Neverwhere

This is a review for Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ I give this book 4 stars out of 5.  I liked it a lot.

Mind the Gap
Neverwhere is the story of an average man who discovers that the world is not a simple as it seems.  Richard Mayhew makes his fiance very angry when he stops to help an injured girl on the way to an important dinner with her boss.  He knows the dinner is important but he can't just leave a young girl bleeding on the sidewalk.  This act of kindness turns his world upside down. 

Everyone knows that you have to mind the gap on the London Underground, everyone hears the warnings over the loudspeakers but Richard is about to learn the real meaning behind the warnings.  He quickly learns there is more to London than meets the eye and those who are unlucky fall through the cracks.  The more he tries to help the girl, the deeper he gets dragged into the "underground" and the harder it is for him to go back to his normal life.  Richard has fallen through the cracks and he has to learn to cope with a whole new set of rules.  He has to survive in order to get his life back, but the new world is much more dangerous than the one he is used to.

Gaiman's story is well written, you can't help but sympathize with the nice guy who got dragged in over his head trying to help someone.  The underground world works in a whole new way and keeps the reader guessing right along with Richard.  Just when you think you know how the story goes, Gaiman throws you a curveball and you have no idea if Richard will find his way through the underworld and back to his ordinary life or if he will stay where he landed when he fell through the cracks.  Gaiman has a way of telling a story that just grabs you by the hand and drags you along until the end and then leaves you wondering how it ended so fast.

If you are a fan of Neil Gaiman you definitely need to read this one.  If you enjoy stories about the secret worlds hidden within the ordinary one, you should read this one.  If you have ever wondered why you need to "Mind the gap," you will not be disappointed with the answer.