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    Neverwhere: A Novel
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    Neverwhere: A Novel
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    Neverwhere: A Novel
    Ebook430 pages7 hours

    Neverwhere: A Novel

    By Neil Gaiman

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    “Neil Gaiman is undoubtedly one of the modern masters of fantasy writing....For those who have not read Neverwhere, the new edition is the one to read, and is a fitting introduction to Gaiman’s adult fiction....American readers can experience this spellbinding, magical world the way that Neil Gaiman wanted us to all along.”  —Huffington Post

    The #1 New York Times bestselling author’s ultimate edition of his wildly successful first novel featuring his “preferred text”—and including his special Neverwhere tale, “How the Marquis Got His Coat Back”.

    Published in 1997, Neil Gaiman’s darkly hypnotic first novel, Neverwhere, heralded the arrival of a major talent and became a touchstone of urban fantasy.

    It is the story of Richard Mayhew, a young London businessman with a good heart and an ordinary life, which is changed forever when he discovers a girl bleeding on the sidewalk. He stops to help her—an act of kindness that plunges him into a world he never dreamed existed. Slipping through the cracks of reality, Richard lands in Neverwhere—a London of shadows and darkness, monsters and saints, murderers and angels that exists entirely in a subterranean labyrinth. Neverwhere is home to Door, the mysterious girl Richard helped in the London Above. Here in Neverwhere, Door is a powerful noblewoman who has vowed to find the evil agent of her family’s slaughter and thwart the destruction of this strange underworld kingdom. If Richard is ever to return to his former life and home, he must join Lady Door’s quest to save her world—and may well die trying.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMar 17, 2009
    ISBN9780061793059
    Unavailable
    Neverwhere: A Novel
    Author

    Neil Gaiman

    Neil Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling and multi-award winning author and creator of many beloved books, graphic novels, short stories, film, television and theatre for all ages. He is the recipient of the Newbery and Carnegie Medals, and many Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner Awards. Neil has adapted many of his works to television series, including Good Omens (co-written with Terry Pratchett) and The Sandman. He is a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and Professor in the Arts at Bard College. For a lot more about his work, please visit: https://www.neilgaiman.com/

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    Reviews for Neverwhere

    4/5

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    • 5/5
      Review: Richard seems to have ended up in London below. Goes on an adventure and proves himself. Ends up back in London above and realizes he liked it well enough in London below. So he goes back.
      The story was grand. I like the thought of another world existing just underneath the one you live in.
      And I liked Richard the main character, well like but dislike as well. I felt his passivness hitting a little close to home and wanted a greater victory for him other than perceived mental illness when he returned to his London.
      The moment he realized that he wanted to go back to the London below was quiet a relief.
      This may get a re-read later this year.

      Quotes and snippets:
      p. 54:Now we have a damsel to undistress, and time is of the essnce.
      p.104:Varney looked like a bull might look =,if the bull were to be shaved, dehorned, covered in tattoos, and had suffered from complete dental breakdown. Also, he snored. - this description of Varney cracks me up, given a perfect image of how he would look if sitting net to me.
      p. 133: ...You, are outof your depth, in deep shit, and, I would imagine, a few hours away from an untimely and undoubtedly messy end. We on the other hand are auditioning bodyguards."
      p. 217: the kind of fireworks that end a day at Walt Disney World, or that give the fire marshals headaches at Pink Floyd concerts. It was a moment of pure magic.
      P. 235: Forthril bjugly mobble wug. - listening to Neil Gaiman read this line will eternally fill me with glee. Also the folloeing pages description of Richard's hangover is hilariously spot on!
      p. 247: Old Bailey was not, intrinsically, one of those people put in the world to tell jokes. Despite this handicap, he persisted in telling jokes.....
      p. 322: I'mm not scared of falling. The bit I'm scared of is the bit where you stop falling , and startt being dead.
    • 4/5
      Richard Mayhew is a young, successful businessman living in London. One evening, while on his way to dinner with his fiance, he spots an injured girl bleeding on the sidewalk. Refusing to continue on with his evening until the girl is looked after, Richard takes her to his apartment after her refusal to see a doctor.

      The following morning the young lady has miraculously recovered and asks Richard to seek out a man to assist her in her return home. Travelling through an area of the city he’s never known to exist dubbed “The London Below”, Richard locates and returns to the girl with the desired man in tow. Shortly after they vanish from his life, Richard begins experiencing strange occurrences. He’s fading into obscurity, his own fiance doesn’t recognize him and his apartment is on the market for new tenants.

