I’m not sure what to make of this story. It was absorbing to say the least, but I’m still not sure if I liked it or not. It was... different. The hero has an odd encounter with a girl from London Below, a parallel universe that exists in roughly the same space as ours but has only a tenuous connection. Beings in our world can interact with beings from the other, but it takes enough effort that such commingling is rare. London Below is a world where magic is real, rats are respected creatures, and names have a very literal meaning (black Friar monks live in Blackfriars and a mystical Earl holds court in Earl’s Court). This rich backdrop was both fascinating and compelling; I was continually excited to discover what was around the next corner. The plot was tenuous, though, with one-dimensional characters and predictable situations. With such a unique universe in which to play, I was disappointed that there wasn’t more of the denizens to do. An odd book from start to finish; if you are looking for something different then this is certainly it.
She had been running for four days now, a harum-scarum tumbling flight through passages and tunnels.
1 comment:
I agree with everything you said. It's an engaging story, but I find it the weakest of Gaiman's entire oeuvre. Like you said, very one-dimensional. As an aside I found it amusing to watch the otherwise talented actors struggle with that same one-dimensionality in the BBCs production of Neverwhere.
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