SF Signal: REVIEW: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

REVIEW: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

REVIEW SUMMARY: A modern-day Alice in Wonderland story with solid imagery and interesting plot.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Richard is a young office worker in London who goes on a mystical adventure when a strange girl falls bleeding onto the sidewalk in front of him. She ends up taking him into a world of in-betweens and undergrounds - the people between the cracks of modern society.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Neil does a great job painting a picture of the underground world and drawing the reader in. He also has some innovative ideas on what goes on there.
CONS: Unfortunately it was hard to identify with any of Neil's somewhat one-dimensional characters. Richard supposedly grows and changes as a result of his experiences, but because I never believed he was a real person it was hard to notice. The ending is a bit ackward as well.
BOTTOM LINE: Neil's debut novel isn't up to the high standards set by later works such as American Gods and the masterful Good Omens (co-authored with Terry Pratchett) but is still an enjoyable read.

I've always had a soft spot for this particular Neil Gaiman story. I even enjoyed the tv serial it was based on, though as I recall it was largely panned by reviewers.

I'm not sure I could say why exactly as honestly its a bit of a Neil Gaiman mega-mix with all those familiar Sandman elements in there.

Posted by Eoghann Irving on Saturday September 17, 2005 at 2:03 PM

I really enjoyed Neverwhere, and it's the book that turned my wife on to Neil Gaiman (or maybe it was just seeing his picture on the dustcover that did it.)

I just picked up the sort-of sequel to American Gods, Anansi Boys, and will review it in 3 years when I get around to reading it.

Posted by Kevin on Tuesday September 27, 2005 at 11:18 AM