      Determined to find the young lady, whom we have come to know as “Door”, Richard is looking for an explanation into why this is happening to him. Can Richard find his new found friend and return to his normal life?

      If I’m going to come away with anything from this novel it’s that I enjoyed it a great deal more than American Gods. I didn’t realize until after the fact that the novel was adapted from the television series of the same name. Not sure I’ve ever heard of a popular author taking that route as it’s normally the other way around.

      The interactions between the inhabitants of “London Below” and “London Above” reminded me a lot of China Mieville’s The City & The City. Obviously this book came first and I felt that Gaiman did a pretty bang on job. Nothing against Mieville but I had a much easier time reading this than I did that – then again, Mieville isn’t considered light reading by any stretch of the term.

      I loved Gaiman’s world building and the rich cast of characters he’s created for the story. As with American Gods, Gaiman excels at crafting characters with diverse backgrounds and interesting personalities – he’s certainly no slouch when it comes to that. The world of London Below captured my imagination. An ever shifting market and travelling through deep, pitch-black tunnels where one can be claimed by the darkness is downright creepy.

      The villains Croup and Vandemar were excellent and Gaiman must have had a lot of fun in writing them. Not only do they get to show their mean, terrifying side but they also got some of the biggest laughs out of me; they were consistently entertaining.

      All in all, this was a pretty important book for me. I wasn’t a fan of American Gods and was less than impressed with Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader so I was beginning to think that maybe Gaiman just wasn’t for me. However, having a much better reaction to this story has kept my interest level high when it comes to checking out what else he’s got out there.

      Cross Posted @ Every Read Thing
    • 4/5
      There’s a strong current indeed in this crazy-paving of a plot (the novelisation of a Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry TV series). An old Celtic theme is a hidden there, that a mystical reality exists just ‘behind’ this one – traditionally on the other side of the water’s surface, but since Alice it’s been on the ‘other side’ of a mirror or when someone touches and artefact from the mythos (e.g. a goblin stone in Spiderwick or when orange blossom and eagle feathers are rubbed on your eyes in The Long, Dark Teatime of the Soul) and can enter fairyland because the veil has lifted. Tip: We have competent psychiatrists nowadays who can put that veil back for you.What Gaiman has done in this is superimpose a modern setting that normal, well-to-do folk like us (assuming in the hierarchy of needs that you have spare money to spend on books) live in one kind of world but dropouts (a decision) and the incompatible (no choice) live in another, just beneath the surface – London Below, with its underground system and network of sewers which conveniently seem like a mirror world to London Above. He’s turned the dial from brutal truth into avant garde fantasy so he isn’t accused of pushing an overt socialist agenda. The eternal verities are that the poor are always with us and, but for the grace of God, everyone should be aware their luck might turn and they could become one of them. A nastier Londoner might add that whatever elite circles you move in, a citizen is always only a few yards from a rat. Neil Gaiman is suggesting here that we could cross over into this almost fantasy place like a tourist but we might not have the strength to come back (a thin metaphor for homelessness, poverty, addiction, mental health conditions and the associated vulnerability that haunt these states). The well-to-do folk have a blind spot for the plight of these dropouts, beggars, runaways, even the physically sound but cosmetically ugly, walking past their suffering with the pretence that none of this is actually happening, or it is but it has nothing to do with them. "Are there no prisons?”… “and the Union workhouses", demanded Scrooge, "Are they still in operation? Those who are badly off must go there.” (Dickens).How then, does one cross from one world to another? Why, it’s easy. All you have to do is open your eyes and notice the problem. Cross the line then, meet them and ask what’s up, retaining – you think – the safety net referred to in the Pulp song Common People: “and when roaches climb the wall, you know you can call your dad and he’ll stop it all”. In this case, the boundary is crossed when Richard Mayhew turns off course to help an injured girl called Door, whom other people have walked past, and accepts responsibility for her recuperation. Door can pass through any barrier because, simply, she embodies the powers of a door. It’s like one of Plato’s forms, i.e. there’s a form in our collective mind of an ideal door, what it is to be doorish, after which all physical doors in existence are merely copies or reflections made by mortals of that ideal form, the original. Door is closer to being the actual form itself, heir to the role of her father, Lord Portal. Of course she can pass between worlds but why would she do so? Well, to hide. You see, they’re out to get her.I should mention, as you’re going to think I’m talking about a different book, that the first edition (and TV series) is based on London underground system, where station names (Knightsbridge, The Seven Sisters, Earl’s Cross and The Angel Islington) become anthropomorphic characters in the story (Islington is a real Angel and Blackfriars are really friars of African heritage. The Serpentine, a river, becomes a character). However, the book was re-written for the US market and a lot of these names were taken out because readers wouldn’t relate to them. Later editions are, therefore, more generic and obviously won’t make the same connection with people who currently or formerly have infested the soul-destroying and pitiless streets of London. The people don’t murder you; the city itself accomplishes it.Some characters are hard to trust (The Marquis de Carabas – like a cat) and others are clearly evil forces (Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar – urban foxes). Old Bailey is essentially a feral pigeon in human form and Hunter (who quests to kill the Great Beast of London) is like a big cat crossed with a Trojan, whereas Lamia and her sisters are a version of vampires. Perhaps because of this menagerie and also the curse of too many ideas, it doesn’t gel or flow as well as it might do. Almost everything is original but the story does re-tell the old fable of a beggar who’s granted a wish and chooses a flute that can charm coins from strangers, but is then so successful that the London Underground passengers passing this pan-handler in the subterranean hall pelt him to his death with their coinage. Be careful what you wish for; you might get it.That’s it really. If you don’t know London, get yourself a first UK edition of this (big orange hardback) and a copy of the classic London tube map and get sucked into its unique mythology. Learn to care about Door and the other human wreckage because that was people like me on a few days of our well-to-do lives, when the siren of binge drinking won, controlled and ruined us. This tale has something of the iron fist in a velvet glove, a reminder that fantasy doesn’t have to be entirely fantasy.
    • 5/5
      Ah, happiest of sighs. I think everyone knows my obsession with Neil Gaiman at this point. Which is why, even though I've already read Neverwhere, I hopped on the opportunity to read this new version with Gaiman's preferred text. There's a wonderful note from him at the beginning that chronicles what he had to pull to make this what his publisher would be considered palatable for U.S. readers. In this particular version, everything is right back where it should be. As you might imagine, that makes this book a bit longer than normal. Trust me though, that's not a bad thing at all.

