In "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman, readers are taken on a fantastical journey through the parallel worlds of London Above and London Below. The protagonist, Richard Mayhew, finds himself invisible to the people of London Above after helping a woman named Door, leading him to navigate the dangers and mysteries of London Below. The book is described as a dark fantasy filled with creepy and atmospheric elements, featuring a cast of eccentric characters and a captivating storyline that delves into power struggles and hidden realms beneath the surface of the familiar city.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of violence, death, and some graphic depictions of harm, which may not be suitable for all readers.
From The Publisher:
Published in 1997, Neil Gaiman's darkly hypnotic first novel, Neverwhere, heralded the arrival of a major talent and became a touchstone of urban fantasy.
It 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. Slipping 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. Neverwhere is home to Door, the mysterious girl Richard helped in the London Above. Here in Neverwhere, Door is a powerful noblewoman who has vowed to find the evil agent of her family's slaughter and thwart the destruction of this strange underworld kingdom. If Richard is ever to return to his former life and home, he must join Lady Door's quest to save her world-and may well die trying.
Ratings (301)
Incredible (62) | |
Loved It (112) | |
Liked It (83) | |
It Was OK (22) | |
Did Not Like (19) | |
Hated It (3) |
Reader Stats (583):
Read It (300) | |
Currently Reading (6) | |
Want To Read (183) | |
Did Not Finish (14) | |
Not Interested (80) |
13 comment(s)
Neil Gaiman is an amazing story teller. And his "Neverwhere" is all about London! London's streets, trains,stations, people, busy life, weather , dark corners, beggars, rats, gutters, drains. Its london above and below.
Richard Mayhew makes a mistake of helping an injured, mysterious girl. And this act of kindness makes him go through a lot of challenges including his identity being erased. His past life is not valid, no one knows him, he owns nothing, his girlfriend do not recognise him (Good, I hated her! ) and he is speaking to rat people! He goes back to London below and tries to get back his old life and which leads to a whole set of adventures with a strong woman Lady Door (same injured girl) , a kick ass lady bodyguard Hunter and a quirky thief Marquis.
The plot is full of twists and turns, leaving you guessing about the real villain. Humorous and dark tale of Fantasy in London.
Lovely!! I think Gaiman is such a master at blending fantasy with reality and past legends in a way that is humorous, exciting, thought-provoking, and realistic enough to be slightly off-putting. He creates wonderful, dreamlike works that are a pleasure to read and new worlds that are hard to leave but also familiar. It is obvious Gaiman knows and loves London well and gets its atmosphere perfect in this novel. I also love all of his characters, particularly his powerful female ones, who usually get ignored in fantasy.
All his writing has misogyny built in, further confirmed by the rl whisper network saying women should never be alone with him - sadly unable to protect everyone.
I don't know why I didn't enjoy this book as much as seemingly everyone else, but I didn't.
I didn't care much for any of the characters by the end of the book, and the plot itself wasn't very interesting. I think what kept me reading this book was the positive reviews of other Goodreads members and friends of mine.
Oh well. You win some, you lose some.
World-building and creativity was amazing
The characters are so unmotivated. I, likewise, found it increasingly difficult to be motivated to continue this tale.
Love the world and characters. Gaiman's prose does a lot to help build the darkness of the world and ground everything in a way that makes it all feel natural.
After hearing Neil Gaiman read this book, I am certain that any of his audiobooks should be sought out and listened to. Creative and hilarious to the point of tears.
This was my first experience with adult science fiction, and I'm sad that it's over. In the same vein, I can't wait to get my hands on more of Neil Gaiman's works.
Magnificent in every way. Since reading Pullman's His Dark Materials, I have not been this engrossed in a fantastical setting. Wow, this is a true literary gem.
What can you read after
Neverwhere?
About the Author:
Neil Gaiman is the creator of The Sandman comic book series and the bestselling author of the novels Neverwhere (1995), Stardust (1999), the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning American Gods (2001), Coraline (2002), Anansi Boys (2005), The Ocean at the End of the Lane (2013), Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett, 1990) and a retelling of the Norse myths: Norse Mythology (2017). His short story collections include Smoke and Mirrors (1998) and Fragile Things (2006). His screenwriting credits include the original BBC TV series of Neverwhere (1996), Dave McKean's first feature film, Mirrormask (2005), two Doctor Who episodes, and Good Omens (2019).
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