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 (428)
Incredible (90) | |
Loved It (166) | |
Liked It (110) | |
It Was OK (32) | |
Did Not Like (25) | |
Hated It (5) |
Reader Stats (837):
Read It (439) | |
Currently Reading (6) | |
Want To Read (239) | |
Did Not Finish (17) | |
Not Interested (136) |
20 comment(s)
such an interesting book! i love all the books by neil gaiman. this book was perfectly scary that it didnt terrify me but it wasnt boring.
Richard had noticed that events were cowards. They didn’t occur singly, but instead they would run in packs and leapt out at him all at once.
I think it's official that I will try anything written by Neil Gaiman. His particular blend of snark, irreverence, and chaos is incredibly enjoyable and satisfying to read.
Neverwhere doesn't come close to being my favorite of his books, but that isn't to say I didn't enjoy it. It kept up the pace, had a good balance of hijnks and danger, and was oddly endearing. I glanced over a few other reviews that criticized Richard Mayhew as being a weakling and a coward, but I think I would have responded in much the same way as Richard if faced with the ordeals he went through. You try having your entire life stolen from you and meet people who talk to rats like they’re the most reasonable creatures ever and see if you don’t have one or two moments of sardonic existential crisis. I’ll wait.
I know Gregor the Overlander was published after Neverwhere, but to me Neverwhere was a bit like Gregor for grown-ups, with a dash of The Golden Compass thrown in. (That second one based on my experience with the movie and general familiarity with pop culture, as I haven't read the books.) And, as always, there's a heaping serving of Neil Gaiman's signature tongue-in-cheek narrative style.
This is my favorite Neil Gaiman book (so far). Frankly, I wasn’t a fan of his book Stardust, and was reticent to try another but I loved this one. I almost couldn’t put it down. The story weaves effortlessly between different characters and narratives into a seamless and beautiful tapestry. One of my favorites !
Purple prosed to death.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the idea of an Above & Below London. I thought Neil Gaiman did a wonderful job painting a picture of Below and loved poor Richard fumbling around down there with Hunter, Door & marquis de Carabas.
I loved Richard's quote at the end to the homeless lady,
"Have you ever got everything you ever wanted? And then realized it wasn't what you wanted at all?" I was happy that he got what he
really wanted, in the very end.
So many plot holes! Interesting read
Very gripping, chilling novel mixing the fantastic with the mundane. Neil Gaiman is a master in his field and I look forward to new books, whenever they come out.
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.
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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