      Richard Mayhew remains one of my all time favorite characters. His endearing awkwardness, his unfathomable kindness, everything about him just makes me adore him. Even when the world of London Below swallowed him up, Richard managed to keep his head about him. Watching him stumble through an adventure that he never thought he'd be taking, and slowly learn to accept that the world isn't quite what he believed it to be, never gets old for me! This is the third time I've read this book, although it's only the first time I've read this version. Richard continues to be his wonderful, too kind for his own good, self.

      If you pressed me to tell you exactly what's different about Gaiman's preferred text version, versus the originally printed version, it would be difficult to pinpoint it for you. I noticed more description, specifically when it came to the Floating Markets and the Black Friars. I also noticed that Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandermeer were a bit more fleshed out. Which is lovely, because those two are as bad as bad guys could ever be. The best part about this version though is that there is an additional story at the end, centering around our lovely friend the Marquis de Carabas. If you're a fan of his egotistical ways, you'll love this story. Let's just say, he does get a bit of what's coming to him.

      For those you who haven't yet taken the dive into London Below, let me assure you that it's well worth your time. Door, Hunter, the Marquis and Richard are all wonderfully written characters who are ready and waiting to transport you to their reality. I've always wished I'd actually been to the places that are mentioned in this story. If you're familiar with London, or better yet if you live there, you'll find Richard's inability to understand the quirkiness of London Below's maps quite reasonable. Ah, to have point of reference. You lucky readers, you.

      Gaiman is wonderful. This book is wonderful. If you haven't yet read Neverwhere, I recommend picking up this version. It's well worth your time.
    • 4/5
      This reads like the adventures of the love child of Alice in Wonderland and Arthur Dent, as transcribed by Stephen King.

      Gaiman's fantasy adventure takes place in a "London Below" as his protagonist gets sucked into a mad and dangerous quest in a magical / malevolent culture existing under the streets of London, where time is fluid, loyalties shift, and violent death is a constant possibility.

