I have to apologize for the brevity of this review. It was originally written for a magazine and readers with short attention spans and so comprises only a paragraph. What's funny is that I said most of what I wanted to say about the book. Read the review and then find the novel. It's good. Trust me. That's why you are reading this, right?
Gaiman’s Neverwhere: A New Alice.
By: J. Pierandozzi
Ask Richard Mayhew and he’ll tell you: London is boring, and he’s sick of it. But, after helping what appears to be a harmless street urchin, Richard is pulled into the dark, mysterious, and dangerous world of London Underground, home to great beasts, imprisoned angels, and where rat-speak is a very popular second language. Neil Gaiman, writer of such cult hits as Anansi Boys, American Gods, and the ever popular graphic novel The Sandman, hits again with Neverwhere, leading us through the twists and turns of London Underground, a land unknown to the common folk of London Above and the stomping grounds of Door Portico, Hunter, and the Marquis de Carabas, our heroes alongside Richard. In this 1996 novel, Gaiman channels Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, updating and darkening the story but staying true to the magic and surprise that Carroll created. The characters are as loveable and unpredictable as the plot and you’ll keep turning the pages long past bedtime to find out what’s going to happen to poor Richard and his friends next. The story appeals to the child in all of us, but is certainly not for children or the faint of heart as Neverwhere has some of the nastiest and most creatively cruel villains to stalk Piccadilly Circus since Jack the Ripper. Much like Carroll’s Alice, Neverwhere has been adapted for TV and is now available on DVD. Give it a try if you can take the 40 dollar hit, but if, like me, your pocket book’s a bit thin, pick up the text version instead, as well as anything else Gaiman has written; you won’t want to put it down.
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