Book review: Neverwhere

CEBU, Philippines - Neil Gaiman, the Prince of Stories brings a thrilling tale that began with the not-so thrilling life of a man with a good heart. With a regular job and a girlfriend, Richard Mayhew is a simple man living an ordinary life. But everything changes as he stops to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk.

From the moment Richard Mayhew picks up the bleeding girl named Door, his life is never the same again. He discovers that there are two worlds that coexist: that of London Above and of London Below. And he unknowingly puts himself into the alternate reality which is the world of London Below as he comes to the aid of the bleeding Door the night he meets her for the first time at the sidewalk.

He is then pushed deeper into the alternate reality which is London Below as he finds that by helping the girl named Door, he has lost his life in London Above. To be precise, he has ceased to exist: nobody knows him even at his office, his girlfriend doesn’t recognize him and even his ATM card is invalid.

From there begins his quest to regain his life as he braves London Below. There he meets warriors, con people and even an angel named Islington. In the process of regaining his life he later finds that he must save London Below from the deceitful terrors that wait to claim it. So, the once-ordinary life of the once-ordinary Richard Mayhew becomes extraordinarily creepy and extremely packed with adventure, mystery, and wonder.

Neil Gaiman, the New York Times best-selling author of American Gods and Stardust, delivers this dark contemporary Alice in Wonderland to readers. He adds with it his highly visual and very descriptive way of narrating a story. And don’t forget to throw in Gaiman’s dark and whimsical wit and humor.

Set in the underground world of London, Neverwhere is a breathtaking world filled with talking animals, satisfyingly creepy villains, and creatures of the imagination.

Neverwhere gives a uniquely rich blend of wonder and dread as Gaiman spins the story of an ordinary man who accidentally finds himself living an extraordinary life.