      The ending is an obvious setup for further adventures, and of course the "#1" in the subtitle is a guarantee of it. The edition I purchased did NOT have that info on the cover! I tend to stay away from series on general principal.

      I fully understand how difficult it is to create a viable and believable fantasy world -- and Gaiman has done a masterful, if creepy, job of it here. The temptation to stay and play longer in their creation is strong in fantasy writers.

      To be clear, "Neverwhere" stands well alone. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. There's a discrete plot and story arc. The characters change and grow and learn (when they don't die -- but even that may not preclude further adventures in this universe). So series fans will be lining up for the next installment(s) of London Below. As for me, I'll probably just re-read "The Ocean at the End of the Lane".
    • 4/5
      Like most of Gaiman's books, I found end battle to be anticlimatic, but the actual ending itself to be incredibly. I'll never understand why he writes this way, but it's always so effective. He raises your expectations, crushes them, and then gives you a final page so satisfying you forget the rest of it.

      Here, Gaiman creates an astounding universe, and one that is so based in reality that it genuinely feels real. The entire book is permeated with this sense that something isn't quite right, making the familiar feel unfamiliar and very spooky indeed.

      I found the story in this one to be strong, the writing great, but the characters were rather weak. Indeed, the only one I really got attached to was the Marquis, and that's because he's surrounded by an air of mystery.

      I did appreciate the lack of romance (thank you!!!!!!!) and the focus on adventure and the self. All in all, a solid book by Neil Gaiman.
    • 4/5
      I actually listened to this book, and based on this one experience I would recommend any of Neil Gaiman's audio books in which he does the reading. Imaginative and laugh out load funny.
    • 3/5
      Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman takes the esteemed city of London and turns it on its head. Richard Mayhew, a Scottish everyman living in London, has a very mundane life until he runs into Door, an eccentric young lady from a magical underground world beneath its streets. A cast of bizarre and unruly characters leads the two of them on an epic adventure to find out who murdered Door’s family. While the concept intrigues, the execution falls flat, and the plot frequently borders on predictable.

      The novel is considered an urban fantasy, and it is probably one of the most well-known of its kind. Gaiman offers obvious distinctions between the two worlds of London Above and London Below, but sometimes he seems to go a bit too far. Many bizarre events and interactions occur in London Below that are never fully explained. It often felt like Gaiman tossed in peculiar things just for the sake of it, and not to further the plot.

      For a main character, Richard fails spectacularly at being interesting. Even Door’s oddities could not make up for Richard’s whiny attitude and lack of depth. The motley cast of supporting characters, particularly henchmen Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, could only hold up the plot for so long, although most of their conversations could be considered the gold standard in witty banter.

      The ending is unfortunately the most uninspiring aspect of the novel. So much thought and effort are invested in the main characters’ journey to solve the mystery, but past a certain point, everything just seems to fall to pieces. Whether it’s the predictability of it all or the hollowness of a few of the characters, something goes awry and then there is no longer time to fix it.

      Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere is certainly not lacking in imagination, but it is missing a lot desired for an agreeable read. For my first Gaiman reading experience, I left unimpressed, but not entirely reluctant to attempt to read another one of his works. If you’re just looking for an escape that does not necessarily need to be explained, give this one a try. But if you’re someone who needs to know the why’s and how’s of a fantastical world, you may end up just as frustrated as me.
    • 3/5
      Oh Neil, what happened here? I never expected to read anything by you that didn't absolutely blow me away, but this book, while being a page-turner, and having a fantastic end and a great villain, felt sterile and soulless in comparison to all of your other work. I think a lot of that can be attributed to the shallow world-building that's at play. London-below and the characters that inhabit it were given neither enough time nor enough explanation to resonate with me, and the two lackeys of the main villain, Mr. Coop and Mr. Vandemar, just seemed so...random, and out of place. In fact, that's a perfect way to describe a lot of the stuff in this book: random and out of place. Definitely still worth a read, just don't expect it to stick with you after the fact.
    • 5/5
      Clever and charming. Having read only a few other Gaiman offerings (Sandman, Coraline, Stardust, Good Omens), I found this story filled with unexpected moments. The audiobook was suspenseful and funny, and makes me want to go pick up another Gaiman book right away.
    • 4/5
      Awesome!...
    • 4/5
      Love Gaiman books! Great read!
    • 4/5
      So inventive. So good.
    • 3/5
      Very funny.
    • 3/5
      pretty weird, and fun
    • 5/5
      One of my favorite Gaiman novels. Urban / fantasy / horror featuring a London Above and a London Below. Creepy and atmospheric rather than traditional horror although there are a few graphic bits. An Everyman accidentally opens a door into a parallel Lo Don pursued by two nasty assassins. Misters Croup and Vandemar are two of my favorite fictional baddies. Good late night / rainy day reading...the below London market is an amazing creation.
    • 5/5
      This was the first non-comic book work of Neil Gaiman's that I read, and it remains one of my favorites. I love Gaiman's worlds. They are full of a deeper magic than most.Mostly, I love the idea of London Below, a secret world with its own rules that runs parallel to our world, the "Above," but seems almost like another plane of reality all together. Following Richard on his trip down Alice's rabbit hole after saving Door is an incredible adventure. It's urban fantasy at its best.One of the most interesting things about Neverwhere is how Gaiman uses the real locations of London as the backdrop, but takes each and turns it completely on its head in London Below. Also, Gaiman has a way of creating these characters that stick with you long after the story is done, leaving you hungering for more. I would welcome a hundred more stories from London Below, either with the fantastically colorful character introduced here, or with a whole new batch of faces that are bound to be just as fascinating.
    • 4/5
      4 stars, easy. And probably more stars.

