Neverwhere

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman is an interesting read. When Richard Mayhew saves a young girl from a London sidewalk, his life changes from normal to literally, abnormal. The young girl, whose name is Door, comes from “London Below” where she escapes from two hired killers. The two killers are known as Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar, and they’d killed everybody in Door’s family.

Following the good deed, Richard’s fiancée chucks him, he lost his wonderful job at a securities firm, he lost his apartment; he very nearly loses his mind too.

From “London Above” (his normal London), he finds himself getting involuntarily involved deeper and deeper in the mysterious “London Below.” Nothing will prepare him for the dark adventures he is about to embark on. His normal life no longer exists. He goes back above but nobody ‘sees’ him.

With every turn of the page, readers will discover for themselves the unveiling of various interesting underworld characters such the rat-speakers, the marquis de Carabas, Hunter the bodyguard, Old Bailey, the Black Friars, etc. Extraordinary friendship and teamwork are forged.

The plot thickens as the ending approaches. Will Door ever avenge her family? Will Richard ever regain his normal life? Can dead people be made alive? Who is the real baddie?

I have enjoyed reading the novel very much and I must say that Neil Gaiman has never failed to deliver intriguing stories. Creepy, imaginative, never dull. Quoting Mark Frost, the author of The List of 7, he said Neverwhere is an eye-popping Alice in Wonderland for the new millennium. Indeed.