Some years ago, my cousin recommended to me a book called American Gods by Neil Gaiman. At that point in my life, I was more interested in YA fiction and anything to do with Harry Potter - and, to be honest, I wasn't planning on trying anything new anytime soon. But, after a few years and several more conversations regarding said book, I picked it up at a Barnes and Noble on my way home. And, in a way that was quite surprising to me, when I started reading it I fell in love.
Writing style is something I watch for in books. A book can be good without a great writing style. In fact, that's usually what I run across - good books with something to be desired in language use. So, when I find a book with a writing style I love, I like to track down everything else that the author has written and buy one book at a time, reading as slowly as possible and enjoying each book like a fine dessert.
That is how Neverwhere came to be in my hands. (I bought my copy from a bookstore that no longer exists - a fact that tickles me a bit every time I think about it.)
Neverwhere was Gaiman's debut novel. And while I'm not quite as enraptured with this novel as I am with American Gods, it's good beginning and I imagine that it probably made a decent splash upon being published.
Neverwhere is a Sci-fi/Fantasy novel about a world called London Below, where people who fall through the cracks in society tend to end up. It's a dark, dangerous sort of place where creatures will pull you down into the gap by the tube train and there is a market place that moves around. It's a place filled with quirky characters - such as assassins, nobility, rat-speakers, door-openers, and even an angel - as well as plenty of opportunities for adventure.
At first, the novel is following Richard Mayhew through his normal, day-to-day life. And, while entertaining to read, it seems like a rather boring life. Then he stumbles upon a girl named Door, and his entire world changes. From there on out, you're on a dark, thrilling sort of adventure, and it's a pleasure to read.
While I never became extremely attached to the characters, they never failed to bring a smile to my face. Mr. Vandemar's antics, in particular, often made me laugh (And it might be a strange thing to say, but I've never found a villain quite so adorable as him. The imagery with him is just... incredibly amusing.). And, while a bit self-centered, the marquis has a certain charm to him that landed him in the position of my favorite character.
The settings were described with enough detail for a mind to cling to and invent its own imagery, which I think was a good opportunity to offer in such a novel as this one. I got a great sense of wanting to see the Floating Market while reading Neverwhere, and that's a fascination that has stuck with me ever since my first read.
On the overall, I found Neverwhere to be completely entertaining. It's strong in fantasy, with lots of imagination, and the story-telling is lovely. The characters left an amusing sort of impression and the settings were interesting. There was, admittedly, room for more development in Neverwhere, but it was a fairly satisfying read as is.
While not a very serious sort of novel, Neverwhere brought to mind a point that has stuck with me ever since:
If I stumbled upon another world filled with adventures and an entirely new culture to adjust to, would I ever want to return to this one?
This probably isn't a book for everyone, but if urban fantasy is up your alley, I'd recommend it.
This book can be found in bookstores and online:
Neverwhere
Happy Reading!
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