Neverwhere

Gaiman has always been hit or miss for me. Some of his books I love, some I don’t care for, so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Neverwhere, outside of the fact that there’s something deeply satisfying about holding the illustrated version—something about thick little hardcovers is just the best feeling. Anyway, Neverwhere is a not subtle in its message: the homeless are invisible to those who want to pretend the “problem” doesn’t exist—but make it magic that has a very Tim Burton feel, because this is Gaiman, after all. When Richard sees one of those who have fallen through the cracks—a citizen of London Below—and proceeds to help her, it sets off a chain of events that plunges him into London Below and makes him just as invisible to London Above, and his old life, as the rest of the characters in this novel. In which there a lot, all of which are unique and magical and so beautifully distinct from each other. I even loved Mr Vandemar and Mr Croup who are unequivocally terrible people, but they are written in such a creative way that I couldn’t help but love them just as much as Richard and our heroine Door, with her opal-colored eyes.I loved the prose of Neverwhere, it read almost like it was meant for children when it’s so clearly not. There’s this whimsy to it, alongside Gaiman’s love of a metaphor and simile, which made the whole style just as magical as London Below. Speaking of, I loved the characters that populated this secret place. Gaiman was able to weave in a complex mystery and twists and turns into something that should have been an otherwise very straight forward plot: find out why/who is after Door and killed her family, and get Richard back to London Above. Gaimain, in this particular book anyway, is able to make you love and care for a character so, so deeply and then cut you to the core by taking them away all in one chapter. He’s also able to play with your mind about what is truly reality for Richard, and who should our main characters trust in a way that really added to the twists at the end. It was masterfully done!I will say that I read A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab before reading Neverwhere, and after reading Gaiman’s book, it’s really easy to see where Schwab got a lot of inspiration for that series: everything from the different types of Londons that only one person really seems to be able to move between, and even a certain magical coat. I’m not mad about this at all! It’s clear that Schwab idolizes Gaiman, and her writing is an homage to that without being a rip off. Its just something to keep in mind if you read this and things start sounding… familiar.All in all, this was a perfectly satisfying read—from just holding the book, to the perfect illustrations, the magical whimsy of the writing, and the cast of incredible characters that inhabit London Below. The story is dark, but with moments of tenderness and humor so I never felt bogged down to the point where I could no longer appreciate the imagery. Gaiman’s fantasy is always a reflection of reality with fantastic elements, so the ugly parts of our world are still present, but made magic so when you read you don’t necessarily feel preached to. But I can definitely understand why this style may not be for everyone—Gaiman doesn’t describe anything in a straightforward manner, instead almost tricking the reader into visualizing these delightful things. Which I loved, personally! This book was quirky and deep, fantastic and the kind of realistic urban fantasy I didn’t know I was missing until now, which is why this gets an easy 5 stars from me!

"Neverwhere" is an urban fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman. It tells the story of Richard, an average man in a dysfunctional relationship with his overbearing girlfriend. One day, Richard stumbles upon a bleeding girl lying upon a sidewalk. His decision to help her is life changing, as he finds himself sucked into the nightmarish wonderland of London Below. London Below is inhabited by those individuals who fell through the cracks of society (and reality itself), and once Richard begins to see its denizens, he becomes invisible to people in the world above. He follows the girl whom he rescued, whose name is Door, in the hopes of finding his way home, only to discover that Door's life is threatened by the same people who murdered her family....and the villains! Croup and Vandemar are a pair of bumbling but humorous mercenary bad guys who enjoy their job far too much. You can't hate them, because it's very hard to take one's villains seriously when they're trying to talk with a mouth full of toads.The atmosphere of London Below is one of the biggest strengths of this book. Gaiman is able to draw on both the mundane and the absurd to create a world that is simultaneously beautiful and menacing.One of the weaknesses of "Neverwhere" is the general lack of character development throughout the novel. Most of the characters don't change, but Richard's perspective on them does, so I'll forgive it. Most of the characters in London Below are unabashedly themselves. Characters represent different archetypes and seem to have come out of a fairy tale, but one of the overreaching themes of the novel is that life isn't always what it seems and that there is more to people than meets the eye. The minor characters are extremely memorable, such as the Amazonian woman named Hunter who is searching for a fabled Beast or the Old Bailey who talks to birds and trades in favors.Overall, I'd highly recommend this book. It reminds me of a darker version of Alice in Wonderland, but in a more modern setting complete with subway rats, floating markets, and plenty of hidden dangers. Even though the book has some flaws, the story is enjoyable and imaginative.

Great story and characters, lovely read, and plot twists. Hoping for many, many more books in this series!! Reccomend reading :)

I think I am about to become a huge Neil Gaiman fan. I am super picky about books and this drew me in by page 3. It is entertaining and keeps you guessing what comes next. Perfect beach read or by a cozy fire in the winter.

Just perfect.

Amazing quality... And seems like a good read... Neil Gaiman's best.. this one and Coraline. Nice artwork btw. Beautiful.

As another reviewer - Sarah Wibrow - said; "Perhaps there's no such thing as ordinary. All we need is that catalyst to find the extraordinary within us." I think this is a perfect description of the reluctant, but amiable protagonist, and part of what makes this novel so insightful and thought-provoking despite it being fantasy. Richard Mayhew is typically 'English' and in this era where white males from a country with a colonial past are rarely portrayed positively in popular culture any more, it reminded me of all there is to celebrate in our unassuming, polite, yet quietly principled young men. There was much that resonated with me in the story too - not only Narnia but Alice in Wonderland and many English gothic novels. This notion of what lies beneath - both people and places - is profound and intriguing. My son is a policeman in London and his stories of the city's underside also remind me of this parallel, alternative world we barely glimpse. Of course there are no angels or mythological beasts but this novel makes you believe there could be. I loved the interplay between the familiar topography of London on the surface and the dreamlike dimension Richard comes to inhabit. In fact there are many dreamlike sequences (especially the extraordinarily powerful chapter on the ordeal) which blend the banal and familiar with the extraordinary and strange. Gaiman's novel reminded me that the mind and the imagination are what makes human beings truly miraculous. It is a mistake to think that only children can inhabit this domain. Perhaps it is preferable to the plane where most of our existence is lived out.

Magnifico, la copertina rigida lo rende robusto, e le pagine sono piacevoli anche solo da guardare, da piacere anche solo maneggiarlo, davvero super consigliato soprattutto agli amanti dei libri cartacei

Est-il nécessaire de dire encore à quel point Neil Gaiman est un génie de la littérature ? La construction de ce Londres crée une atmosphère absolument incroyable. Le tout en est même très déroutant, j'ai reconnu des endroits qui me sont familiers dans la capitale britannique, j'ai cherché des indices dans la ville pour découvrir des passages secrets et je me suis réellement prise au jeu de ce livre. La familiarité de la ville se mêle avec allégresse avec l'étrangeté de l'histoire et donne un rendu complètement déroutant, désorientant.L'atmosphère de ce livre est typiquement ce que j'aime chez Gaiman, une réalité cabossée, presque steampunk sans le bling un peu facile qui y est parfois associé. On a est plongé dans l'idée que je me fais d'une ambiance victorienne moderne. Bref, j'ai adoré ma lecture. J'ai lu la plupart des livres de Gaiman et celui-ci reste mon préféré de tous.