Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman - 9/10

The familiar becomes strange in this modern fairytale about London.

After a spontaneous act to help a stranger in need, the average Richard is thrust into the dangerous magical world that exists in the margins of the society we know. Fighting to get back the life he lost, he discovers that the world is far more complex and mysterious than he had ever imagined, and learns about courage, loyalty, and sacrifice.

I think what makes this book stand out are its world-building and writing style, which are well-done and quite engaging.

In line with the narrative premise of twisting the ordinary into something new, none of the main characters quite match up with the archetype they seem to be linked to - for example, Richard, the protagonist and "hero" of the book is primarily motivated by his desire to return to his life as it had been before he encountered any magic, which I found made him a bit unsympathetic at times, but he and the others still have their moments to shine.

*This book is tame in terms of language and sexual content, but it is quite heavy throughout and particularly dark at times (covering such topics as murder, the thought-patterns of suicidal ideation, as well as some general creepiness and some unpleasant depictions of violence and gore - especially surrounding the primary antagonists who are a pair of inhuman assassins). I think the ages of the main characters is left somewhat ambiguous, though Richard is a young-ish adult (probably 20s-30s), but I think the tone of the novel sets it apart for a mature audience regardless.

*This book reminded me a lot of UnLunDun, which I loved as a kid, and Kraken, which I read more recently (and is also an adult book) - both of which build a magical world in and around the world we know so well (or at least, might know - I do not live in London, so some of the specific details are tangential to me, but the idea is there). While the tone of Neverwhere is closer to that of Kraken, the plays on words and direct mirrors in the alternate, magical world is more like UnLunDun.