Neverwhere

Neverwhere

By Neil Gaiman
Published: William Morrow, 2015 (my version)
Pages: 318
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy
Amazon, Goodreads

"What's it like being dead? It's very cold, my friend. Very dark, and very cold."

About the book

Neverwhere is the story of Richard Mayhew, a young London businessman with a good heart and an ordinary life, which is changed forever when he discovers a girl bleeding on the sidewalk. He stops to help her - an act of kindness that plunges him into a world he never dreamed existed.

Sleeping through the cracks of reality, Richard lands in Neverwhere - a London of shadows and darkness, monsters and saints, murderers and angels that exists entirely in a subterranean labyrinth. The Neverwhere is home to Door, the mysterious girl Richard helped in the London Above. Door, a noblewoman whose family has been murdered, is on a quest to find the agent that slaughtered her family and thwart the destruction of this underworld kingdom. If Richard is ever to return to his former life, he must join the journey to save Door's world - and find a way to survive.

Review

In Nevermore, Neil Gaiman writes an engaging, mystical story that's a blend of fantasy, mythology, mystery, and horror. This novel is well-written and enchanting with a solid plot. I was surprised by the tone of horror and fantasy; I knew an underground world was in the plot but I was pleasantly surprised by the aura of total creepiness.

I felt the novel expressed a central theme of doing what you feel is right in life and doing what makes you happy. Richard, the protagonist, experiences this, which is all I can say without giving away spoilers. I think this is an important topic; there is too many today that feel they have to act a certain way, pretend to be a certain type of person that isn't true to who they are. It's only through being true to ourselves that we can obtain happiness. At least, that's what I believe to be true... I'm not actually at the stage yet myself.

Speaking of Richard, I did NOT like his character. I found him to be annoying, whimpy and whiny. He constantly asked dumb questions and complained all the time. That's that main thing I disliked about Neverwhere. Richard does go through a transformation through the story, from a coward to a hero. He was still super annoying, though. I also didn't feel any kind of connection to Door, which I believe to be a downer since she is a major part of the plot.

Neverwhere is still an enjoyable, compelling mystery for those who also like a little fantasy and horror in their books.

RATING (out of five puppies)