Neverwhere: A Novel by Neil Gaiman Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Neverwhere: A Novel
Book Review: A darkly compelling novel, inextricably linked to mythology
Summary: 5 Stars
Neil Gaiman writes another novel inextricably linked to mythology, where everyday-man, Richard Mayhew, is sent into a the fantastical and dark underworld of London, against his will. The only way back is to accompany Door, Hunter and the Marquis of Carabas on a strange and dangerous quest.
Richard, or Dick, is an everyman. He lives his life pulled along by an ambitious and dominating girlfriend, his life simply twisting and turning on the wind of fates. And so fate delivers him Door, a girl he finds sprawled on the pavement hurt and damaged. Instead of following his girlfriend he picks her up and cares for her. And that seals his fate. She is the daughter of Lord Portico of the London Beneath, and while he helps her to return, he finds he has become one of the London Beneath himself. Someone who people never notice, or just can't see. And if they do they forget about them immediately.
Now he has to find Door again and regain his place in London above, to do that he accompanies Door on her own quest to find out who killed her family and avenge them. Door is equipped with a singular skill, that is she can make any lock or door open for her. Whoever killed her family is now apparently trying to kill her. She needs help and the Marquis of Carabas is the only man who can help her. Mysterious and strange, the Marquis can only help her so much. He trades and lives on his wits - and he arranges that she should be protected by the best of the best, Hunter. Certainly following them are the utterly terrifying figures of Mr vandemar and Mr Croup.
Throughout the book the links with fairytales (Dick Whittington and the Marquis of Carabas etc) are interspersed with mythology (the mythology of 'Hunter'), with London history and present. Londoners I think will especially appreciate the history of the Underground in here and Christianity - the crucifixion and Angels.
There is black and bleak humour throughout, Mr Vandemar, Mr Croup and the Marquis of Carabas getting the best of them all. And while at times the story seems to have gaping holes in it, everything is carefully filled in at the end making it obvious that these are essential elements in the plot.
I found this an extremely clever novel and a page-turning read. Since I read his book Coraline, I have been absolutely hooked on Gaiman as an author. My top read of his works is American Gods, but I think this book comes a close second. It is full of allusion and allegory and it makes me want to re-read it again and again to pick up those clever little points. A novel you can really sit down and discuss with someone as well. I would recommend it for reading groups.
Book Review: A delightful book full despite rat-eating violence
Summary: 5 Stars
Gaiman has this way of creating delightful stories even though they might contain less than delightful content: such as biting the heads of off live rats, bloody torture, and sifting through human sewage with a net. This is true in Neverwhere, where the story often turns violent. Somehow, though, it doesn't leave any feeling of nervousness or disgust, which is what grounds this type of story in Fantasy and out of Horror.
I'm not sure how he does it, but I believe it might the wondrous and complex worlds that he creates: in Neverwhere, this world is "London Below", a pseudo-real subterranean world in the tunnels and sewers under London. There are many interesting things happening, that the brutality of certain scenes is somehow made more palatable. Dont get me wrong - this is not a gore-fest, but there are very violent moments, as well as moments of extreme emotional distress for some of the characters... but there's no lasting sting. I associate it with a fine Single Malt: there might be a smokey or even sharp flavor to start, but the finish is pure velvety smoothness.
Another reason that Neverwhere appealed to me is the characters: each was a hard-survivalist on the surface (a requirement of living in the dangerous world below London), but they all had a depth to them that quickly revealed the heart under the hard exterior. I found myself liking every character, no matter how small their part in the story.
I highliy recommend Neverwhere, alhtough it may not be as suitable for younger readers as, say, Stardust
Book Review: A fantastic tale in and about London below.
Summary: 4 Stars
This novel is a fictional story that combines fantasy and current days London to one compelling adventure that is both very interesting to read and at the same time provokes some thinking about life and whether that is all that it has to offer. This combination of fantasy and current world is somewhat similar to what can be found in Gaiman's other bestseller, "American Gods".
Without giving away to much from the storyline (as I advice reading this book without knowing what to expect), I can say that the main character, our hero, Richard Mayhew had an ordinary life in London until one decision he makes, a pure altruistic action that most people would pass on, exposes him to a new world that exist below London. Without being asked and against his will he is sucked into an adventure in which he learns about the invisible world below, and about himself.
I can divide my reading experience to two: the first and last thirds of the book were amazing. The ideas were new, the story had a great rhythm and I enjoyed it very much. Somewhere in the middle I did get a feeling that we're walking a kind of a classical storyline that can be found in many fantasy books in which one encounter leads to another in a somewhat purposeless way.
What I was really missing (again for the middle part of the book) are some connections to London above. I would want to observe and learn more about how the world co-exist, and I feel that this idea should have been explored some more. In addition, there are some events that leaves many open questions behind and I feel that some explanations would be interesting (even though I must add that in contrast to unanswered questions in an epic or trilogy, in this case these do not damage the enjoyment to much). Basically, I think that these two points hint to the fact that the world is not developed enough, or maybe just not described enough. A squeal is indeed in place here.
To sum up I can easily recommend this book to anyone, I enjoyed it more than "American Gods", and will surely grab the next one from Neil Gaiman. For really hardcore fantasy readers who likes complete worlds like the one you can find in the classics, do read, but come with an open mind.
Book Review: A fascinating world
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the first book I have read by Gaiman. I wasn't really sure what to expect when I opened it. I had heard such great things about him but for some reason I still wasn't convinced he was going to fall short of my expectations.
Boy was I ever surprised. I loved this book. The story was fantastic and the characters were lovable (even as I hated some). Door was adorable and I even loved bad Mr. Vandenmar. I was literally laughing out loud at almost everything Mr. Vandemar said...
"What," asked Mr. Croup, "do you want?"
"What," asked the marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?"
"Dead things," suggested Mr. Vandemar. "Extra teeth."
-page 205
Gaiman created a world that was exciting, captivating, and even frightening but he also gave me something to think about. He took reality and shifted it so I now see a story in the shadows. I want to go to London and read this book there. I want to read this book on the Underground. I can't wait to read more from Gaiman.
Book Review: A little dark, but a good book
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is darker than Stardust but still as imaginative. The involvement of the tube stations in London really makes it interesting, especially if you've been there and seen those stations and lines.
Honestly, I think if this same book had been written by a woman you'd see more romance between the two main characters and less of the very vile villians. And I really can't see a woman author putting in a lesbian warrior - she's right out of a male fantasy video game. But despite the male flavor of the story, I liked it.
He uses the 'f' word several times, mostly as a verb, not as a pejorative. There are a few mentions of sex but none detailed or graphic.
I don't think this is one I will read over and over again but I did enjoy it and would recommend it to others (mostly guys) I know.