Journey through a parallel world (Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman) (Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman)

Member Name: Pandora321

Product:	Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
Date:	11/11/09 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quick-paced fantasy novel, witty, imaginative, interesting quirks, good twists

Disadvantages: Not much in-depth characterisation

~Plot~
Neverwhere is a slightly strange, but ultimately interesting novel set in London. Here, however, there are two London's - our 'normal' London, where the main character, Richard Mayhew, begins as a typical run-of-the-mill Londoner with an office job in the city, and 'London Below', the connected but hidden underworld peopled by weird and wonderful characters such as The Angel 'Islington', Velvets, and the Rat-speakers. Usually the two worlds are separate, but by helping a girl called Door, Richard falls into London Below and starts his hero's quest, joining Door to discover who killed her father and how he can return to London Above - all the time while trying to avoid a couple of rather nasty assassins tracking them.

~Characters~
Richard Mayhew is the reluctant hero, dragged into a bewildering world that seems like his normal London, but isn't - and he can't quite help himself from trying to base everything on what he knows from his 'real' London. Unfortunately for him, what is reality Above is not necessarily true of London Below, and the rest of the motley travellers he journeys with through the book tend, therefore, to regard him as rather foolish (which many of his comments are), but, of course, he proves vital to the quest and grows as a person through his trials.

Door, the other main character, is a youngish girl who has inherited the ability to open any kind of lock or door; a very handy skill as the group travel through London Below and try to avoid the evil that follows them. She remains calm and collected throughout and is likeable, although I did feel we didn't get to know her that well. It has to be said that this book is certainly not a character-study and the characters probably could have been better rounded, but we know enough about them and their motives for the story to flow and for us to be wholly rooting for their cause.

~My opinion~
I personally loved this book. It was fairly easy reading, and its 387 pages gave enough room for a good storyline to develop. As I said, the characters could have been better developed, but perhaps this would have detracted from the flow of the story. The locations and events were colourfully and imaginatively described and, having lived in London, I particularly enjoyed all the alternative reasons the author had dreamt up for things in London - such as the Underground announcement of 'Mind the Gap' warning you about the smoky shadows living on the Underground platforms in London Below that will grab unwary travellers who step too close. The locations all tied in cleverly and often amusingly (I like the idea of actual Friars still living in Blackfriars) and the writing style was witty and light-hearted throughout. The storyline moved on at a good pace, and the question of who Richard and Door could trust and the identities of the ultimate bad guys (and their motives) kept me guessing pretty much up to the end, which I liked.

Being essentially a fantasy novel, Neverwhere is unlikely to appeal to those who favour realistic books, but for those who like the wryly witty style of 'Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy' this book will no doubt appeal. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Summary: Interesting read; recommended