Neverwhere

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Neverwhere
by Neil Gaiman
★★★★

I first read Neverwhere in 2007 and had so much fun following Richard Mayhew and Door on their adventures in the London Below. When I heard about the 2013 Radio dramatization of the novel on the BBC I was so excited. The incredible cast included James McAvoy, Christopher Lee, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Natalie Dormer just to name a few. They brought the story to life in such a wonderful way, I think I enjoyed it even more this time around.
 
The plot revolves around an ordinary man in London. He has a regular job, a regular girl and nothing too exciting ever happens to him. Then one day he meets a girl named Door and everything is turned upside down. He finds himself in London Below, along with hundreds of others who have "fallen through the cracks." As he explores the strange world of Angels, markets and guardians he finds that he might just have a taste for adventure after all. 

Gaiman’s talent for writing is undeniable, but this story is a great demonstration of his ability to create quirky, memorable casts of characters. Hunter, Old Bailey, the Marquis, Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, such a weird and wonderful group that I’m not going to forget anytime soon. The story isn’t as complex as some of his later work, but it is a fun, fast-moving story.

BOTTOM LINE: Of all of Gaiman’s novels, I think this one is the best candidate for a sequel. I had so much fun revisiting the characters through the audioplay and I hope more people check it out! (You can find it on Audible if you're interested.)

“There are little pockets of old time in London, where things and places stay the same, like bubbles in amber,” she explained. “There’s a lot of time in London, and it has to go somewhere—it doesn’t all get used up at once.”

“Until that moment she had never thought she could do it. Never thought she would be brave enough or scared enough, or desperate enough to dare.”

7 comments:

Heather said...

I agree. The radio production was fantastic!

And I want a sequel too. I really want to know what happened to Anasthesia! And there is so much potential! I would die happy if there were another. lol

JoAnn said...

Sounds like a great audio experience!! Adding to my list.

Anonymous said...

pretty nice blog, following :)

Anonymous said...

I listened to Gaiman narrate Neverwhere - it was excellent. I am sure I would enjoy this as well.

Camilla P. said...

I love this audio version, too - I listened to it when it aired on BBC4! :D

Kat @ NoPageLeftBehind said...

Oh wow! I had no idea this audio version existed! I am definitely getting this for my daily commute :)

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Heather - Wouldn't that be awesome!

JoAnn - It's very fun and the cast is incredible!

bkclubcare - I would listen to Gaiman read anything. His voice is perfect for narration!

Camilla P - I wanted to listen to it then, but I missed it. I was so glad it was available later.

Kat - It's such a fun way to revisit the story.