There is a special formula that Neil Gaiman uses in all his books and that formula has the capacity to captivate and transport dreamers like this mother to a place no mortal man has ever stepped on or thought of visiting.
In Neverwhere, Gaiman constructed a London that was so different, so peculiar and so dark that it made me think if there is really a community of creatures living underground with their own culture, economics and politics.
In this book we meet Richard Mayhew, an ordinary bloke who was thrust in a world of London down under. His rather ordinary life was interrupted by a girl named Door, whose fate intersected with our protagonist on the very night he was out on a date with his controlling and over demanding girlfriend.
The rest of the narrative carries you in a tide of dark wonder with an atmosphere reminiscent of J.K. Rowling’s Knockturn Alley with a tinge of Diagon Alley.
London Below is not a fascinating world. It’s full of creeps and crawling creatures; it’s not difficult to imagine that at any moment, something slimy and smelly will pounce at you to eat you whole.
Gaiman is gifted with the talent to make fantasy real and it is in Neverwhere that he showcased the best of this ability.
This is dark fantasy that is not as child friendly as The Graveyard Book. But it doesn’t mean that it’s not fun and unexciting.
I bought the preferred author’s text the day Gaiman announced its availability on Amazon. That was two years ago but I only got around reading this masterpieces just last month.
I regret waiting two years before leafing through its pages and submerged myself into this world.
If you’re a Harry Potter fan and have somehow wriggled your way out of Hogwarts, then you will like this book. Blood is shed here too so you might want to read this book before bedtime for maximum nightmare experience.
(Sorry Mommies, I just have to say that. Don’t tell my kids.)
