Neverwhere is a fantasy about an everyday man who helps a girl in distress, then finds himself pulled into the alternate London, a world of creatures, angels, assassins, merchants, nights, and bizarre characters.   London Below is the setting for the story, an alternate world of a feudal class structure, commerce, and tribalism.    Richard Mayhew has to make sense of why he is in the world and what he can do to return, but in this process, he takes on a hero’s quest and as a result finds himself along the way.

Many of Neil Gaimin’s stories have a whimsical tone to them and the plot often seems to wander, but he brings in many surprises, delightful characters/creatures and some humor along the winding path, so we just go along, reading with a sense of fascination.    Over the years I have become a fan of Neil Gaimin, but I save his books for a time when I am in the mood for a fanciful and weird story.

Neverwhere was written as a companion piece to the television show of the same name, plot, characters, etc.   The book was more popular than the show, and it is probably because he can maintain the pacing, tone, and suspenseful nature of the story better.   I enjoyed the book and recommend it.

My rating – 4.3 out of 5.0 stars4.3

An Excerpt (from the radio play):