Neverwhere


By: Neil Gaiman

Challenge:  Once Upon a Time

Published: 1996

# of pages: 370

Quote: "The marquis had told them where to wait, and then he had slipped away. From somewhere, Richard heard a baby begin to cry. The marquis slipped out of an exit-only door and walked toward them. He was chewing on a piece of candy."

Official description:When Richard Mayhew stops one day to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London pavement, his life is forever altered, for he finds himself propelled into an alternative reality that exists in a subterranean labyrinth of sewer canals and abandoned subway stations. He has fallen through the cracks of reality and has landed somewhere different, somewhere that is Neverwhere.

My opinion:  It took a little while, but I ended up loving this book!  It's hard to explain why, but I loved the writing, the setting, and the characters.  It was full of adventure, but wasn't confusing or lacking in other departments.  There was a feeling of camaraderie between the characters that really drew me in.  It's a unique quest plot.  There's humor, but also danger, sadness, loyalty, betrayal, and violence.

It's hard to pick a favorite character.  Door is one of the main characters and she is a little harder to get to know.  But she's strong and has so many loyal friends who want to help her.  Richard is great, he behaves just as you'd expect and I love the parts he plays in Door's quest.  And the marquis is a fascinating character.  He's my favorite type of character....not all good, but not all bad.  Hard to figure out.

I recommend this book to fans of Gaiman, fans of dark fantasy or urban fantasy, and readers who are interested in reading a unique take on a quest plot.

Why I gave this book 5/5 stars: Great descriptions, likable characters, humorous, unique twist on traditional plot

Other reviews:
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