richard bored me at the beginning, because he is meant to represent the idea of the "average" middle class young man. He's meant to go to school, figure out his life, get a good job, date a proper young lady, get married, have kids and so on. Richard is reluctant to acknowledge the change that's happening in his life and world until much later, but when he does, his perception of London and his life are fundamentally challenged. Richard grows up.
London Below may mirror London Above, but it brings to light the places where those ignored in conventional society disappear to. It's the themes of Neverwhere that I really like and appreciate, but at the same time, they're really well incorporated and integrated into an exciting narrative. There is a core murder-mystery storyline that keeps the narrative going forward, and its the variety cast of characters that Richard meet that kept me as the reader interested in knowing more. The world of London Below is big, and Neverwhere shows us how complicated it is.
If you like Neil Gaiman's work and Alice in Wonderland, I highly recommend you checking Neverwhere out!