      This is fine read, really fine. Neverwhere is a steampunky adventure before there was steampunk. Actually, there is no steam but there is a bit of fog. The story is set mostly underground in a London multiverse. In this world the Undergrounders are aware of the Aboveground although the Abovegrounders have no sense of the parallel universes swirling near them. The lead character, Richard is a rare Abovegrounder who actually sees both above and below the surface. Incidentally, Mr. Nobody Owens has similar special sight in Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book. In Neverwhere Gaiman tosses in accidental swashbuckling, a dash of crush-on innocent attraction, and a heaping hint of “you can’t go home again.” His descriptions of the London Underground involve more than predictable subways, train cars and transfer stations. Although some of the subway system is familiar -- in that it is shared by unaware Abovegrounders -- the rest of the Underground world is a drippingly crisp and harsh society. Gaiman throws in a chunk of labyrinth (an actual labyrinth, yes, but not so maze-like that you actually get lost) and then mixes a dash of Roman/London history. Combine all that and hold on to the edge as you discover where the good and evil appear. Neverwhere is a fun read from beginning to end.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful Urban Fantasy, by the Master, Neil Gaiman.Has been compared to Alice in Wonderland, but to do it justice, it goes further.An assortment of unforgettable characters, good vs evil story, London Below vs London Above, and how sometimes we discover by accident (or not) where we really belong.Alice in Wonderland for Adults, indeed.Enjoyable.
    • 3/5
      This was a fantasy book about a man named Richard who "falls through the cracks" into an alternate, Underground world below London. Although gruesome in parts, the story was interesting enough to keep me hooked. And I liked all the characters. It was a little slow in the middle, but not for long. I really liked the ending, an important part of any story.
    • 4/5
      Richard Mayhew seems to be someone who is pushed and pulled by everyone in his life. His decision to help a wounded girl on the streets, instead of trying to impress his fiance (Jessica), proves to be the start of a fantastic journey in a place called London Below. Unbeknownst to him and all occupiers of London Above, a world with rules, dangers, magic, and its own unique economy exists in the cracks of society. Neil Gaiman does wonderful work layering and tucking a world of magic in the mundane city of London. Rather than fairies and dragons, humanoid creatures survive in the depths of sewers; as someone who has read very little urban fantasy, it was refreshing and fun to read something that departs from original tropes.
    • 4/5
      Richard Mayhew is a securities analyst, plodding along in the mundane world of jobs, schedules and relationships. Into Richard's world stumbles Lady Door, an oddly gifted teenager fleeing assassins. When Richard stops before her crumpled, bleeding form he begins his descent into the maze of lost time and lost places that is London Below and the terrifying creatures who roam there. Along the way, we 19re introduced to the murderous Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, a Dickensian pair straight out of nightmare; the Floating Market where all the contending citizens of London Below gather under a general truce to plot, trade, and revel; a large group of colorful supporting players; and the angel Islington who is still mourning his failure to save the people of Atlantis from destruction.

