Book Review: Neverwhere (London Below #1)

Author: Neil Gaiman

Published: 1996

Format Read: Library Audiobook

Genre: Urban Fantasy

My Rating: 4/5 stars

I currently base my reviews loosely around the CAWPILE system developed by Book Roast on YouTube. I modify the categories depending on the format of the story I’m reviewing.

My star ratings are purely by my opinion and not measured by any particular metric.

SPOILER WARNING: This review will contain spoilers! Proceed with caution!

Summary (from Goodreads)

Under the streets of London there's a world most people could never even dream of. A city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, knights in armour and pale girls in black velvet. "Neverwhere" is the London of the people who have fallen between the cracks.Strange destinies lie in wait in London below - a world that seems eerily familiar. But a world that is utterly bizarre, peopled by unearthly characters such as the Angel called Islington, the girl named Door, and the Earl who holds Court on a tube train.Now a single act of kindness has catapulted young businessman Richard Mayhew out of his safe and predictable life - and into the realms of "Neverwhere." Richard is about to find out more than he ever wanted to know about this other London. Which is a pity. Because Richard just wants to go home...

Characters

Since Gaiman has such a unique voice, I kept forgetting Richard was in, like, his 20’s. They do all have their own voices and personalities. I don’t know that I ever really trusted Hunter. Or the Marquis, although he grew on me by the end. Croup and Vandemar were terrifying and horrible. Islington was a different kind of terrifying. I like all the different groups and how they interact with each other.

Hate Jessica.

Atmosphere

Very cool and would lend itself well to a visual medium. A city beneath and apart from the city above. The World between the cracks.

Writing Style

It’s pretty good. Gaiman is a storied storyteller with quite the imagination. At times it could be a little hard to follow, some of that because I have a hard time with audiobooks. There was head-hopping, but it works okay for the story.

Plot

Straightforward enough and interesting. A world beneath the world you know, appearing on the fringes of the normal world, wild enough to still utilize a certain kind of magic. Richard’s motivation is to return to his life. Door wants answers and safety. The Marquis wants to square a debt. Believable enough.

Intrigue

Mystery upon curiosity. It managed to keep me listening and I did want to find out who killed Door’s family as well as see more of this different world we were exploring.

Logic

Everything made sense and was explained well within the world and how it differed from the normal world.

Enjoyment and Final Thoughts

It took me a little bit to get into it and, point of fact, I’d actually started reading it maybe a year or two ago and didn’t make it very far. The farther I went, the more interested I became in the story. By the end, I actually was interested and curious about what was going to happen. Now I’m considering buying a physical copy and reading the next one…

Would I Recommend?

Sure. Neil Gaiman is a great storyteller and his books all seem to be pretty imaginative. It does take a bit to pick up, which I have a hard time with with multiple authors (pretty successful ones, at that), but it does have a cool setting and concept.