Book Review: Neverwhere
Neverwhere is the story of Richard Mayhew, a
relatively ordinary man whose life seems to consist of him being jerked around
by his fiancée Jessica. However, that all changes when he runs into a heavily
injured girl and decides to help her out. The girl’s name is Door, and it turns
out that she comes from another world. However, helping Door ended up having
unintended consequences: he seems to have become all but invisible to the
people of London, and he also finds himself in Door’s world, known as London
Below. As he struggles to get his life back on track, he finds himself helping
Door escape the people who have injured her: the dangerous duo known as Mr.
Croup and Mr. Vandemar.
For me, the greatest strength of this novel lies in its
settings and characters. I have always liked fairytale fantasy, and Gaiman does
a very good job in making London Below a place that seems quite familiar yet
fantastical. The magical elements present in this story are the sort one would
find in the old fairytales and myths: moving markets, bridges guarded by
darkness that takes quite a toll for passage, people that can talk to rats,
enchanting seductresses that feed on the life force of unsuspecting victims,
and many others. This not only makes the world easier to picture, but it also
helps to stoke the imaginations of the readers as well whenever the readers
encounter something mysterious. It invites readers to once again step into the
world of fairytales, a place filled with intriguing places and people, yet
still filled with quite a bit of danger from equally intriguing places and
people.
The characters in the story are also quite colorful and fun
to read about, especially the ones from London Below. The two villains Mr.
Croup and Mr. Vandemar stand out in this regard, being the living embodiment of
the term ‘affably evil.’ I particularly like how Gaiman never explicitly tell
us just what the two are, letting their seemingly polite attitudes mixed with
their bloodthirsty nature and their implacability provide readers with the fear
that the story characters feel in their presence. On the good guy side, the
Marquis de Carabas is a delightfully snarky character that takes cues from the
trickster archetype that is present in so many myths around the world, created
from a fine combination of mystery, cunning, and dry humor. Other characters,
such as the angel Islington and Lady Serpentine, help contribute to the
fantastical setting with their enigmatic nature. In short, the characters do
leaps and bounds when it comes to helping set the tone of the world.
There is a bit of a downside to London Below being so colorful: the parts of the story that take place in London Above tend to be a little drab in comparison. But even this little downside works in the story’s favor since it is a perfect representation of what Richard feels about the two worlds the longer he spends in London Below and in the company of its strange inhabitants. The real world would seem dull compared to a world of seemingly-sentient darkness, humanoid beings that eat pottery figurines, and people with the power to open doors to anywhere, and Richard’s feelings about London Below changes from wanting to get away as fast as he can to fully appreciating the wonders of the fantastical. Even if the real world segments seem a little less interesting than the segments in London Below, they are still relevant to the plot and, as a result, don’t feel like a pointless detour.
If you are a fan of Neil Gaiman, or a fan of fantasy in
general, Neverwhere is definitely a book to check out. Its setting is
wonderfully crafted, the characters are varied and memorable, and the plot is intriguing.
For those just getting into Gaiman’s work, this book makes for a good starting
point and will leave quite the impression by the time you are done.
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