Last night I finished Neverwhere as part of my quest to read every book Neil Gaiman has written (with the exception of the graphic novels). All good stories contain a journey, and Neverwhere contains my favorite type.
In the vein of The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, Neverwhere introduces Richard Mayhew who finds himself stumbling along an ordinary existence when he is suddenly plopped into the midst of a life he never imagined existed. This is not a children's fantasy adventure, taking a Gaiman-esque turn for the dark and violent underground as opposed to mad tea parties and wicked witches. Instead we have our protagonists running from hitmen, beasts, sewer people, and beautiful women in velvet dresses. His guide into this life is a girl named Door, the eldest daughter of a powerful family, on her own quest to discover the truth behind her family's brutal murder.
In London Below, the lines of allegiance are blurred and every character seems to owe another a favor. When he is continually learning who to trust and who not to trust, Richard Mayhew must confront his fears and find a strength he had never known. He is on a journey to regain the old life that he once knew all while coming to terms with the fact that this life he had never known might be the one he cares about most. Instead of the nobody Above, he has become the Somebody below and this will make all the difference
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I'm glad that you enjoyed Neverwhere. Gaiman is the best. Have you heard of the Dream King Challenge? It's about reading the books of Gaiman. You pick how many and how involved you want to be. Here's the link: http://dreamkingchallenge.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteVasilly