Neverwhere: A Novel

Neil Gaiman

Mar 2009 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

“Neil Gaiman is undoubtedly one of the modern masters of fantasy writing....For those who have not read Neverwhere, the new edition is the one to read, and is a fitting introduction to Gaiman’s adult fiction....American readers can experience this spellbinding, magical world the way that Neil Gaiman wanted us to all along.”  —Huffington Post

The #1 New York Times bestselling author’s ultimate edition of his wildly successful first novel featuring his “preferred text”—and including his special Neverwhere tale, “How the Marquis Got His Coat Back”.

Published in 1997, Neil Gaiman’s darkly hypnotic first novel, Neverwhere, heralded the arrival of a major talent and became a touchstone of urban fantasy.

It is the story of Richard Mayhew, a young London businessman with a good heart and an ordinary life, which is changed forever when he discovers a girl bleeding on the sidewalk. He stops to help her—an act of kindness that plunges him into a world he never dreamed existed. Slipping through the cracks of reality, Richard lands in Neverwhere—a London of shadows and darkness, monsters and saints, murderers and angels that exists entirely in a subterranean labyrinth. Neverwhere is home to Door, the mysterious girl Richard helped in the London Above. Here in Neverwhere, Door is a powerful noblewoman who has vowed to find the evil agent of her family’s slaughter and thwart the destruction of this strange underworld kingdom. If Richard is ever to return to his former life and home, he must join Lady Door’s quest to save her world—and may well die trying.

Ratings and reviews

If you had told me a year ago I would be reviewing a Neil Gaiman book as my first book review of 2021 I wouldn’t believe you. I’ve DNFed multiple Gaiman books, not because of the writing, but because the worlds he built weren’t for me. I respect Gaiman’s talent and am glad so many people can find entertainment in his stories, I was just never one of them. Until a co-worker challenged me to read Neverwhere. Those who live in London Above have no clue there is an entire world below their feet. Every day people walk along, never noticing those who fall beneath the cracks to London Below. Richard was once from London Above. The day he saved a dying girl changed everything. Door is hunted in London Below but will let nothing stop her from avenging her family. But dark things are lurking in London Below and Richard may not be enough to keep her safe. Neverwhere is a dark tale that takes the underbelly of London and runs away with it wrapped up in wild imagination. The world-building is brilliant as the characters venture deeper into London Below. Piece by piece readers are introduced to the lore and people that make the Below their home. I especially enjoyed the rats whom those from Above deemed pests, actually carried messages to people known as rat-speakers. The characters are phenomenal. Each one is filled to the brim with complexity and their character arcs will keep readers entertained. Gaiman makes sure to throw in some twists and turns to keep readers guessing. I loved the story all the more for them. The dialogue between Richard, Door, and the Marquis was the perfect mixture of witty banter and story-driven conversation. Richard especially showed his evolution as a character as he grew more confident in his actions and how he reacted to London Below. Well done Neil Gaiman, well done. You’ve won me over and I am looking forward to the second book in London Below.

One day I decided to expand my reading of fantasy novels. Through Wikipedia I came across an intriguing title. Reading a little more I thought the ideas were interesting and decided to find the book in my school library. Alas I was foiled, but I decided that since I found the author I would test him out. I was blown away and inspired. I feel that nothing I could say could convey how happy this book made me. Thank you Gaiman, please write on.

I was enchanted by the idea of an unseen world right under our noses unbound by the rules of logic, space, and time. Gaiman as always, crafts a fantastic witty tale which taps into the whimsical idea among ourselves as children that the world is not as it seems. The book doesn't contain much world building, but in this instance it lends to the mystery as the story follows the protagonist who is thrust from his mundane life into the inexorable world of London below. A great read.

About the author

Neil Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling and multi-award winning author and creator of many beloved books, graphic novels, short stories, film, television and theatre for all ages. He is the recipient of the Newbery and Carnegie Medals, and many Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner Awards. Neil has adapted many of his works to television series, including Good Omens (co-written with Terry Pratchett) and The Sandman. He is a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and Professor in the Arts at Bard College. For a lot more about his work, please visit: https://www.neilgaiman.com/