      One of the most intriguing aspects of this novel is the development of London itself as a character. Gaiman beautifully orchestrates scenes, unveiling psychological and physical terrors until the unwary reader begins to stagger as unsteadily as Richard on the brink of this terrifying world. The book moves at a fast pace and has a labyrinth of unexpected twists and turns to keep your interest. I've never read a Neil Gaiman book before but this certainly won't be my last.
    • 3/5
      I found this an engaging read and a surprising mystery. Fun read!
    • 4/5
      Fantastic book! Great novel for my first Neil Gaiman experience. It was rich, beautiful, and vibrant from beginning to end. I couldn't put the book down. I can't wait to read more stuff by Gaiman.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this novel. It was funny, it kept my attention, and there were a few lines that I liked so much, I underlined them. Definitely a story that I would recommend, and that I would read again and again. A quick and very enjoyable read.
    • 5/5
      Wow, what an unusual book! After reading American Gods, I really shouldn’t be surprised, as Neil Gaiman is certainly making a name for himself in the modern, urban fantasy genre. In this novel, we are introduced to a cast of characters that are among the most original, unusual and thought provoking I’ve ever encountered.The basis of the novel is the existence of an “underground” London, inhabited by all those who have fallen between the cracks of society. Designated as London Below, as opposed to London Above, these highly unusual inhabitants make their way through sewers, underground passages and subterranean vaults and caverns, as well as abandoned tube stations. In addition, things and people aren’t “normal” in London Below. Time and space do not follow the same rules as London Above. Elements of minor magic exist and animals take on human traits (for example, rats are exalted and can communicate). Once relegated to London Below, there is no return to the surface. Inhabitants virtually cease to exist and can move unseen and unrecognized on the surface.There were moments when I thought Gaiman went a little too far in his fantasy world, but by and large, it worked for me. The characters in the novel are amazingly well presented and fleshed out. The subject of the novel, Richard Mayhew, a drone of sorts in the London financial community, gets drawn into the underworld through accidental contact with one of its denizens, an unlikely heroine by the name of Lady Door. There, he undergoes a metamorphosis of sorts, as he undertakes the quest that is the backbone of the novel.There are elements of medieval custom and society, as well as characters that you would find in 17th century England. Most engaging to me, however, were a pair of supernaturally gifted murderous cut throats by the name of Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar who appear frequently throughout the story. As Mr. Croup explains, “"We are, after all, famed across the entirety of creation for our skills in the excruciatory arts"When their methods are questioned by their “employer” and they are accused of being unprofessional, Mr. Croup proudly explains: "Unprofessional? Us? Sir. Might I with due respect remind you that Mister Vandemar and myself burned down the city if Troy? We brought the Black Plague to Flanders. We have assassinated a dozen kings, five popes, half a hundred heroes and two accredited gods. Our last commission before this was the torturing of an entire monastery in sixteenth century Tuscany. We are utterly professional."There is actually an honest to goodness angel (Islington) who evolves into a fascinating character. There are references to Atlantis and other mythological personages and places. And while there is ample violence and scenes of brutality, as Mr. Vandemar notes at one point, “"Can't make an omelette without killing a few people".
    • 3/5
      A very dark tale. Entertaining and at times thought provoking.
    • 4/5
      Another Gaiman knockout. His ability to create such textured and complex worlds is brilliant. Not as awesome as Graveyard Book or Sandman but still highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      The ending of this book was really interesting. It really made you rethink what had happened and what was real and what was fake. I thought that it got kind of predictable but what I had "predicted" ended up not being what happened. I was hoping the umbrella would come back into play - unless that was supposed to be the same umbrella with the homeless person at the end. I also feel like Richard may have had a tarnished idea of what London Below actually is. He was on a adventure in his time there and going back after that may be different or boring, but definitely not what he expected it to be. The idea of him "just being crazy" didn't make sense to me either because he got a promotion during this time, which was already something that didn't make much sense.

      Either way, this was a very interesting book and the story was very original, something that I always love to experience.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this more than the previous Neil Gaiman book I read (The Ocean at the End of the Lane), but I did feel like many of the same themes were repeated (or maybe that's the author's voice narrating the audiobook?). Either way, I'm finding that I'm just not a Neil Gaiman fan despite enjoying the fantasy genre and having many friends with similar taste who enjoy his work. It's hard to put my finger on what exactly I don't like, but I seem to finish these books with a feeling a mild depression about the characters' lives, rather than satisfaction that all the loose plot ends were tied up.