neverwhere

I first came to know of Neil Gaiman through my favourite tudi. She used to (still does?) rave about the Sandman series. So when I chanced upon this book by Neil Gaiman, I stopped to take a look. The story appeared interesting enough for me to spend AUD20+ on the book although I didn't quite like the cover. I'm not sure if it's just me, but book covers (the design, colour, texture of the paper, font, graphic etc) affect to a very large extent my selection of my read for the month. I was also pleasantly delighted to discover that Stardust was written by Neil Gaiman too. I enjoyed the movie and wouldn't mind getting the book.

Once I got started on Neverwhere, I couldn't stop reading it. Gaiman is really such a good storyteller.

One of the main characters in Neverwhere, Door, has such unique and amazing powers - she and her family possess the ability to open doors. They can create doors where there are no doors, unlock doors that are locked and open doors that are never meant to be opened. They live in a house, if you can call that a house, where there is only one huge white room they call the entrance hall that has no doors nor openings of any kind. Instead the walls are filled with pictures of different rooms in different locations all linked to the entrance hall and only Door and her family can access these rooms with their door opening abilities. Her dad will travel, find places he likes and links it to the entrance hall. I think that is so cool! Maybe that is how our houses will be like in many many many years down the road!

My favourite character is the Marquis de Carabas. I never once doubted his loyalty to Door although he may appear to be the slippery kind. I didn't think he really 'died' when he did because I knew he has to have a bigger role to play than that. Hunter caught me by surprise though. I was always under the impression that Croup and Vandemar were deliberately creating feelings of mistrust by dropping hints of the existence of a traitor in the group. On hindsight, Hunter does seem the most suspicious one most likely to be the traitor among them.

Richard Mayhew is just plain common and a weakling until he passed the ordeal of the key. That totally changed my impression of him. And also when he prepared to sacrifice himself during the final confrontation with Islington. His girlfriend for the first few chapters, Jessica, is a total bitch. She is so like someone I know. *shivers at the thought of it*

I really like the floating market concept. I find it funny that one of the markets took place at Harrods. I wonder how Gaiman came up with all the amazing things one can find at the floating market. There's a stall that sells nightmares. I have lots of them to barter trade in the floating market in Sydney Below, if it exists!

I wonder, if there is a Sydney Below, would I dare venture into it? I think I'll prefer to stay in my comfort zone, hide away under my warm quilt hugging my very soft bolster than to go explore the sewers, get lost in a labyrinth and fight evil angels or ugly beasts.