Fantasy Books

Last night we literally hung out in bed the whole evening, awake and reading. I was in the mood for an atmospheric novel as I mentioned in my post yesterday, and told my husband as much. He forthwith invited me to borrow Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere from his shelf. Funny thing: I can’t remember the last time I actually took a book recommendation from him. I was so baffled by this that I actually asked him if I ever had. After much scrutiny, he too determined that this was a first (just to put this in perspective: we’ve been together for nine years). It’s not that we don’t like many of the same books, but rather, that I am the ‘book dealer’ in our relationship. He is the ‘movie dealer’, just for the record.

Neil Gaiman is someone I’ve avoided for years for absolutely no reason. I’d always imagined his writing to be Tim Burtonesque, but in a British kind of way. Since I love Tim Burton (and all things British), you’d think that I’d have devoured all his books by now. Nope. I’ve meant to but somehow there was always something else to read. I’m iffy with fantasy unless it’s Harry Potter. I loved Gregory Maguire’s Wicked, but found that his others fell short. I—gasp!—confess to never having read The Lord of the Rings, even if I could practically recite any of the three films at the drop of a hat. Peter David’s Sir Apropos of Nothing series is on that long list of to-reads too. It seems to always be ‘to-read’ and less so ‘have read’ when it comes to fantasy books and me. I can’t say I know why.

Anyway, I did finish Neverwhere, and it really reminded me of Adam Gopnik’s The King in the Window, albeit a darker, more adult version of it. Richard Mayhew, a young up-and-coming businessman in London, gets sucked into London Below, a world which resembles the one above, but is askew in all sorts of ways. He gets embroiled in the quest of a girl named Door, and ends up a hero in a dangerous journey. All he wants to do is go back home to his regular life, but he can’t. After spending so much time in the dark realm, it is London Above that feels surreal. 

I’d say that overall I liked this book, but not as much as I should have. As with everything else this never-ending saga of a cold has affected, I think my figurative taste buds are a bit wonky.

Comments

[Bibliophile]

I didn't like Neverwhere as much as American Gods. According to friends who've seen the TV series, they liked it better than the book (Gaiman wrote the book on the film set, based on his own script).

My very favourite Gaiman is the Sandman graphic novels and the brilliant Good Omes which he co-wrote with Terry Pratchett and which I can heartily recommend.

[dianabol]

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