A review by nicole_bookmarked
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

While I didn't enjoy American Gods (I know, I know, it's his most-read and most-loved, but wasn't for me), I loved Stardust, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and Art Matters, and Neverwhere is my favorite thus far. ⁠

Richard Mayhew is leading a normal life in London when he meets and helps a bleeding woman he finds on the sidewalk. This woman's name is Lady Door, and she leads him into the "London Below," forever changing his life. ⁠

The underground world or "Neverwhere" is where people who have fallen through the cracks end up - including The Marquis de Carabas, the Angel Islington, the female bodyguard called "Hunter," the Rat-Speakers, and a whole cast of bizarre and colorful characters.⁠

Door is on a mission to learn the cause of her family's slaughter and avenge their deaths. Richard is on a mission to make it back to the real world above ground. They're charged with fetching a key from the Black Friars and delivering it to the Angel Islington, but nothing is as it seems in Neverwhere, so we're able to enjoy their unexpected journey. ⁠

This book is fun. It's fast-paced and spellbinding. The characters are lovable, and Richard's witty British sarcasm made me giggle. Gaiman is a master storyteller. This is the kind of fantasy I want to read more of. Not elves and dwarves (not that there's anything wrong with elves of dwarves!) but looking at real life through the lens of imagination. ⁠