Neil Gaiman 'Neverwhere'

Many will be familiar with Neil Gaiman’s work even if they are unfamiliar with the man himself. Recent Hollywood successes such as the stop-motion masterpiece Coraline and the heart-warming fairytale Stardust were based on original novels by Gaiman. Others may be more familiar with the authors work in the graphic novel genre. His The Sandman series is widely acknowledged as being one of the pinnacles of a format many are quick to snub; “a comic book for intellectuals” as Norman Mailer put it. With countless literary accolades to his name - including 19 Eisner Awards, 4 Hugo Awards and 3 Bram Stoker Awards - one begins to wonder why such a prolific and ingenious writer could still be somewhat considered as one of modern popular literature’s best kept secrets.

Neverwhere was originally conceived as a BBC television series back in 1996. Unsatisfied with the director’s interpretation of his artistic vision, Gaiman set about adapting his screenplay into a fully-fledged novel. Currently in its third, and what the author himself hopes will be, “definitive” version, Neverwhere is the tale of one Richard Mayhew. After a long and bizarre weekend helping a mysterious wounded girl who calls herself Door, recover and return home to what she calls London Below, Richard sets off to work on Monday morning as per usual. However it slowly dawns on him that no one seems to be noticing him at all. Successful attempts at drawing people’s attention prove to be of little consequence, since his colleagues can’t quite place him and mere moments after he has left everyone is quick to forget about him completely. Furthermore, he finds that he apparently no longer works in the office he has been employed with for the last 3 years, and that his apartment is up for sale without his consent. He hasn’t so much become invisible, but a person of no significance – one of those individuals who has fallen between the cracks. Realising that his new non-existence is somehow related to his chance encounter with Door, Richard is thus forced to try contact Door once again in her native London Below, in search of answers. What ensues is a highly entertaining and comic quest through London Below, where Richard aids Door in solving the mystery of who murdered her family, whilst simultaneously trying to gain his life back.

Whilst the narrative of a protagonist being unwillingly swept into a previously hidden fantastical alternate reality, and trying to find their way back home, is by no means a novel one – think The Wizard of Oz or The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – Gaiman’s vivid imagination is what keeps the reader turning page after page, delighting and revelling in the world he has created. Firstly there is the enthralling London Below, home to all who have fallen between the cracks. London’s sewers and underground stations form the physical setting of this twisted Victorian-esque city that co-exists beneath the modern day capital. Then there is the motley Floating Market which is packed with the most random and peculiar folk, where one can acquire anything from oriental foods, to nightmares, to unwanted rubbish fished out of the sewers. Gaiman’s knack of creating colourful Dickensian characters certainly does not hinder the magnetism of this novel. Perhaps the best examples of this are the insatiably wicked and demented Messrs Croup and Vandemar; two hired assassins whose meticulousness for murder and torture is akin to the obsession of perfection Michelangelo must have possessed, whilst working on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. There is also the flamboyant Marquis de Carabas, a nonchalant merchant who prefers to be paid in favours. These are the category of characters readers would happily read a few more hundred pages about, in order to explore their histories and personalities in greater depth.

Plot arguably plays second fiddle to character and setting in Neverwhere, but the characters and setting are so marvellous that they more than make up for any predictability. Gaiman’s writing style is infused with rich descriptive vocabulary that allows the magic to easily traverse the page. And his brilliant use of London underground station names as inspiration for some of his characters (the Seven Sisters, Angel Islington, Hammersmith et al.) must have most fantasy novelists wondering how on earth they had never envisaged that concept before. Neverwhere may sometimes feel as if it is little more than a literary playground for Gaiman’s imagination to run amok in, yet lucky are we to be allowed to delve into his fiefdom.